A hydraulic roll bending machine includes a frame and a hydraulic cylinder supporting a bending roll such that extension or retraction of the rod changes a height of the bending roll relative to the frame. A hydraulic system includes a valve disposed to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid on at least one side of the hydraulic cylinder, and a controller operates to provide a command signal to a valve channeling hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic system to the cylinder. A sensor is integrated with the hydraulic cylinder, within the bore of the housing, and is disposed to sense a distance of the plunger relative to one end of the housing and provide a signal indicative of the distance to the controller.