Hydraulic shock absorber

A hydraulic shock absorber comprising:

• a cylinder having a hydraulic fluid sealed therein;
• a piston slidably fitted in the cylinder;
• a piston rod connected at one end thereof to the piston, the other end of the piston rod extending to an outside of the cylinder;
• a damping force generating mechanism that generates a damping force by controlling flow of the hydraulic fluid induced by movement of the piston;
• a reservoir connected to the cylinder and having the hydraulic fluid and a gas sealed therein such that the hydraulic fluid and the gas are in direct contact;
• a hydraulic fluid tank that stores the hydraulic fluid;
• a self-leveling mechanism that adjusts an extending length of the piston rod by transferring the hydraulic fluid between the cylinder and the hydraulic fluid tank by extension and contraction of the piston rod;
• an outer tube provided around an outer periphery of the cylinder to define a chamber between the cylinder and the outer tube;
• a partition member that divides the chamber into the reservoir and the hydraulic fluid tank;
• a flexible diaphragm that divides an interior of the hydraulic fluid tank into a hydraulic fluid chamber and a gas chamber;
• a first hydraulic fluid passage that communicates between one end of the cylinder and the reservoir, wherein the first hydraulic fluid passage communicates between a wheel-side end of the cylinder and the reservoir;
• and
• a second fluid passage that communicates between the self-leveling mechanism and the hydraulic fluid chamber of the hydraulic fluid tank,
• wherein the reservoir is adapted to be positionable at a vehicle body side, while the hydraulic fluid tank is adapted to be positionable at a wheel side.