Analysis of a Hydraulic Maintenance Failure

gun_shaftWould you part with $87 to save $70,000? This is a ‘no brainer’ for most of us, right?. Well, here’s a story for you:

I recently conducted failure analysis and a reliability audit on a 300 kW hydrostatic transmission. The hydraulic system was running a synthetic ester, biodegradable hydraulic fluid. This $45/gallon hydraulic fluid had been destroyed in under 12 … Read more

Hydrostatic Transmission Case Drain Flow and Efficiency – Part II

webster instrumentsIn this previous post on hydrostatic transmissions, I outlined the theory and technique for using case drain flow to determine the condition of a hydrostatic transmission pump and motor.

In response to this post, some readers thought that the function of the flushing valve warranted discussion, while others were still confused about the influence of the charge pump when … Read more