The pump is arguably the most important part of a hydraulic system in your Ute crane. As such, the amount of work and environment a Ute crane is subjected to makes the hydraulic pump an easy target for wear and tear. Symptoms such as overheating, decreased speed of motors, or erratic operation are just some of the signs that point to a problem in the system. One of the most common types of pump problem that most Ute owners do not know how to handle is pump cavitation. It refers to the pump's inability to draw in a full charge of oil. If you find out that the temperature or noise levels of your Ute crane's hydraulic system are abnormally high, you should do the following:
Check Suction Strainer -- The function of a pump suction strainer is to filter any particulate matter before they reach the pump. If anything is stuck in the filter, then it is more than likely that oil flow will be restricted which might go unnoticed due to the tiny particulate matter. Therefore, the first thing you should do is check whether oil flow in the pump is operating optimally. For instance, even if it does not look dirty, go ahead and clean the strainer because there might be varnish deposits restricting the optimal flow of oil to the pump, which causes cavitation.
Oil Viscosity -- When you buy equipment with a hydraulic system, the manufacturer will recommend a particular type of oil for that particular pump. The moment you go against your manufacturer's advice and use any oil for your pump, the machine will start experiencing oil output issues. Therefore, make sure that the viscosity of the oil you have been using in your pump is consistent with what your manufacturer recommends. In case your Ute crane struggles to draw in sufficient oil as required, it might be that it is too thick or viscous for the equipment to handle. Consequently, the machine will suffer from cavitation.
Reservoir Air Breather -- The air breather that is found in the reservoir section can become clogged with lint or small dirt particles. If your Ute crane's hydraulic system has a low air volume above the oil, then your equipment is in trouble. Notably, during the extension stroke, the piston pushes oil through the strainer and into the pump. As a result, the dirt around the air breather prevents excess air from being pushed out of the pump, which prevents the oil from reaching the pump as required. To prevent cavitation, blow the reservoir breather regularly to prevent clogging.
Share9 August 2017
Heavy construction equipment can be quite expensive to replace, so it's important to maintain it properly. That involves doing some regular maintenance according to the correct service schedules as well as making sure that your operators know how to operate the equipment correctly. If you maintain your equipment, this maintenance can end up saving your business a lot of money down the track when you can extend the usable life of the equipment that you rely on. This blog has some tips on how you can easily maintain heavy construction equipment, including how you can train operates to extend lifecycles with sensible machine operation.