[terry and jo]

Unless hydraulic cylinders have really gotten bad in the means of construction, I wouldn't worry too much about dust and dirt. I used to be in agriculture and spent A LOT of time on tractors pulling farm implements through the fields.

Believe me, a farm implement cutting through the soil is raising a LOT MORE dust than our coaches will ever be exposed to in normal use. Plus, the hydraulics used to raise those implements are worked quite a bit in those conditions and are in that dust a lot.

It is also interesting that anyone is recommending lubrication of the cylinder rods. There is a lot on a farm implement to lubricate, but we never lubricated cylinders. Nor did we have many issues with failed cylinders, especially from "neglected maintenance."

I can see lubrication of those mechanisms that actually have gears, pinions, or whatever, but not hydraulic cylinders. Or, am I missing something?