The required lifting capacity of the dock lift determines the diameter and stroke of the hydraulic cylinders, and the number cylinders to be used. Once the cylinder requirements have been determined, then it simply becomes a matter of the volume of hydraulic oil that is pumped into the cylinders, more volume = faster lift times. Think of it this way; if it takes 2 minutes to fill a bucket with water using one garden hose and you want to fill it faster, add a second hose to the bucket. It will now fill in 1 minute. Back to dock lifts, to fill the lift cylinders more quickly, the power unit’s hydraulic pump size is increased to push a higher volume oil. The horse power of the motor often needs to be increased to turn the bigger pump. Contact your Pentalift Sales Representative for more information.