How To Prevent Unnecessary Hydraulic Component Failures

Hydraulic Maint HandbookHydraulics Pro Club member Rich Catalo sent me this tragic story:

“We deal with a very large dock and dredge company. They have many pieces of hydraulic equipment from different manufacturers. The last call I received was due to a tech who removed a hydraulic cylinder that was in need of a re-seal. The tech did OK removing the cylinder … Read more

Directional Valve Spool Configuration and Cylinder Drift

Hydraulic Solenoid Valve (Bosch Rexroth)In response to my previous post about troubleshooting hydraulic cylinder drift, a couple of our members thought the influence of valve-spool configuration on cylinder drift warranted discussion. Charlie Field from Perry Slingsby Systems in the UK sent me this message:

“By far the most common reason for cylinder drift is the DCV controlling it. Closed to actuator spools almost … Read more

How To Nail Hydraulic Cylinder Leakage

The Hydraulic Troubleshooting HandbookA common misconception about hydraulic cylinders is that if the piston seal is leaking, the cylinder will drift down. Fact is, if the piston seal is completely removed from a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, the cylinder is completely filled with oil and its ports are plugged, the cylinder will hold its load indefinitely – unless the rod-seal leaks.

What happens under … Read more