Linear Actuator Replacement Finder & Cross-Reference Guide
Select the existing actuator manufacturer and model below to find the closest FIRGELLI candidates. The tool compares force, stroke, voltage, size, speed, feedback, duty cycle, and IP rating where source data is available. Always verify fit, wiring, control, and environment before ordering.
Database loading.
Find Your Replacement Actuator
Select the manufacturer shown on the actuator label.
Use the exact model or part number from the actuator label where possible.
Pick a manufacturer to load its verified actuator models.
Search by complete model number for the most reliable result.
Known load basis
Leave blank to use the competitor's published dynamic-force rating. If force is the only reliable spec, the finder still ranks likely options by force first.
FIRGELLI candidates
Can't Find Your Manufacturer or Model?
I know the manufacturer, but my model is missing
Older, discontinued, regional, private-label, or custom part numbers may not be listed yet. Confirm the exact actuator label, alternate part numbers, suffixes, voltage, stroke, force, feedback designation, and option codes before assuming the closest family record applies.
For a reviewed replacement, use the worksheet below and request a technical review with photos of the label, mounting, wiring, and mechanism.
I don't know what actuator I have
Start by recording the installed measurements and electrical details. The label may be missing, but stroke, pin-to-pin length, mounting-hole size, voltage, feedback wires, and environment usually narrow the replacement path.
How to Replace a Linear Actuator Correctly
This guide is useful even when the exact model is not in the database. A replacement actuator has to fit the machine, match the electrical system, perform under load, and work with the existing controller.
Step 1 - Identify the Existing Actuator
Read the full label before removing the actuator. Record the manufacturer, model number, part number, voltage, force rating, stroke, feedback designation, IP rating, and every suffix or option code. A small suffix can change stroke, gear ratio, feedback, connector, duty cycle, or voltage.
- Manufacturer
- Brand on body or label
- Model / part number
- Full code including suffixes
- Electrical
- Voltage, current, connector, feedback wires
- Performance
- Force, stroke, speed, duty cycle, IP rating
Step 2 - Measure the Actuator
Measure stroke, retracted pin-to-pin length, extended pin-to-pin length, front and rear mounting-hole diameter, clevis width, actuator body diameter, motor housing clearance, and cable exit orientation. Stroke is not the same as overall length.
- Retracted length
- Center of rear pin to center of front pin when closed
- Extended length
- Center-to-center length at full extension
- Stroke
- Extended length minus retracted length
- Mounting fit
- Pin diameter, clevis width, bracket clearance
Step 3 - Determine the Required Force
The rating printed on the old actuator is not always the real force required by the mechanism. Mounting geometry, lever arms, load angle, friction, acceleration, dynamic loads, side loading, shock loads, and safety factor all matter. A higher-force replacement is not automatically safer because it can increase structural loads and may move more slowly. Use the linear actuator sizing guide or calculate the required linear actuator force before relying on the old label alone.
Step 4 - Match Stroke and Installed Length
Both travel and envelope matter. Compare retracted length, extended length, available clearance, mounting-hole locations, bracket geometry, and interference through the full motion. A replacement with the same stroke can still fail to fit if its retracted length is different. Use the linear actuator mounting brackets, stroke geometry calculator, and side-load calculator when mounting geometry is uncertain.
Step 5 - Match Voltage and Electrical Requirements
Confirm 12 VDC or 24 VDC, current draw, startup and stall current, polarity reversal, power-supply capacity, fuse sizing, and controller output limits. Do not substitute a different voltage actuator unless the entire power and control system supports it. Use the guide to size a power supply for a linear actuator, then generate a linear actuator wiring diagram.
Step 6 - Verify Feedback and Control Compatibility
No feedback, potentiometer feedback, Hall-effect feedback, and encoder feedback are different control signals. Mechanical similarity does not imply controller compatibility. Check feedback voltage, pulse output, number of channels, synchronization, closed-loop control, controller expectations, and connector pinout. For synchronized systems, verify the actuator feedback type and control box together. See how actuator feedback works, feedback sensor options, and the FCB-2 controller.
Step 7 - Verify Speed and Duty Cycle
Speed should be checked at the relevant load, not only as a no-load value. Loaded speed, duty cycle, thermal limits, cycle frequency, and application timing can all change machine behavior. Use the actuator duty-cycle calculator, speed versus force calculator, and actuator performance curves where applicable.
Step 8 - Verify Environment and IP Rating
Indoor use, outdoor use, dust, water spray, washdown, marine exposure, corrosion, and ambient temperature can make a mechanically similar actuator unsuitable. A lower IP rating than the original is an environmental risk. For outdoor or marine projects, also check connector protection, cable exit, mounting hardware, material compatibility, and corrosion. Start with the FIRGELLI guide to understand linear actuator IP ratings.
Replacement Compatibility Checklist
Completing this list does not guarantee suitability, but unresolved items should be treated as engineering checks before ordering.
- Voltage matches the control system
- Required force is sufficient
- Stroke is correct
- Retracted length fits
- Extended length fits
- Mounting-hole dimensions are compatible
- Clevis width fits
- Speed is acceptable
- Current draw is within system limits
- Duty cycle meets the application
- Feedback type is controller-compatible
- Limit-switch behavior is compatible
- IP rating is suitable
- Temperature and environment are suitable
- Mounting geometry avoids side loading
- Dynamic forces have been considered
- Appropriate safety factor has been used
Linear Actuator Replacement Example
This example uses source-backed records already in the replacement database. It is intentionally not a perfect replacement claim.
| Specification | Existing actuator | FIRGELLI candidate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Jiecang JC35FA17 | FA-BH36-224-24-12 Bullet Series 36 Cal. Linear Actuator | Candidate for review |
| Voltage | 24 VDC | 24 VDC | Match |
| Force | 500 N (112.4 lbf) published push load | 224 lbf (996.4 N) published force | Meets known force basis |
| Stroke | 20-300 mm (0.79-11.81 in) published range | 12 in (304.8 mm) listed stroke | Check exact configured stroke |
| Retracted length | Not documented in source | Not published in the compact FIRGELLI record | Check required |
| Speed | 8 mm/s (0.31 in/s) at published load condition | Not published in the compact FIRGELLI record | Check required |
| Feedback | End-stop signal listed in source record | Not published in the compact FIRGELLI record | Check controller compatibility |
| IP rating | IP65 | Not published in the compact FIRGELLI record | Check required |
| Duty cycle | 15% | Not published in the compact FIRGELLI record | Check required |
| Mounting | Not documented in source | Not published in the compact FIRGELLI record | Check required |
Although voltage and force align in this example, the Jiecang record publishes a stroke range rather than the exact installed stroke, and the compact FIRGELLI record does not document retracted length, loaded speed, IP rating, feedback, duty cycle, or mounting details. This candidate should not be treated as a direct replacement until those checks are confirmed from current drawings and product data.
Manual replacement worksheet
Use this when the label is missing, the model is not yet indexed, or a published value needs to be checked against the installed machine.
How the Linear Actuator Replacement Database Works
The current index contains 602 current FIRGELLI SKUs and 5,227 competitor configurations or family records. Source data comes from published material recorded in the dataset, including manufacturer product pages, datasheets, manuals, technical drawings, product documentation, and documented part-number systems where available.
Exact model matching is preferred. Where a source only publishes a family range or configurable series, the page labels that record as a family/model record and keeps range values visible rather than pretending the selected model has one exact stroke, speed, or envelope.
Source values are retained with their original units and normalized into common units for comparison. The matching logic ranks FIRGELLI candidates by known force capacity first, then considers known stroke, voltage, envelope, speed, duty cycle, feedback, ingress rating, and product-family fit. This is a shortlist, not a compatibility certification.
Missing specifications are not assumed to match. They are shown as check required or not documented in source. Where source metadata exists, each selected record exposes the source title, URL, revision or page reference, and verification date in the source details panel.
Engineering Review
Robbie Dickson - Founder, FIRGELLI Automations. Robbie's work at FIRGELLI focuses on electric linear actuators, motion-control systems, actuator product development, automation applications, actuator selection, and mechanical/electrical integration.
Source records and matching rules were last engineering-reviewed on 2026-08-17. The searchable database was last updated from the local index version 2026.08.19.175511. Page implementation last updated 2026-08-19.
The finder is intended to create an engineering shortlist. Final suitability depends on the installed mechanism, wiring, controller, environment, and current product drawings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace a linear actuator with a different brand?
Yes, but only when the mechanical envelope, voltage, force, stroke, speed, duty cycle, feedback, mounting, and environment are compatible. The finder creates an engineering shortlist; it does not prove a direct replacement.
Does the replacement actuator need the exact same force rating?
Not always. The replacement must provide enough force for the real mechanism load, but a much higher-force actuator can increase structural loads, current draw, and speed changes. Size force from the application, not only from the old label.
Does the stroke length have to match exactly?
In most replacement projects, yes. Too little stroke may stop the mechanism short, while too much stroke can overtravel a hinge, linkage, or stop. If the selected record is only a stroke range, measure the installed actuator before choosing the FIRGELLI stroke.
Can I replace a 12V actuator with a 24V actuator?
Only if the complete power supply, controller, wiring, switches, relays, and safety devices support 24 VDC. Do not substitute a different-voltage actuator into an existing system without verifying the entire electrical design.
How do I measure a linear actuator for replacement?
Measure stroke separately from overall length. Record retracted pin-to-pin length, extended pin-to-pin length, front and rear mounting-hole diameter, clevis width, body clearance, cable exit, and the exact voltage and feedback type.
Can I replace a potentiometer-feedback actuator with a Hall-effect actuator?
Not without checking the controller. Potentiometers, Hall sensors, and encoders produce different signals. The actuator may fit mechanically while still being incompatible with the existing control box or position input.
What if my actuator model is discontinued?
Use the manufacturer/model finder first, then the measurement worksheet if the exact model is missing. Older, regional, or custom actuator part numbers often require matching by measured stroke, installed length, voltage, force, feedback, and mounting geometry.
Do the mounting dimensions need to match?
Yes. Pin diameter, clevis width, bracket position, retracted length, extended length, and cable clearance can decide whether a replacement physically fits. A matching force and stroke rating is not enough by itself.
Can I use a higher-force actuator than the original?
Sometimes, but it is not automatically safer. Higher force may move slower, draw more current, and load the mechanism harder at the stops. Check brackets, pivots, structure, controller output, and duty cycle before oversizing.
What if the actuator label is missing?
Start by measuring stroke, retracted and extended pin-to-pin length, mounting holes, clevis width, body clearance, voltage, wiring, and feedback wires. Photograph the installed actuator and mechanism before removing it, then use the worksheet on this page.