The Nuts and Bolts of Hydraulic Component Rebuilds

lens_trackOne of our members wrote me this question:

“In hydraulic systems and in hydraulic components in particular, bolts are everywhere. Should we change bolts every time we open them, for example, on a hydraulic cylinder head joint? If not, how many times can bolts be re-torqued?”

Unlike bolts used on engine heads, most of the bolts used to assemble hydraulic … Read more

One Part of a Hydraulic System That Should Not Be Painted

Painted-hydraulic-tank In chapter 13 of The Hydraulic Maintenance Handbook, I discuss the principle of engineering out issues that have the potential to cause recurring maintenance problems. Since maintenance occurs after the event, that is, after the machine is designed and built, this strategy is very much a retrospective one. Which means it’s desirable and preferable not to engineer in such … Read more

How Hydraulic Load Sensing Control Can Be Very Inefficient

Typical load-sensing circuit.

If you know something about load sensing hydraulic systems, the above headline appears to be a contradiction. After all, load sensing circuits match pump flow to actuator demand. And this is supposed to increase the hydraulic system’s efficiency. Not reduce it.

HOWEVER, under certain conditions a load sensing hydraulic system can be VERY inefficient. Let me give you a real-life … Read more