Considerations for running 7 small hydraulic motor off tractor hydraulic system?

[jakescia]

We need to run 7 "lawn mowers" off the hydraulic system of 300hp farm tractor....tractor provides 38 gpm and 3200 psi.....
I am told that we can do it least expensively using custom built manifold.....and 7 hydraulic motors.....one motor per mowing unit......all motors run at same time. Jmhjyjj,g.

I know zip about the technical workings of hydraulics..

I would appreciate any education you could provide.

Thanks.

 

[LD1]

Read up on flow dividers. This application would be best served with dividers rather than simply using Tee's.

With Tee's , if one mower is mowing through some thicker stuff (requiring more power) rather than going through it like it should, that mower will slow down and the others will speed up.

Any chance on making it an even number of mowers. Like 8? Or 6?. You can get two outlet, 3 outlet, or 4 outlet dividers. Using a two outlet dividers, and feed a pair of 3's or 4's will give you 6 or 8 outlets all with equal flow.

To get 7 equal outlet flows isn't impossible, but more complicated to make happen

 

[oldnslo]

Also research gear type flow dividers. These may provide 7 way split with a lot pressure loss.

 

[muddstopper]

What about running the motors in series.

 

[oldnslo]

We need to run 7 "lawn mowers" off the hydraulic system of 300hp farm tractor....tractor provides 38 gpm and 3200 psi.....
I am told that we can do it least expensively using custom built manifold.....and 7 hydraulic motors.....one motor per mowing unit......all motors run at same time. Jmhjyjj,g.

I know zip about the technical workings of hydraulics..

I would appreciate any education you could provide.

Thanks.

Not sure what type of mower you are looking to run but this is only around 70 hydraulic HP. That won't drive a very large bush hog.

 

[boggen]

are these "lawn mowers"(finishing mower) a gang setup? for say a golf course mower?

length of the blades?

type of blades?

do any of these mowers need to shut off individually? as in a bat wing rotary mower (bush hog mower)? when you lift a wing, power to the given blade shuts off.

any pictures? or drawings? or diagrams? or even 2 year old chicken scratches would work of planned setup for the mowers.

placing all mowers in a series. in/out -> in/out -> in/out etc... would keep all blades spinning same speed.

once you start placing the motors in parallel with each other, things get more complicated.

once you start getting into sensors, to read Pressure / GPM and the RPM sensors of motors. you are talking full blown electronics package.

 

[BHD]

was at an organic meeting and they had a mower that mowed between the rows, I think it was an 8 row unit, nine mowers on it and they ran them in series. the tractors hydraulics only saw the GPM, of one motor, and the pressure was daisy chained from one to the next. and they were having success with the system,

 

[KWentling]

was at an organic meeting and they had a mower that mowed between the rows, I think it was an 8 row unit, nine mowers on it and they ran them in series. the tractors hydraulics only saw the GPM, of one motor, and the pressure was daisy chained from one to the next. and they were having success with the system,

I would think the oil would be tremendously hot by the time it went through that may motors.

 

[bigdeano]

Putting all the motors in series would mean they would have to all handle 38 gpm, which would be very expensive and heavy. How about splitting the flow into 2 or 3 equal flows with a flow divider and then having 2 or 3 motors in series on each smaller flow. Seems like the most economical way to me.

 

[KWentling]

Putting all the motors in series would mean they would have to all handle 38 gpm, which would be very expensive and heavy. How about splitting the flow into 2 or 3 equal flows with a flow divider and then having 2 or 3 motors in series on each smaller flow. Seems like the most economical way to me.

I agree that splitting them up with flow dividers is good and would help with the heat also. I'm sure he can adjust flow so it wouldn't have to use all 38 gpm, but divided he might need it. Not enough details on what he is trying to do, but I think heat is going to be a big problem to overcome. Defiantly going to require a cooler.