Hydrostatic Drive

Hydrostatic Drive
The Hydrostatic drive is used to drive a hydraulic motor at variable speed. A
bi-directional, variable displacement pump controls the direction and speed of
the hydraulic motor. This type of drive is commonly called a “closed loop”
drive. The two ports of the hydraulic pump are hydraulically connected to the
two ports on the hydraulic motor forming the closed loop.

1. Main Pump
A piston pump is used in a
hydrostatic drive. The pump volume
can be varied from 0 to maximum.
In the illustration shown, the pump
swashplate is in the vertical
position, which means that the
pump output is now 0 GPM. To
drive the hydraulic motor forward,
the swashplate will angle and
deliver fluid out of the “A” port. Port
“B” will act as the suction port. To
drive the motor in reverse, the
swashplate will angle in the
opposite direction. The “B” port will
then be the pressure port, and the
“A” port will be the suction. The
amount the swashplate angles in
each direction determines the flow
from the pump.

Basic Hydrostatic Drive

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 Hydrostatic Drive

2. Charge Pump
This is also sometimes known as the replenishing pump. The pump is usually
mounted on the back end of the main pump. The charge pump volume is
normally 10-15% of the main pump. The purpose of the charge pump is to
provide make up fluid to the system. On systems that use hydraulic cylinders
to stroke the main pump, the charge pump supplies the fluid to the cylinders.
Because of leakage at the pump and motor case drains, less oil flows out of
the motor than what the main pump is actually calling for. Let’s look at a typical
example.

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Hydrostatic Drive

3. Charge Pump Relief Valve

The charge pump relief valve provides a flow path for the excess charge pump
volume to return to tank. The relief valve is normally mounted on or near the
charge pump. The outlet flow of this relief valve is usually ported into the pump
case. In the system shown, the charge pump relief valve setting determines
the pressure on the low pressure side of the loop. This pressure is usually
180-300 PSI. On systems with shuttle valves, the shuttle relief valve
determines the pressure on the low side of the loop. The shuttle valve is
discussed later in this section.

4. Make Up Check Valves

The specific check valve permits free flow from the charge pump to the low
pressure side of the loop. At the same time oil in the high pressure side is
blocked to the low pressure side by the opposite check valve. The check
valves are usually accessed by removing the charge pump.

Hydrostatic Pump Assembly

Idle Mode

2 4

4 3

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Hydrostatic Drive

Hydrostatic Pump Forward Operation

Hydrostatic Pump Reverse Operation

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 Hydrostatic Drive

Servo Case Drain

Stroking Cylinder

Charge Pump Relief

Charge Pump

5. Crossport Relief Valves

The crossport relief valves limit the maximum pressure in the system. If the
motor should stall, the relief valve on the high pressure side would open and
dump the fluid back to the suction side of the loop. The valves also absorb
shock spikes in the hydraulic system. To best absorb the pressure spikes, the
valve should be mounted as close to the motor as possible. Depending on the
system, the valves may be located on the pump, mounted in a separate block
or on the hydraulic motor. Set the valves 200 – 400 PSI above the maximum
operating pressure. Some drives may have a pressure override, which
operates similarly to a pump compensator. On those systems the pressure
override should be set below the crossport relief valve settings.

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 Hydrostatic Drive

6. Hydraulic Motor
The speed and direction of the motor is determined by the hydraulic pump.
Maximum pressure to the motor is determined by the crossport relief valve
settings. The motor case drain flow should be checked (if a piston type motor)
and recorded for future troubleshooting purposes. On systems with shuttle
valves, the tank port of the shuttle relief valve is sometimes ported into the
motor case. On those systems, checking the case flow would not give an
accurate indication of bypassing.

Motor Stalled

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Hydrostatic Drive

Pump Control

Mechanical Control

The two most common methods of varying the hydrostatic pump volume is
either by a mechanical connection or a servo valve. The mechanical control is
by a cable or other mechanical linkage. An operator moves a joystick or foot
pedal to stroke the pump. The GPM the pump delivers is directly proportional
to the amount the joystick or pedal is moved. If the pump is delivering fluid
when the joystick or pedal is centered, then the mechanical linkage may need
to be adjusted. The mechanical control is normally found on mobile
equipment and knucklebooms.

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 Hydrostatic Drive

Servo Control
Most hydrostatic drives operating in plants today use a servo valve to control
the pump. Servo valves are explained in detail earlier in this manual. A
variable D.C. voltage controls the direction and amount of flow the pump
delivers. Normally a positive D.C. voltage will shift the servo spool into the “A”
position. The amount the spool shifts is directly proportional to the strength of
the voltage. The charge pump fluid is then ported out the servo valve “A” port
and to the “A” cylinder. As the “A” cylinder extends to stroke the pump a
mechanical feedback from the swashplate exerts a force on the servo valve
torque motor. When the feedback force is slightly higher than the electrical
force on the torque motor, the servo valve spool returns back toward center,
allowing only enough oil to hold the piston in position. The fluid in the cylinder
holds the pump on stroke. Oil is now delivered out of the “A” port of the pump.

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Hydrostatic Drive

The higher the voltage to the servo valve amplifier, the more volume the pump
delivers. To reverse the flow direction out the pump, a negative voltage is
applied to the amplifier. The pump will again stroke proportionally to the
voltage and deliver fluid out of the “B” port.

When there is no electrical signal to the servo valve, the pump volume output
should be 0 GPM. If the hydraulic motor is drifting either the centering springs
on the cylinders need adjusting or the servo valve needs to be nulled. Nulling
the servo valve is discussed in detail in the servo valve section.

The oil flow to the servo valve is filtered by a non-bypassing element. Most
servo valves also contain a small pilot filter that has a 100-200 micron rating. If
either filter plugs then the pump will stroke very slowly or not at all.

Shuttle Valve and Relief Valve

Although all systems do not have shuttle valves, it provides for cooling part of
the inline fluid. The purpose of the shuttle valve is to direct a portion of the flow
exhausting out of the motor back to tank. The oil is then ported back through a
cooler prior to returning to the reservoir. This permits a small volume of oil in
the main system to be cooled. In
the previous example, the excess
charge pump oil was dumped to
tank over the charge pump relief
valve. On systems with shuttle
valves, the shuttle relief valve is
set at a lower pressure than the
charge pump relief valve. The
setting of the shuttle relief valve
determines the pressure on the
low pressure side of the loop.

It is important that the pressure of the shuttle relief valve is set below the
charge pump relief valve. If set above, then the excess charge pump fluid will
dump through the charge pump relief valve.

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 Hydrostatic Drive

The shuttle valve and relief valve are many times bolted onto the hydraulic
motor. It may also be in the same block as the crossport relief valves.

Forward Operation

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Hydrostatic Drive

Filtration
The fluid in the hydrostatic loop constantly re-circulates except for the oil flow
through the shuttle relief valve. The best filter arrangement is to filter the fluid
in both directions on each side of the loop.

If filtering is not done in both directions then when the pump fails, the
contamination from the pump can go directly into the motor or vice-versa. The
filters should have visual or electrical indicators to indicate when the elements
are contaminated.

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 Hydrostatic Drive

Checking the Hydrostatic Drive

To effectively troubleshoot the drive some preliminary checks should be made

when operating properly to establish a reference.

• Charge pump relief valve setting. When the main pump is off stroke,
the charge pump relief valve setting will be indicated on all gauges in
the system. (The exception is when a two position shuttle valve is
used).

• Shuttle relief valve setting. Check on the low pressure side of the
loop when driving the hydraulic motor.

• Operating pressure. Check when the drive has the heaviest load on
the machine. Check in both the forward and reverse direction.

• Crossport relief valve settings. The lines to the hydraulic motor will
have to be plugged or the motor stalled. If a pressure override is used,
it’s pressure setting should also be recorded. The crossport relief
valves should be set 200-400 PSI above the pressure override setting.
Be careful not to exceed the maximum pressure of the system
components when setting the crossport relief valves and pressure
override.

• Check the command voltage to the amplifier and current to the

servo valve (if used). The RPM of the hydraulic motor should be
recorded for a specific D.C. signal to the servo valve. Speed
problems in hydrostatic drives are usually related to either the
incoming D.C. signal or the servo valve itself. Some pumps have a
displacement indicator. The indicator position should also be recorded
for a specific current to the servo valve.

• Motor case drain flow (if the motor is a piston type). As the motor
wears, more oil will bypass. Be sure to check when driving the motor as
excessive bypassing occurs when the pressure is at maximum. This
will not be an effective check if the shuttle relief tank line is ported back
through the motor case.

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Hydrostatic Drive

• Filter indicators. Filters usually have a color coded or other visual

indicator to show the element condition. If the elements are partially
plugged on non bypassing type filters, the drive will slow down. The
filters should be checked and changed as necessary on a regularly
scheduled basis.

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