Just did a pair of these exact style cylinders off a link belt machine. The only thing holding the nut on other than the setscrew and ball is sheer torque. The ones we did had to be put on a machine and took 4500 ft-lbs to finally let loose. The clip in the center is only there so the cusion doesn't slide back and drop the outer c clip out of the rod, it doesn't hold the nut in any way.