Abstract: There is disclosed a shoring device for holding shoring boards against the walls of a trench. The shoring device is equipped with a locking mechanism to lock the device in an extended position in order to prevent the trench walls from collapsing. The shoring device includes a cylinder, a piston, and a piston rod with a rectangular cross-sectional geometry. The cylinder has an inlet for introducing a hydraulic fluid which upon entry into the cylinder causes the piston to slide within the cylinder, and the elongated piston rod to extend radially outwardly from the cylinder. In this extended position, the shoring device holds the shoring boards tightly against the walls of the trench. Upon retraction of the piston rod back into the cylinder, a cylinder end cap acts as a scraper, removing dirt and other particles from the surface of the rectangular piston rod.