How To Prime a Hydraulic Gear Pump

hydraulic power unitSometime ago I was involved – in a supervisory capacity – in the planned change out of components on a hydraulic machine. The design of the machine’s hydraulic power unit was the all-too-common, cheap and nasty, everything mounted on the tank lid variety. You know the ones – electric motor mounted vertically, with pump submerged in the tank. They’re cheap … Read more

How to Use Pressure Intensification to Test a Hydraulic Cylinder

Hydraulic excavator boom cylindersIn a previous post, I described the danger associated with the intensification of pressure in a double-acting hydraulic cylinder. In this post, I will explain how to use the intensification effect to test the integrity of the piston seal in a double-acting hydraulic cylinder. But before attempting this test procedure, it is absolutely essential that the danger associated with pressure … Read more

Pressure Intensification in Single Rod Cylinders

hydraulic cylinder failureA question I’m asked regularly is “What is the best way to test the integrity of the piston seal in a double-acting hydraulic cylinder?”

There is a simple bench-test for doing this but it involves the intensification of pressure in the cylinder. While the test procedure is safe if you understand the concept of pressure intensification in a hydraulic cylinder … Read more