The wonder of hydraulic systems is the amount of work that can be performed through the force of liquid pressure in an enclosed system. These system dynamics benefit from being well-understood and widely adopted. Less well-understood is that the fluid pressure must be carefully maintained at all times. Here are a few potential pain points within hydraulic systems. Cavitation is a common phenomenon within hydraulic systems. Broadly speaking, cavitation exists any time bubbles develop within a …

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Used in everything from mobile truck cranes to enormous multi-story tower cranes, counterweight systems are integral to the operation of crane operations. Put simply, a counterweight offsets the weight of the load being lifted and prevents the entire crane from tipping over during lifting. The operation of a tower crane counterweight is full of calculations but reduced to its base elements, it works like this: the counterweight must have a mass equal to the weight being lifted in order to …

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Moving freight has created some very specialized niches in heavy equipment. One of the most specialized is the side lift crane—a unique vehicle used in docks and freight yards across the world to streamline the operation of moving cargo containers from one cargo carrier to another. At first glance, side lift cranes look like semi-trucks toting a trailer with a pair of very large hydraulic cranes at the front and back. On closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that the cranes are …

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Trenchers are used for digging ditches across the work site, and support various projects from creating small landscaping projects to burying water mains, data cables, and electrical conduits. They reduce hours of formerly back-breaking pick-and-shovel work into minutes worth of operation from within the cockpit of a piece of heavy equipment, or behind a small-frame wheeled or tracked assembly that can be easily operated by a single person. The workhorse of the plumbing and landscaping …

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We’ve talked about the necessity of good maintenance to keep your hydraulics in great condition. And anyone who has ever owned a car knows that one of the cornerstones of mechanical maintenance is lubrication. But what, exactly, does lubrication do for our hydraulics systems? And what are the cornerstones of good lubrication, anyway? With ever-increasing pressure and speed being applied in increasingly small spaces as hydraulics technology develops, it becomes crucial to understand fighting …

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