By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor It would help if you never underestimate the importance of your cylinder rod. The rod is not just the object transmitting the force from the cylinder’s piston but also the interface between that cylinder and your machine. Before you can correctly select and then design the piston rod, you must […]
Mobile Hydraulics Blog
Rating the real performance of hydraulic pumps
Low- and high-speed tests show that pump and motor performance can vary widely, depending on the speed and pressure. That’s critically important in electro-hydraulic actuators and electric-motor drives. Contributed by Peter Achten and Robin Mommers, Innas BV, Breda, The Netherlands Hydraulic component manufacturers generally publish pump and motor data that reflect optimal performance under ideal […]
Rugged transporter handles Antarctic extremes
An innovative design based on proven hydraulics and sophisticated controls ensured reliable and efficient performance. Prinoth Panther tracked vehicles are used on challenging worksites around the world. The rubber-tracked crawler carriers minimize damage to the underlying terrain thanks to their low ground pressure and superior stability while carrying payloads of up to 23 tons. They’re […]
Electrohydraulic actuators optimize seed depth
Designers for heavy duty motion control applications have traditionally specified hydraulic cylinders for their high speed, heavy load handling and resilience. However, recent advancements that embed hydraulic technology within electric linear actuators have been delivering the benefits of hydraulics without common drawbacks. A prime example of this conversion has been the optimization of seed depth […]
Fluid power’s green evolution
All indications are that mobile and industrial systems of the future will be more automated and more digitally connected. And many experts contend future systems will also increasingly be low-carbon and electrified. Some construction equipment OEMs, for example, are committed to autonomous control and cloud-based maintenance systems, and next-generation machines that reduce the environmental impact […]
You can’t get something for nothing
I once had a customer call to request I visit them at their own customer’s site to help with a “breakdown.” I’m always down to help a customer, so I gladly paid a visit. Arriving on-site, many looming pieces of machinery greeted me in a heavy equipment yard. An excavator sat atop a float trailer […]
High-efficiency hydraulics for electrically powered machines
Flow-on-Demand systems enable energy-saving mobile drive technology. By Dierk Peitsmeyer, Product Portfolio Manager, Bucher Hydraulics, Klettgau, Germany The Paris Agreement is the landmark environmental accord that aims to address the negative impacts of climate change and substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Although the U.S. will formally withdraw from the Agreement on Nov. 4, nearly […]
Hydraulics in mining: safe and reliable
Eliminating downtime and ensuring safety in mining — two benefits hydraulics provides consistently. By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor More than almost any other industry appropriating fluid power, mining is where safety sits front and center from design to execution. Surface mining enjoys bragging rights to some of the most massive machines ever manufactured by humans. […]
East versus West in the mobile equipment battle
Are Asian manufacturers primed to be the new global superpowers of the industry? Callum Sarsfield, a founding partner at industrial and energy consulting firm Pullmann Global, recently talked with Alan Berger about the global battle for market share and innovation in the construction equipment industry. Mr. Berger was the senior VP of technology at Volvo […]
Land-management loader packs hydraulic horsepower
Caterpillar recently released the purpose-built Cat 299D3 XE Land Management compact track loader, which is designed to handle demanding vegetation-management applications such as right-of-way clearing near power lines, brush cutting, mowing and mulching. The machine is part of a new series of Cat D3 skid steer loader (SSL) and compact track loader (CTL) models that […]