Why Your Hydraulic Machine Needs a BIG Oil Cooler

air-blast heat exchangerAs a means of power transmission, hydraulics has many advantages. But overall efficiency is NOT one of them. A single-reduction gearbox has an efficiency of 98 to 99 percent, double-reduction 96 to 97 percent and triple-reduction 95 percent. And a chain drive in good condition has an efficiency of 97 to 98 percent.

A high-performance piston pump has an efficiency … Read more

Why Altitude Matters to a Hydraulic Machine

500HPU1I’m currently visiting the Snowy Mountains region in eastern Australia, near a small village called Jindabyne, which is about 5 hours drive from Sydney. Jindabyne is 3000 ft (944 meters) above sea level.

As you’d expect, I’ve seen hydraulic machinery working on roads and construction sites in the area and I wonder how they perform on a hot day. Because … Read more

Should a Hydraulic Tank Be Painted Inside and Out?

pressurized hydraulic systems are dangerousA large part of being “smart” in any area of expertise comes from doing your homework. And this is especially true with hydraulics. Here’s a story from one of our members which illustrates this point:

“I’m fairly new to hydraulics and I thought coating the interior of a hydraulic tank I’d made with a zinc spray (cold galvanizing in a Read more