Why Hydraulic Schematic Drawings Aren’t Static

hydraulic schematic drawingA hydraulic machine has lots of moving parts to maintain. In fact, a hydraulic system is one of the most complex systems to maintain effectively. And here’s one more item to add to the list: the machine’s drawings. A machine’s hydraulic (and electrical) schematic diagrams don’t wear out, but they do tend to become inaccurate over time.

Even absent a … Read more

Do You Need to Prime a Hydraulic Pump?

bal_vane_csOne of our members sent me this story from the coal face:

“I have a question about some trouble a hydraulic machine has been giving me at work. The pump set is designed with vane pumps located on top of the reservoir with suction strainers. The trouble is that at odd times a pump (any one of the three) will Read more

What to Look For When Hydraulic Spool Valves Stick

spool1Why do hydraulic spool valves sometimes stick? In a word: contamination. The radial clearance between the spool and bore in common, garden-variety directional control valves ranges between 3 and 13 microns. And in practice, perfectly round and straight bores are difficult to achieve. This is why servo and servo-proportional valves are fitted with a sleeve between the spool and bore-for … Read more