Magnetorheological valve (MR) is a typical smart control mechanism that using magnetorheologcial fluid as the working fluid. The advantages of simple operation, fast response, and regulating pressure drop make the MR valve have a promising application prospects in the hydraulic system. In order to broaden the industrial applications of MR valve, a radial flow MR valve controlled cylinder system was proposed, which consisted of a radial flow MR valve, a single rod hydraulic cylinder and an accumulator. The working principle of radial flow MR valve controlled cylinder system was described in detail. The mathematical model of damping force was deduced, and the simulation analysis was also carried out. At the same time, the dynamic test rig was set up to investigate the dynamic performances of the typical and improved radial flow MR valve controlled cylinder systems under different currents, frequencies, and amplitudes. The experimental results showed that radial flow MR valve controlled cylinder system can output a large damping force, and the maximum damping force can reach 5.8kN. Furthermore, the damping force can be continuously adjusted under different applied currents, and the adjustable range was wide. The effect of piston velocity on the damping force was little, and the system can output stable damping forces under a variety of operating conditions. The comparative analysis of two different valve controlled cylinder systems also showed that different dynamic performance can be obtained by replacing different MR valves.