Hydraulic systems on heavy equipment are not cheap. Making sure your systems are in perfect shape is the key to not having to pay for expensive repairs or even component replacements. The primary way of caring for these critical systems is via preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance for hydraulic systems consists of several different tasks, but the most important and most frequently overlooked one is fluid maintenance. Changing your system’s fluids and filters at the recommended …

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When admiring our heavy hydraulic equipment, we usually pay the most attention to the motors, pistons, and cylinders that convert hydraulic pressure into torque. But of equal importance are all of the “parts” that go along with our hydraulics systemsw—without which nothing would work. For example, all hydraulics systems are dependent on hoses to transport fluid between the various components. What we may not think about is that the entire premise behind hydraulic systems is putting liquids …

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When we discuss “cranes,” we usually think of the skyscraper-sized machines we see erecting new buildings, or sometimes the smaller units on the backs of trucks used for smaller jobs. But what is the story with cranes that are designed to stay in one place? A great example of a “fixed” crane design is a deck crane. Deck cranes are cranes with a fixed base, utilized usually in maritime applications. You’ll see them loading and unloading cargo, handling life rafts, and managing small …

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Hydraulic systems are used throughout industry, in construction, manufacturing, and automotive design. The long-recognized power of the force multiplier of pistons moving against incompressible liquid means that hydraulics make for a great power-to-weight ratio, providing compact torque generation via modifying the diameter of the pistons and length of the arms. Hydraulic systems are the core of the piece of heavy equipment known as the “backhoe.” Used mainly in construction applications, the …

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Hydraulic systems are, by their nature, sealed systems—designed to keep the internal working separate from the surrounding environment. But what happens if foreign substances do somehow manage to get into the system? How does one address it before it becomes a problem, or find out once it has happened to prevent further damage? So, there are two types of potential contamination within a hydraulic system. The first type is sediment: actual particulate within the hydraulic fluid itself. …

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