The behavior of laterally cyclic loaded piles is different from that of piles under monotonic loading and depends on soil and load characteristics. In this study, model pile load tests were performed using a calibration chamber to investigate the effects of load characteristics on the behavior of laterally cyclic loaded piles in sand. Results of the model tests show that the ultimate lateral load capacity of laterally cyclic loaded piles decreases linearly with increasing the number of cycles and increases slightly with increasing the magnitude of cyclic lateral loads. When the piles reach the ultimate state, the maximum bending moment developed in the piles decreases linearly with increasing the number of cycles and it occurs at a depth of 0.36 times pile embedded length for all the number of cycles. However, both the magnitude and depth of the maximum bending moment of piles in the ultimate state increase slightly as the magnitude of cyclic lateral loads increases. It is also observed that the cyclic lateral loading generates a decrease in the ultimate lateral load capacity and maximum bending moment for piles in the ultimate state. In addition, based on the model test results, a new empirical equation for the ultimate lateral load capacity of laterally cyclic loaded piles in dense sand is also proposed. A comparison between predicted and measured load capacities shows that the proposed equation reflects satisfactorily the model test results.