Forklift Trucks

Eaton Hydraulics, Eden Prairie, Minn., is moving lift truck technology to the next level with its new hydraulic hybrid drive.

“The Eaton hydraulic hybrid power system means cities and businesses can significantly reduce the amount of fuel consumed and emissions produced,” said Astrid Mozes, chief technology officer, Hydraulics Group, Eaton.

Forklift trucks move goods from one place to another in distribution, logistics, warehouses and manufacturing. In these environments, Eaton’s system helps improve energy efficiency, productivity, safety, reduce emissions and operating costs.

Eaton’s hybrid hydraulic drive demonstrated up to a 35% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions over that of a baseline. The improvement was achieved by improving system efficiencies and capturing energy from braking, then using that energy to supplement the engine’s power during acceleration.

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Read more: Forklift Trucks Reap Benefits of Hybrid Hydraulics

Staged Modulation

When a forklift operator makes an approach to pick up or stack a load. cont trof the movement of the forks is obviously critical to speed and accuracy.

Staged modulation in a hydraulic brake System provides a non linear pressure rise in response to pedal motion.  In either case, the valve spring-returns.

Carlisle Braking Systems, Bloomington, Ind accomplishes staging by putting dual-rate pressure-regulating springs in their modulating control valves The rate of pressure rise is predetermined in both the lower and upper portions of the plot shown above by sring selection at the factory.  Its dampedspool design provides noise-free modulation across the range of all output pressures.

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Read more: Staged modulation improves forklift brake control 

CASE extends its D Series range of crawler excavators with a new model: the CX290D Material Handling. This model builds on the brand’s long established history of being at the forefront of the materials handling industry to deliver high productivity and outstanding fine control.

Purpose built for material handling

The new CASE CX290D Material Handling crawler excavator is specifically designed and engineered for material handling applications. With its superior reach and lifting capacity, it makes short work of moving all sorts of waste, logs, garbage and scrap.
The CX290D will also become available with goose necked arm and straight boom in the scrap loading version.

Designed and built for safety

Several features ensure the safe operation of the elevating cab. The emergency cab lowering device is now operated hydraulically, further enhancing safety.

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Read more: CASE Launches New CX290D Crawler Excavator Designed for Material Handling at BAUMA 2016 

Hydraulics

On a recent flight, I listened to an audio recording in which a business coach talked about just in time versus just in case learning. His premise was, when an entrepreneur or manager is starting and/or growing a business, there is much to learn – but the time available to do so is scarce. So this coach’s suggestion was to learn what you need to know – as and when you need to know it – something he referred to as just in time learning, as opposed to spending scarce time learning about something which may be useful to know at some point in the future – just in case learning.

In a business context, an example would be where a manager is presented with an opportunity to learn about say, intellectual property contracts. So she thinks to herself: “This will be valuable knowledge – if we decide to license our product at some point in the future”. Because the entrepreneur/manager has no immediate need for this knowledge, it is just in case learning.

On the other hand, if the same manager is about to hire several, key employees, it would be far more efficient – and immediately beneficial, if she were to learn how to avoid the 7 most common hiring mistakes most managers make. Because she needs this knowledge right now, it is just in time learning.

Assuming this manager doesn’t have the time to pursue both of these learning opportunities, her choice should be obvious; she should pursue the one most relevant to her immediate priorities. And this is the premise of just in time learning.

This concept makes a lot of sense in a business management context.

Best Business Practice

Because for just in time learning to work for you, you need to be able to define exactly what you need to know – and when you need to know it. And the trouble with hydraulics is, you never really know what it’s going to throw at you next!

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Read more: Hydraulics Know-How: Just-In-Case versus Just-In-Time

As a product group, hydraulic cylinders are almost as common as pumps and motors combined. So if you operate a lot of hydraulic equipment, it’s likely that cylinder repair expense is a significant portion of your total operating costs.

According to some studies, up to 25% of mechanical equipment failures are failures of design.

So if you have any cylinders that don’t last like they should you may need to address one or more of the following four issues:

1. Bent Rods

Once the rod bends, deforming load is placed on the rod-seal. This increases leakage and ultimately results in premature failure of the seal.

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Read more: 4 Ways to Reduce Hydraulic Cylinder Failure and Repair Costs 

Gradall Discovery Series

Gradall Discovery Series excavators are mounted on Freightliner M2 chassis, with frames bulked up to handle the bending stress of excavator operations. The chassis allows for a lower cost, about 20 percent less than Gradall’s current smallest model.

The excavator remains mobile both on and off pavement with a two-axle chassis with a reinforced frame and a modified rear suspension, specifically designed in collaboration between Gradall and Freightliner engineers.

Model D152 is a two-wheel-drive, 15-metric-ton unit, and the D154 is a four-wheel-drive model. The Cummins 6.7-liter diesel has 220 gross horsepower and 520 lb.-ft. of torque, and i paired with an Allison automatic transmission for a maximum roading speed of 55 mph. The boom has two overlapping sections, and it tilts 220 degrees and telescopes to 27 feet 10 inches. The telescoping boom movements also enhance Gradall’s traditional low working profile that allows it to work under bridges, in tunnels, under trees and signage, and in other low-overhead situations.

Lifting Capacity

Approximate lifting capacity at full reach is 3,000 pounds; 6,000 pounds with the boom in. Tail swing is near-zero, which enables it to work alongside roads with minimal traffic flow interruption, Gradall says. For full working stability, the units have front axle lockout cylinders and do not require outriggers.

Authorized attachments include grading buckets, pavement removal bucket, excavat- ing bucket, grapple, tree limb shear and mower, some using optional boom-end remote hydraulics.

The units feature a Bosch Rexroth hydraulic system with pressure-compensated, load-sensing valves with reliefs on all circuits. Remote control allows the operator to move the truck while in the excavator cab.

The chassis cab is a standard Freightliner M 2 day cab with two fixed or air ride seats.  The ergonomically designed interior has an automotive style flat dash with easy-to-read LED backlit gauges and easy-to-reach controls..

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Read more: GRADALL DISCOVERY SERIES EXCAVATORS

Master Rig

Master Rig International (MRI) announces installation of a top drive dynamometer at their Houston headquarters. In order to broaden their support of oil and gas drilling contractors domestically and worldwide. The new top drive dynamometer will allow full load testing of all makes and models of AC/DC and hydraulic systems up to 2,000 hp and generate real time data for their customers. MRI has the ability to test the largest top drives manufactured today. Services will include full data documentation packages of inspection, repair, rebuild, recertification, and parts for top drive systems.

Keith Jensen, Top Drive and Pipe Handling Manager, will be at the forefront of this expansion at Master Rig International. Keith has been in the top drive maintenance and certification industry for over 25 years. Throughout his career, he has worked as a Field Service Technician and Senior Training Instructor for a leading drilling equipment OEM and most recently for a rig builder/drilling contractor. Keith said, “Master Rig International is always searching for innovative products and services that will benefit our customers. Progressing one step closer to better meeting industry demands, the dynamometer gives us the capability to fully inspect, repair, recertify and test our customer’s top drives at our facility.”

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Read more: Master Rig International Announces Installation of Top Drive Dynamometer in Houston Headquarters

Hydraulics

Unless you work in the material handling or shipping industry, you probably think of hydraulics such as a forklift as 4-wheeled vehicle that zips through warehouses unloading pallet-mounted cargo from trucks, loading cargo onto trucks, or moving freight around a warehouse to make room for more freight.

Two applications have driven this diversity in forklift truck design. First, outdoor warehousing has become commonplace, so the traditional 4-wheel truck with small tires and rear drive and steering proves unsuitable in many situations. Instead, forklift trucks that can tackle uneven terrain were developed to serve this need. Second, many companies need to load or unload cargo at facilities that have no forklift truck. For these cases, the lift truck is loaded onto the truck bed and transported with the freight to the destination.

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Read more: Hydraulics Essential to Mobile Forklift 

T880 Mixer

The silver-gray T880 mixer chassis sure looked familiar as it sat near the entrance to Kenworth’s plant in Chillicothe, Ohio, on a cloudy May day. That was because “it’s a carbon copy of a Stoneway truck,” said Kurt Swihart, KW’s marketing director, one of the people on hand to greet me. He referenced a similar vehicle I had seen and ridden in out in Seattle last fall, during a sneak peek at the new Paccar MX-11 diesel. Sure enough, I said, although I’ve since looked at photos I had shot back then, and see that the medium-blue trim on the truck here doesn’t match the bright-red accents that Stoneway Concrete uses on its new fleet of T880s.

Still, the mechanical components are the same, including the McNeilus 11.5-yard barrel, the chassis’ 256-inch wheelbase, three steerable and liftable “pusher” axles, and the swing-down “booster” axle bringing up the rear. They work well with the T880’s set-back steer axle, which can shoulder up to 20,000 pounds. The booster tends to push weight forward, onto the steer and pusher axles, but also carries up to 13,000 pounds of its own and lengthens the truck’s legal “bridge” by about 15 feet.

Thus, in Federal Bridge states like Washington it can legally gross up to 80,000 pounds and carry up to 12 cubic yards, a yard more than older trucks that can gross 76,000. That means one of the new trucks can earn an average of $315 more revenue per day, and fewer short loads need to go out to finish a pouring job, according to Ralph Lo Priore, director of fleet assets and processes.

Specifications

The heart of the spec is the 10.8-liter MX-11 diesel, a lighter-weight alternative to the Cummins ISX12 and Paccar MX-13 diesels also offered, by about 400 pounds. Stoneway, a division of Gary Merlino Construction, is a launch customer for the MX-11. Lo Priore liked its promise of good reliability and longevity (its B10 life is projected at 1 million miles, meaning 90 percent of them should still be running at that point with no major repairs), and easy-to-service features. The 430-horsepower rating he chose provides a good power-to-weight ratio for the heavy loads, and a self-shifting transmission greatly reduces drivers’ workloads.

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Read more: T880 MIXER FOCUSES ON ENGINE, AXLES

MXG consolidation

The 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron hydraulic systems back shop was consolidated with the 92nd Maintenance Squadron hydraulic shop March 1, to help create more efficient hydraulic repairs and in-turn, reduce the overall manning required.

The 92nd Maintenance Group consolidated their two separate hydraulic shops into one; saving time, money on training, operations and facilities, and in the process, transferring more than 30 Airmen from 92nd AMXS to 92nd MXS.

“This consolidation benefits Fairchild and the Air Force by creating and training a more well-rounded maintainer,” said Tech. Sgt. Dustin Garneau, 92nd MXS hydraulics back shop assistant NCO in charge. “We’ve had to come together, make a plan and discuss how we will assist the flight line during daily operations, launches and alert, and also support the back shop with rebuilding parts and the periodic inspection process. Using the proper management allows us to put maintainers in the right place at the right time.”

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Read more: MXG consolidation saves time, money, manpower