Hydraulic

Power
basics

Pascals Law
Pressure exerted at any point on
a confined liquid is transmitted
undiminished in all directions.

Hydraulic Terms
Hydraulic

Piston

Shaft

PSI

Pneumatic

Stroke

Check valve

Spool valve

Pump

Seal

Rockshaft

Cylinder

Hydraulic
motor

Singleacting

Doubleacting

Input /
Output

Hydraulic
Tool or equipment
powered by the movement
of fluid under pressure.
Examples are brakes,
jacks & tractor lifts.

Pneumatic
Tool or equipment
powered or supported
by the movement of
compressed air.

PSI

Pounds per Square Inch

determines amount of force

GPM

Gallons per Minute

determines speed of action

Basic
principle

Pressure applied to piston A is

transferred equally to a piston of the same
size B because PSI is the same
throughout the system.

hydraulic
advantage

If the surface area of piston B is 10 times

the surface area of piston A, then the force
applied to piston A is multiplied 10 times as
the force exerted on piston B. PSI is equal
throughout the system.

Input / Output
Force input on a hydraulic
system or component results
in transfer of power to output
of force by the system or
component.

Pump
Functions in a hydraulic
system by pressurizing
and moving fluid from one
part of the system to
another.

Hydraulic pumps are usually one

of four types:

PISTON
GEAR
VANE
INTERNAL ROTOR

Piston Pumps
Work well at PSIs of 2000 or more
Single piston pump used in bottle jacks
Require several pistons working together to
generate enough volume for tractor
applications
Necessarily involve many moving parts

Gear Pumps
Work well at 1500 PSI and
below
Work with a minimum of
moving parts
Less expensive to
manufacture than piston type
pumps

Gear
Pump

driven gear

idler gear

Hydraulic Motor

Receives power from

moving fluid to transfer
hydraulic power to
mechanical rotating force.

Cylinder
Piece of equipment that
transfers hydraulic power
into mechanical
movement in one or two
directions only.

Hydraulic Cylinder

Single-acting
Refers to a hydraulic
cylinder that works in one
direction only.

Double-acting
Refers to a hydraulic
cylinder that pushes and
pulls.

Single-acting
cylinder

Double-acting
Cylinder

Piston
Internal component of a
hydraulic cylinder that is
moved in a linear motion by
the action of fluid introduced
into the cylinder.

Shaft
The polished round bar that
is extended from and
retracted into a hydraulic
cylinder.

Stroke
The length of movement that a
hydraulic cylinder is capable
of producing.

Seal
Found in hydraulic
components; function is to
keep fluid from leaking
between moving and nonmoving parts

Check Valve
Restricts flow of fluid to only
one direction; allows pressure
to build up or be maintained.

Spool Valve
Controls direction of flow of
fluid in a hydraulic system to
cause the different parts of
the system to function.

The first hydraulic power lift for a

tractor was introduced in 1935 by
John Deere. This unit only had two
positions, up and down, but the
hydraulic action cushioned the
lowering of the implement.

Rockshaft
Rotating shaft on a modern
tractor powered by an internal
hydraulic cylinder; used to
transfer power to the
implement lift.