When it comes to sizing a hydraulic reservoir, my motto and advice is the bigger the better. Because the greater the tank volume the longer the dwell time the oil has to give up contaminants – particles, water and particularly air. Size DOES matter.

The rules of thumb for reservoir size – and that’s all they are – differ for … Read more

In AC electric coils the resistance or impedance of the coil is lowest when the solenoid is open, i.e. when the plunger is out. Impedance increases as the plunger is pulled into the closed position. As a result, the current draw of an AC solenoid is highest when the solenoid is open (plunger out) and lowest when the solenoid is … Read more

The hydraulic pump is the hardest working component of a hydraulic system. And as the pump wears in service, internal leakage increases and therefore the percentage of output flow available to do useful work (volumetric efficiency) decreases. If volumetric efficiency falls below a level considered acceptable for the application, the pump will need to be changed-out. In a condition-based maintenance … Read more