Provided is a work vehicle capable of reducing the fuel consumption while maintaining the working efficiency. A wheel loader 1 comprising a vehicle body controller 5, 5A for controlling an engine 41, wherein the vehicle body controller 5, 5A limits an upper limit rotational speed of the engine 41 based on an accelerator pedal step-on amount α, a brake pedal step-on amount β, a torque converter speed ratio e which is a ratio of a rotational speed of a torque converter 42, a discharge pressure P1 of a loading hydraulic pump 44, and a stroke amount S1 of lift arm cylinders 22 or a stroke amount S2 of a bucket cylinder 24.

In a hydraulic system for a working machine, a controller is configured or programmed to increase an output-port pressure of one activation valve for one hydraulic device and an output-port pressure of another activation valve for another hydraulic device to a normal pressure higher than a preloading pressure from a state where the output-port pressure of the one activation valve is equal to the preloading pressure and the output-port pressure of the other activation valve is lower than the preloading pressure, by causing the output-port pressure of the one activation valve to be lower than the preloading pressure and increasing the output-port pressure of the other activation valve to the normal pressure.

In a working machine, a traveling pump is driven by a prime mover to rotate a traveling motor by fluid therefrom. The traveling motor has a rotation speed shiftable between a lower first speed and a higher second speed. A traveling change-over valve is shiftable between a first state where the rotation speed of the traveling motor is set to the first speed and a second state where the rotation speed of the traveling motor is set to the second speed. A controller performs a shock-mitigation for reducing a rotation speed of the prime mover when the traveling change-over valve is shifted from the second state to the first state. The controller determines a reduction amount of rotation speed of the prime mover reduced by the shock mitigation based on a difference between a target rotation speed of the prime mover and an actual rotation speed of the prime mover.

A hydraulic system includes a first and a second rotating hydraulic machine, the first and second hydraulic machine being arranged to provide a torque via a common output shaft; a first valve arrangement for providing a differential hydraulic pressure level over the first hydraulic machine by using two sources of hydraulic fluid having different hydraulic pressure levels, a second valve arrangement for providing a differential hydraulic pressure level over the second hydraulic machine by using two sources of hydraulic fluid having different hydraulic pressure levels; and a control unit configured to control the first valve arrangement and the second valve arrangement such that different discrete levels of torque are provided via the output shaft of the hydraulic system. A hydraulic system for providing different discrete levels of torque using one hydraulic machine and a plurality of differential pressure levels, and a method for controlling a hydraulic system, are also provided.

A working machine includes a prime mover, a rotation-speed operation actuator, a rotation detector, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic unit, an operation valve capable of changing a pilot pressure of a pilot fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic unit in accordance with an operation of an operation member, an actuation valve operating in accordance with a control signal and capable of changing a primary pressure as the pilot pressure of the pilot fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump to the operation valve, and a controller that outputs the control signal based on a difference between target and actual rotation speeds to the actuation valve to control an opening thereof. The controller has a mode including calculating the control signal based on the difference, correcting the calculated control signal, and increasing or decreasing a target primary pressure value set in accordance with the control signal.

A working machine includes first and second traveling pumps, an acquirer to acquire the number of revolutions and the rotation direction of each of first and second traveling motors, a determiner to, based on the acquired number of revolutions and the acquired rotation direction, determine whether a machine body is in a straight traveling state or a turn traveling state, and a controller configured or programmed to, when switching from a first state allowing rotation speeds of the first and second traveling motors to increase up to a first maximum speed, to a second state allowing the rotation speeds to increase up to a second maximum speed higher than the first maximum speed, or vice versa, is performed, reduce an amount of hydraulic fluid supply from the pumps to the motors according to the straight traveling state or the turn traveling state of the machine body.

There is provided a driving device for a work machine, having a closed hydraulic circuit system for driving cylinders with hydraulic pumps, the driving device making the speed of operation substantially the same in both directions of piston rod extension and contraction. The driving device includes: a first hydraulic pump that has flow rate control device for controlling the flow rate and direction of hydraulic fluid to be delivered; a single rod hydraulic cylinder that is driven with the hydraulic fluid to drive one of work members of a work device on the work machine; a closed hydraulic circuit that connects the first hydraulic pump with the single rod hydraulic cylinder to form a closed circuit using flow lines through which the hydraulic fluid flows; a branch line that branches from the flow line between the first hydraulic pump and the single rod hydraulic cylinder; a first flow line of which one end is connected to the branch line; a tank to which the other end of the first flow line is connected; and a hydraulic fluid flow rate control device attached to the first flow line to control the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid flowing from the branch line to the tank or from the tank to the branch line.

A hydraulic fluid flowpath includes a first flowpath and a second flowpath. The first flowpath connects a first pump port and a first chamber in a hydraulic cylinder. The second flowpath connects a second pump port and a second chamber in the hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic fluid flowpath forms a closed circuit between a hydraulic pump and the hydraulic cylinder. A bleed-off flowpath bleeds off a portion of the hydraulic fluid from the second flowpath. A control valve connects the second flowpath to the bleed-off flowpath via a throttle when an operation amount of an operating member for lowering a work implement is less than a predetermined operation amount so that a hydraulic pressure in second flowpath is maintained at less than a relief pressure. The predetermined operation amount is less than or equal to the maximum operation amount for lowering the work implement.

In a working machine, a controller decreases a supply amount of hydraulic fluid from a travel pump to a travel motor based on a travel state of a machine body when a speed-change instruction is issued by operating a switch. When a speed-increase operation is performed, the controller switches the travel switching valve from the first state to the second state in a prior period lasting up to when the supply amount to the travel motor starts decreasing, in a restoration period in which the supply amount to the travel motor after being decreased is being restored, or in an after-restoration period in which the supply amount has been restored.

In a working machine, a controller decreases a supply amount of a hydraulic fluid from a travel pump to a travel motor based on a travel state of a machine body when a speed-change instruction of increasing or decreasing speed is output by operating a switch, and a pressure detector detects a travel pressure that is a pressure of a hydraulic fluid delivered by the travel pump to the travel motor. In accordance with the travel pressure detected by the travel pressure detector, the controller changes a delay period lasting up to a switching timing of the travel switching valve from an output timing of the speed-change instruction of the switch.