This thesis investigates the performance of single-rod hydraulic actuation of mobile machines. The performance is evaluated by studying the energy consumption and the dynamic performance of such actuation systems. Presently, valve-controlled systems control actuators of mobile machines. However, they are inefficient in terms of energy consumption. Therefore, low-energy consumption pump-controlled systems have been proposed. This thesis studies the energy consumption of pump-controlled systems developed by Wendell and Rahmfeld-Ivantysynova and valve-controlled systems. This thesis also compares the dynamic performance of the above pump-controlled systems with the load sensing valve-controlled system. A set of evaluation tests is conducted on single-rod hydraulic actuations that are simulated using the Automation Studio® software. Based on a cycle test, the energy consumption of Wendell’s pump-controlled system is 60% lower than that of the load sensing system. However, the above pump-controlled system leads to the poor dynamic behavior of a single-rod cylinder.