School me on hydraulic testing equipment

[DeereJohn]

Hey guys,

I am looking for an introduction to troubleshooting hydros in excavators and skid steers. Basically looking at pumps and the wheel motors.

Are flow meters and a pressure kits equally important? On some flow kits, I see a valve before the meter, is this to "load" the system?

The system in my john Deere manual they use for testing looks like a portable air compresser box with gauges on top, ones that look the same are listed for 3500+ on eBay. What do these systems do that a basic flow meter and pressure gauges can't?

Link

Thanks in advance

 

[lantraxco]

They're just a packaged system, the newer ones will give you pressure, flow, oil temp, and engine rpm all in one package. The load valve closes off to bring pressure up to either pump standby or relief valve opening. All of these units usually have as an important safety device, a replaceable disk that acts like a fuse, if you push the pressure beyond what the device is rated for, the disk ruptures more or less cleanly and allows oil to flow around the load valve.

 

[John C.]

Flow meters are usually left to the big boys who can afford them. The meter itself is expensive and on my last one I had as much or more in hoses and adapter fittings. They are used now days mostly when setting up machines to run attachments that have to have a specific flow to make them work most efficiently. Most of what a regular mechanic needs are a few pressure gauges of different ranges and lots of adapter fittings. You can measure cycle times as a quick way to check flows on your excavator. I didn't do enough install work to get a good profit return on the last flow meter I owned so I sold it.

The valve you are speaking off is usually on the outlet side of the manifold block behind the gauges. Closing the valve restricts the flow which would usually cause the pressure to rise which can then be read on the gauges. As lantraxco says there can be multiple meters installed on them and the sky is the limit for how much you want to spend.

 

[wastednights]

If buying gauges, consider the electronic version

I was a tetra gauge fan until I tried an electronic gauge, they have a broad pressure range, with the added benefit of changing measuring units and a memory feature, now I only carry 2 electronic gauges

 

[Simon C]

If buying gauges, consider the electronic version

I was a tetra gauge fan until I tried an electronic gauge, they have a broad pressure range, with the added benefit of changing measuring units and a memory feature, now I only carry 2 electronic gauges

What brand of Electonic Pressure Gauges Did You Buy. Your input is appreciated. Simon

 

[Coaldust]

Since leaving the dealership world, I do not remember the last time someone paid me to use a flow meter to diagnose a problem. Like John C said, it’s mostly for setting up new machine attachments and especially hammers.

I like my antique Flo-check, flo-Tech Inc. They still make a similar model, but with digital gauges.