A wear pad for a longwall mining shield base lift. The wear pad includes at least one spanner hole for rotating the wear pad with a lever, at least one threaded retaining hole, and a retaining bolt threaded through the retaining hole until it contacts a cylinder rod to which the wear pad is to be attached.

A longwall mining shield base lift method. The method includes removing an old wear pad and installing a new wear pad.

A fluid driven cylinder having an integrated fluid channel. The fluid driven cylinder including an extended bar with a first surface continuously contacting the hydraulic cylinder barrel and a hydraulic fluid passage extending into a fluid chamber of the cylinder formed inside the extended bar.