How do excavators work?

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How does hydraulic pressure get from the hydraulic pump, through the turret (which freely spins in any direction), down to the final drives?

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3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

To get to the tracks, the hydraulic fluid passes through a device called a rotary manifold.
Hydraulic hose go to one side of the manifold which is fixed to the turret, and hoses for the drives are on the other side, which is free to rotate 360 degrees continuously.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

There are a few different solutions to this. Most of them are based on long hydraulic lines. These can indeed get twisted if the excavators turn too far. One revolution is not enough though. Some excavators have physical stops preventing it from rotating too far, some just rely on the operators being properly trained.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The pump is connected to the actuators by pipes. Pressure is transmitted by the hydraulic fluid that fills the whole system.

This is not unique to excavators.