Cylindrical reservoir breaks from convention
The Cyclone reservoir has a cylindrical shape, and was originally developed and patented for use in hydraulic fan drives for mobile equipment by Price Engineering, Hartland, Wis. Now available for general application, officials at Price Engineering say the Cyclone reservoir reduces fluid volume and associated costs up to 95%.
The dramatically smaller size makes space available for mounting other components in a machine. It also reduces weight and is more environmentally friendly because less fluid is needed in the hydraulic system.
Mired in the Muck
Menzi Muck AG, Widnau, Switzerland, makes all-terrain excavators named after a legendary elf, Mr. Muck, known as “the little man who does everything.” Menzi Mucks allow each leg or wheel to be raised, lowered, extended, retracted, or moved in or spread out so the operator can adjust the working base of the machine to conform to the terrain. This control provides extreme maneuverability and remarkable flexibility, stability, and safety in operation.
Rock star of digging
Digga dubs itself Australia’s premier attachment manufacturer. But these aren’t just empty words. Established in 1981, Digga pioneered pendulum drilling in Australia and is Australia’s leading manufacturer of planetary drive boring and trenching attachments for construction and other heavy industries. Digga offers more than 80 different attachments, an extensive line of replacement parts, and service.
Hydraulics runs dredger 24/7
Powerful hydraulic drives keep waterways clear by pulling debris from the water and transporting it miles away.
Clutches go through the gears
Hydraulic drives often are combined with gearing to provide the best combination of output speed and torque for maximum efficiency, performance, and controllability. But sometimes hydraulic actuators are best used when they are integrated into a gear drive. Hydraulically actuated clutches, for example, can be used within a gearbox to engage and disengage different sets of gears to provide different output speeds and torques.
Hydraulic hose carried to great lengths
Hydraulics moves the ramps and platforms that allow a single carrier to hold multiple cars. Naturally, heavy loads are involved, and the hose must tolerate brutal over-the-road conditions. Typically, car carriers have relied on SAE 100R1 hydraulic hose for pressures to 2250 psi for 3⁄8-in. hose (to 2000 psi for 1⁄2-in. hose) and SAE 100R2 for pressures to 4000 psi for 3⁄8-in. hose (3500 for 1⁄2-in. hose). However, the pressure rating for one manufacturer’s proprietary hydraulic hose is 2750 psi for the 3⁄8-in.
Hydraulics keeps track boom on even ground
New Genie S-40 Trax and S-45 Trax telescopic booms, from Terex Aerial Work Platforms, Redmond, Wash., are now available with the company’s four-point Trax track drive system. By using four triangular track drives instead of wheels, the machines are better equipped to tackle uneven terrain, especially under a wide variety of soil conditions. And unlike full-length track drives on skid-steer machines, the triangular track drives cause less damage to sensitive ground surfaces, making the S-40 and S-45 able to take on almost any surface.
Simulation table produces more realistic testing
Exova Group Ltd. provides demanding, laboratory-based testing and related advisory services for a broad range of products and processes. Test results ensure a customer’s compliance with safety and quality standards. Steve Panter, operation manager of global automotive testing at Exova, purchased a hydraulic simulation table last year from Moog Inc., East Aurora, N. Y. Hydraulic cylinders make the simulation table more effective by testing six degrees of motion in a small footprint.
Stuff that sticks in your mind
Editor Alan Hitchcox remembers the life lesson he learned in an engineering economics course about the dangers of multi-tasking instead of finishing a project and then moving to the next one.
Fluid power? Here’s an app for that
The Mechanical Engineer Formulator app, created by veteran Apple developer Marc Schulman, from Multieducator Inc., New Rochelle, N.Y., allows you to make countless calculations, especially those for fluid power, right from your pocket.
Brush cutter is on the right track
To keep vegetation safely off rail lines, Rail Construction Equipment Co. designed a unique brush cutter that uses a hydraulically-powered John Deere 120D excavator to drive the rail car chassis, eliminating chain drives and necessary maintenance. The compact hydrostatic drive is safer and more versatile than other designs.
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