The Future of Hydraulics Technology in Heavy Equipment

Where Is Hydraulics Technology Heading?
Hydraulics technology is more tortoise than hare. Instead of major leaps, it has advanced incrementally and steadily. The base architecture of many of the electro-hydraulic systems we use today have been around for at least 25 years. It’s not that hydraulics in general have taken a leap forward, but rather, they have continued advancing in the three main areas of the hydraulics control system. Joystick (input), actuator (output), and sensor (feedback) technology have matured to a very high level of reliability and cost effectiveness.

Where Is Hydraulics Technology Heading? Hydraulics technology is more tortoise than hare. Instead of major leaps, it has advanced incrementally and steadily. The base architecture of many of the electro-hydraulic systems we use today have been around for at least 25 years. It’s not that hydraulics in general have taken a leap forward, but rather, they have continued advancing in the three main areas of the hydraulics control system. Joystick (input), actuator (output), and sensor (feedback) technology have matured to a very high level of reliability and cost effectiveness. [text_ad] Yet, like compound interest, small improvements add up to big changes over time. The most notable changes can be simplified overall design of the hydraulic lines combined with more complicated electronics and computers. This is especially true in excavators, which are far more complicated than other earthmoving equipment. Excavators require more complicated controls to coordinate their movements and ensure efficient operation, and also simplicity of design to minimize maintenance and operating costs. The effects of technological improvements on the human element should not be ignored. The advancement of hydraulics over the last 20 years or so can be first noticed by the operator in ease of operation. Reduction in operator fatigue and “ease of use” has been a large driver behind many of the advancements hydraulic systems use today. The first hydraulic system to accomplish both greater efficiency and greater ease of use was the pressure compensated load-sensing (PCLS) system. This reduced operator fatigue by making the balancing act of multi-function metering much easier. In the old days, balancing the speed of multi-functions was accomplished by a highly skilled operator. It was a juggling act to keep all the functions moving to make a flat trench or cut a level grade. The introduction of pressure compensation made the flow matching all internal to the valve. The operator still had to pick the right speed, so to say, but from there the speed would not change based on load. [text_ad use_post='27747'] As with all new technology, it can take time for the marketplace to accept it. Earthmoving companies are in business to make money, as are all businesses. The decision to adopt new technology is a business and financial system, not a scientific one. A new computer control system, for example, must justify its additional cost with improved productivity. In the case of hydraulic systems the two main drivers involved in gaining acceptance with any new technology are increased productivity and reduced fuel consumption. If these two goals are measurable and repeatable, the new technology becomes accepted. As such, an equipment salesman has to make the case to an owner/operator that a new technical improvement will positively affect the owner’s bottom line while making the operator job easier and safer.