Single use hydraulic drive devices and single use large volume injectors are described. A method for single use hydraulic drive including releasing a holding device to move a catalyst coated portion of a rod into a reagent filled chamber, generating pressure in the chamber due to at least one of gas creation and thermal expansion from a chemical reaction between the catalyst coated portion and the reagent, hydraulically displacing a movable object in hydraulic communication with the chamber, and stopping further chemical reaction when the pressure exceeds a holding device force threshold to enable the holding device to re-hold a retracted catalyst coated portion of the rod outside of the chamber. The self-regulating pressure in the chamber enables a controlled rate of hydraulic displacement of the movable object.