April 17, 2020 List of Trucks that Rely on Hydraulics

Hydraulic systems are extremely popular and effective for a wide variety of industries and applications.

Hydraulic systems used in many modern types of trucks make use of fluid power in order to accomplish specific tasks which those trucks are specially designed for. Heavy construction vehicles and many of today’s work trucks are great examples of these types of vehicles, because they incorporate sophisticated hydraulic systems in their design.

In machines like these, hydraulic fluid is pumped directly to hydraulic motors and cylinders which are situated strategically throughout the machinery, and which then become pressurized in accordance with resistance which is present. The level of fluid itself is directly controlled by various valves, and it is distributed throughout the machinery by tubes, hoses, or pipes.

The reason that hydraulics systems work so effectively is because they rely on a principle known as Pascal’s Law, which says that pressure applied to any fluid within an enclosed system, will transmit that same pressure in all directions equally. These modern hydraulic systems all use an incompressible liquid in order to accomplish work.

Because hydraulic machinery can transfer a tremendous amount of power through hoses and tubes, hydraulic systems have become extremely popular and effective for a wide variety of industries and applications. Many of today’s bigger trucks rely on hydraulics systems for moving heavy weights and for a number of other common tasks which require a tremendous amount of power from a relatively compact power source.

How do Hydraulics Play Into Trucks Today?

One of the biggest areas where hydraulics come into play in the trucks of today are on trucks which have hydraulic cranes. Essentially, a hydraulic boom truck is a mobile type of crane, which is moved around on roadways with a conventional diesel engine, but which has its boom and crane completely operated by hydraulic systems.

Hydraulic cranes are really marvels of the industrial world, being very compact pieces of machinery which can lift tremendously heavy loads and elevate them to spectacular heights. These hydraulic crane trucks play a major role in construction, mining, and transportation, and they provide invaluable service to each of these industries.

Because hydraulic cranes operate under tremendous pressure to accomplish their work, it’s absolutely essential that good truck maintenance is observed and that safe operation is always in effect when operating a hydraulic crane. There are quite a few different types of hydraulic cranes which rely heavily on the principles of hydraulics, and the different types of trucks used to transport these cranes are referred to as either 40-ton trucks, 100-ton trucks or 500-ton trucks.

This designation actually refers to the maximum amount of weight which any of these cranes are capable of lifting. In some cases, hydraulic cranes are so big and bulky that they can’t really be driven around on trucks, but must instead be transported on tracked vehicles, which are then moved from place to place on trailers.

These however, are an exception to the rule, since most mobile hydraulic cranes are not quite so huge or bulky, and they have tires that allow them to be driven on the road. Depending on the type of application that a hydraulic crane is used for, there might be some variations of the crane types which use hydraulic systems. Some of these include hydraulic excavators, hydraulic jacks, dumpster trucks, and tree-cutting and tree-trimming tools.

Which Trucks Use Hydraulics?

Probably the biggest category of trucks which use hydraulic systems are work trucks, since virtually all of these make use of some kind of fluid power. Some good examples of these are street cleaners, snowplows, and truck-mounted cranes, but work trucks tend to be very different from mass-produced types of trucks and ordinary commercial vehicles.

Specialized work trucks are generally designed and produced individually, and are usually custom-ordered by clients. This is usually necessary because they have some very diverse applications, and there is often a requirement to have equipment variations included, along with different body styles that require a unique approach. This obviously calls for close collaboration between customers, designers, and manufacturers, so that the resulting work truck is an accurate reflection of customer needs.

In many cases, these types of trucks tap into the transmission, so that they can drive a compressor or a hydraulic pump. This is the kind of strategy used to build truck-mounted cranes, garbage trucks, and many types of maintenance vehicles. Some work trucks are even more specialized though, requiring a frame to be built to specific parameters, and an engine which is capable of supplying all power requirements, yet fitting into the available space for an engine.

These types of trucks rely even more heavily on hydraulics, and the engine’s bell housing will often contain gears that drive at least one hydraulic pump, rather than a traditional mechanical drive train. You might be surprised to learn what an enormous industry is embraced by the work truck segment, but according to recent figures, sales of work trucks are already approaching $200 billion annually in this country. So the next time you see a truck-mounted crane, a firefighting vehicle, or a garbage truck, think about the enormous industry behind them all.

Maintaining These Hydraulic Systems

Hydraulics systems play an enormous role in many of the trucks being manufactured by the top hydraulic equipment manufacturers in this country today. Because hydraulic systems are capable of moving and/or lifting tremendous weights with far less energy being input, they provide an invaluable service for many types of industries. Truck-mounted cranes are excellent examples of vehicles which make great use of hydraulic systems in accomplishing their vital work for construction applications and other usages.

A great many work trucks rely heavily on hydraulic systems as well, to accomplish the tasks they were built for, for instance garbage trucks, snowplows, and street cleaners. Without hydraulics systems to power these types of specialized work trucks, it would not be possible to carry out those functions as efficiently. If you have need of any kind of specialized hydraulics systems to be built into equipment that you require for your industry, you should contact Sapphire Hydraulics, the industry leader in building and servicing specialized hydraulic systems.

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