Posted: 21 - June - 2010 at 23:51 | IP Logged

Forklift hydraulic pump...

so I have my small forklift and found a nice 12gpm southern cross hydrulic pump for about $100 now for turning the motor I am getting a starter motor pressing a coupling onto the gear sprocket and welding it into place. and a fabricated steel bell housing to mount the pump and the motor diriectly to each other...

now I am looking at the valves and how I connect this all up. From what I can see the valve has a pressure switch to start and stop the pump and also allows flow of oil to the ram. And to get the ram down it bleeds the oil off into back to the resivior...

now what are the common hose connector people use to connect your pumps and such together,

Posted: 22 - June - 2010 at 11:06 | IP Logged

Is the resevoir attached to the pump?  If so, that makes it easy.  And if it has the valve built in, that makes it really easy.  Surplus Center carries hoses, and one of their side menus is for the tech section.

For an open center system (I'm guessing) the flow will go from the resevoir to the pump, from the pump to the valve, from the valve to the cylinder, and there will also be a return from the valve back to the resevoir.  Figure out which part is rated the lowest, the cylinder, the valve, or the pump, and make sure that either the internal relief in the valve or pump, or an external relief is set to that amount or lower.  The high pressure runs from the pump to the valve to the cylinder, and any hoses (and fittings) you use on that section need to be rated for over your relief pressure.  Any connection to the resevoir can be a lower pressure hose.  Any adapters you use on the high side need to be rated for hydraulic pressure, plumbing parts won't due, but you can use them on the resevoir connection.  If you need an external relief valve, there will be more hoses.

Clear as mud, right!

Posted: 22 - June - 2010 at 11:17 | IP Logged

Oh, and if you put a gauge on the high pressure side of the pump, you can see what pressures you're running under load, when your relief valve is kicking in, etc.

If the lift cylinder only has one port (gravity down) you want your valve to be "single acting." 

As to making all this work with the electric, no idea.