Hydraulic sorting gates, Part 3: Power supply

The first step in any hydraulic system is the pump unit. In this post, I'll explain all the parts in a pump unit, what they do, and what is needed for a good set of hydraulic gates. Keep in mind that every system is different and has it's own set of demands. This is a blog post, not a technical manual!.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit IWHR.

Are you interested in learning more about flow control gate? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

The way to design your system is to decide what kind of actuators you are going to be using, and how fast you need them to move. You can figure it out by hand, but there are some good calculators, both online and in apps. First, figure out how much power you on a gate. Most gates actually don't take all that much power to move. The exception is solid gates that might be moving in the wind, but that's not that common.

I like to use smaller 1.5' cylinders. If your bypass is set at 1,500psi, a 1.5' cylinder can put 630 pounds of force on the extend side. As your cylinder is usually mounted about a foot or so from the hinge, this is pretty easy to calculate that it would take 63 pounds of force to stop it at the end of a 10' gate. Not an insignificant force, but one that most people can apply without getting knocked over, and certainly not enough to crush a person, or cow. By comparison, a 2' cylinder can apply 1,500psi of force which is 150lbs at 10'. This is enough to push over all but the strongest of people and is quite a lot of force if your are trapped.