Improving Fuel Economy and Productivity of Mobile Equipment through Hydraulic Fluid Selection: A Case Study

摘要

This paper presents recent field test results in a skid steer loader and an excavator. Both pieces of equipment were operated with an OEM-recommended all-season hydraulic fluid and with a fluid whose viscometrics meet the Maximum Efficiency Hydraulic Fluid (MEHF) performance definition. Significant improvements in fuel economy (14-15%) and productivity (14-16%) were observed when using the MEHF fluid. These improvements correlated with theoretical and laboratory models describing the effect of viscosity on pump efficiency. Results and models will be discussed in the paper.