How Does Hydrostatic Transmission Work?

The hydrostatic transmission was first used as a custom road engine in a motorcycle named Honda DN-01. While the majority of modern vehicles work based on an Internal Combustion Engine, there is a slight glitch. This combustion engine produces a motion that is rotational while what the vehicle needs are a linear motion. The transmission of a vehicle facilitates this.

What Are Hydrostatic Transmissions?

Transmissions of the vehicle are responsible for the change of gears to control the speed of the vehicle, which cannot be done by the internal combustion engine. The transmission in the form of gears can be automatic or manual, depending upon the model of the vehicle. It is the most famous type of Continuous Variable Transmission not just used in industrial machines, agricultural tractors, even in tanks, riding mowers and vehicles.

Advantages Of Hydrostatic Transmission

No Disruption

Disruption is caused by the transmission of a vehicle when the gears are changed, either manually or automatically. With the help of hydrostatic transmission, there is no requirement to apply the gear and clutch, which ultimately means there will be no disruption in transmission.

Constant Speed

A vehicle’s speed is at times, dependent on the load that is being carried. Hydrostatic transmission assists to pre-set speed. The vehicle can be driven at this controlled and preset speed in either of the directions, and it would be independent of the load that is being carried.

Variations

There are a lot of variations possible with the help of Hydrostatic Transmissions. It helps to offer a lot of speed options for a vehicle. What’s more, it offers speed in both directions, be it reverse or be its forward direction.

One Lever

You don’t need to have a separate lever or handle for direction and speed. With the help of hydrostatic transmission, one lever can be put to use in controlling both the direction as well as the speed.

Maintenance

Everyone is looking for options which will ensure there is not a lot of upkeep. You need a machine that works efficiently and requires minimum attention. The trick is to use a valve that gets good hydrostatic transmission. It will require very minimum maintenance, like filter replacement and regular oiling. An excellent example is SIO globe control valves. 

Working Of A Hydrostatic Transmission

Let us take a look at the working of a hydrostatic transmission to understand the importance and criticality of its presence more:

Pump Motor

Hydrostatic transmission requires the power which it takes using a prime mover. One example of the prime mover is an Internal Combustion Engine’s crankshaft. This power is needed to use the hydrostatic pump motor. The prime mover, example crankshaft, provides for the rotary motion which pressurizes the fluid and directs it towards a hydrostatic drive motor.

Movement

The pressurized fluid in the prime motor is most usually oil. This is directed towards the drive motor. A drive motor will need to accommodate this pressurized fluid, and for the same reason, the pistons start moving. This movement creates a rotational movement, which is what is needed by the wheels to turn. Hence causing the vehicle to move forward.

Swashplate

The speed of the wheels of the vehicle is dictated by the amount of fluid and the pressure that is received from the drive motor. This speed also needs to be controlled, and the same is done with the help of a swashplate. A swashplate is used with the help of a hand lever that is there on the equipment.

Closed Circuit

The entire process of hydrostatic transmission is nothing but a closed circuit loop. The fluid that exits from the outlet to a drive motor is not sent to the tank but is placed back to the hydrostatic pump. Parts of the circuits are an input drive which is the hydrostatic pump linked to its prime mover and an output drive which is the drive motor linked to the load.

Conclusion

Just like anything else, the hydrostatic transmission also has its own set of shortcomings. However, the benefits and good points of the hydrostatic transmission out way the drawbacks through a good margin. This margin is what makes the hydrostatic transmission an ideal means of any transmission.