Hydraulic damper

A hydraulic damper, comprising:

• a cylinder filled with hydraulic fluid;
• a piston slidably received in the cylinder through a piston ring;
• a piston rod having one end mounted to the piston and another end extending outwardly of the cylinder;
• a guide bush arranged on the side of the cylinder to slidably support the another end of the piston rod;
• a seal member arranged outwardly with respect to the guide bush, the seal member slidably contacting the piston rod to prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid from the cylinder, the seal member comprising a lip portion;
• and
• a friction member arranged inwardly with respect to the seal member, the friction member being fixed to one of the cylinder or the piston rod, the friction member slidably contacting an other of the cylinder and the piston rod to produce friction greater than that produced at the seal member;
• a communicating passage for equalizing a pressure acting on both axial sides of the friction member, the communicating passage extending at least in part, in a same horizontal plane as the friction member, radially apart from a contacting surface where the friction member slidably contacts the other of the cylinder and the piston rod.