Hiab has developed a tank for hydraulic oil that uses cyclone technology to reduce oil usage, weight, space and running costs, it says.
The patented technology uses a cyclone system to remove air from the hydraulic oil returning to the tank, which is up to 10 times more efficient than standard systems, Hiab says.
Hiab makes knuckle-boom folding loader cranes, which are most commonly mounted on trucks for loading and unloading cargo from the truck bed.
Its new oil tank technology allows oil to be circulated and filtered more often, so that the size of the tank can be significantly reduced. This means that the volume of oil required is also significantly reduced, plus the slight over-pressure in the system's outlet prevents cavitation in the oil pump, leading to a longer operational lifetime for the pump, oil and hydraulic system.
"Our new cyclone oil tank is a game-changing accessory for use in a truck-mounted or crane-mounted application," said product manager Markus Sjöqvist. "Because the cyclone removes air from the oil up to 10 times more efficiently, we can work with a much more compact oil tank. So, for example, instead of the 250 or 300 litre oil tank you would expect to find on a standard truck mounted with a loader crane, we can now fit a 100 litre cyclone tank.
"This reduced size and weight allows the truck to reduce its fuel consumption, and lower its CO2 emissions by up to 600kg a year. The tank size and weight reduction also gives additional cargo capacity, plus the advantages of lower oil usage of up to 60%, and a more durable hydraulic system, so operating costs are reduced too."
The cyclone oil tank can also be mounted directly onto the crane, and will be included in the crane's warranty package. The higher mounting position on the crane enables better operating conditions for the pump, and installation costs are lower than the truck-mounted option, Hiab says.
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