A hydraulic system for controlling at least one steerable caster wheel of an agricultural machine includes a first actuator having a piston and including an inboard fluid port for supplying fluid to a first side of the piston to move the piston in a first direction, and an outboard fluid port for supplying fluid to a second side of the piston to move the piston in a second direction. A first fluid pressure equalizer is fluidically coupled to the first side actuator and operable to equalize fluid pressure over a period of time between the first side and the second side of the piston of the first side actuator.

A power transfer unit includes a first hydraulic circuit, a second hydraulic circuit fluidly connected to the first hydraulic circuit, a pump and motor assembly fluidly connected between the first hydraulic circuit and the second hydraulic circuit, an isolation valve arranged along the first hydraulic circuit and fluidly connected to an inlet of the pump and motor assembly. The isolation valve is movable between a closed position and an open position to prevent and enable high-pressure fluid flow to the inlet, respectively. An unloader valve is arranged along the second hydraulic circuit and fluidly connected to an outlet of the pump and motor assembly, and an orifice is arranged along the second hydraulic circuit and fluidly connected to the unloader valve to reduce back pressure in the second hydraulic circuit.

A hydraulic elevator may comprise a bidirectional pump that controls up and down motion of an elevator car. A VVVF drive may cause the bidirectional pump to provide working fluid in a controlled manner to a hydraulic jack that supports the elevator car. A control valve may be disposed between the bidirectional pump and the hydraulic jack so that the control valve can be closed when the elevator car needs to be held in place. To avoid pressure waves that propagate when the control valve is opened with disparate pressures on the pump and jack sides of the control valve, the bidirectional pump may adjust the pressure on the pump side of the closed control valve to the pressure on the jack side of the control valve before the control valve is opened.

To provide a construction machine that can highly precisely control branch flows from a hydraulic pump to a plurality of hydraulic actuators without being affected by load conditions. A controller (100) has a meter-out valve control section (140) configured to calculate a target opening area of a second meter-out valve (65a) (65b) according to a pressure difference between a supply pressure and a second meter-in pressure, or calculate a target opening area of a first meter-out valve (55a) (55b) according to a pressure difference between the supply pressure and the first meter-in pressure.

Provided is a work machine which can achieve both of excellent operability when an operator manually operates a machine body or a work device and an accuracy of control of the machine body or the work device when a controller performs automatic control. The controller is configured to, in a case where the automatic control function selector switch gives an instruction to disable the automatic control function, adjust an opening amount of a bleed-off valve to a maximum opening amount or an opening amount corresponding to input amounts of control levers, and in a case where the automatic control function selector switch gives the instruction to enable the automatic control function, adjust the opening amount of the bleed-off valve, in at least part of an operation region of the control levers, so as to be smaller than the opening amount with the instruction to disable the automatic control function being given.

A balancing valve includes four ports. While the pressures at a pair of balancing ports of a hydraulic balancing valve are equal, the valve maintains two other ports in a closed position. Upon a pressure differential between the balancing ports, fluid communication can occur between one of the balancing ports and either of the other ports based upon the direction of the pressure differential. A hydraulic ride control system utilizes the balancing valve together with other control valves to provide ride control functionality.

An example valve includes: a seat member; a spool configured to be seated on the seat member to block fluid flow from a first port to a second port when the valve is in a closed state, wherein fluid at the first port applies a fluid force on the spool; a spring applying a biasing force on the spool toward the seat member, wherein as the fluid force overcomes the biasing force, the spool moves in the proximal direction off the seat member, thereby allowing fluid flow from the first port to the second port through a flow area formed between the spool and the seat member; a turbine configured to rotate as fluid flowing through the flow area flows downstream across the turbine; and an electric generator coupled to the turbine, such that rotation of the turbine causes the electric generator to generate electric power.

An example valve includes: a pressure compensation spool configured to be subjected to a first fluid force of fluid received at a first port acting in a proximal direction; a pressure compensation spring disposed in a pressure compensation chamber and applying a biasing force on the pressure compensation spool in a distal direction; a turbine configured to rotate as fluid flows through the valve; and a flow area configured to throttle fluid flow from the first port to the pressure compensation chamber, wherein fluid in the pressure compensation chamber applies a second fluid force on the pressure compensation spool in the distal direction, such that the pressure compensation spool moves to a particular axial position based on force equilibrium between the first fluid force, the second fluid force, and the biasing force to throttle fluid flow from the pressure compensation chamber to a second port.

A hydraulic system includes a pump in communication with a fluid reservoir and powered by a motor. A pressure compensator is adapted to adjust a position of a variable displacement mechanism of the pump. A load sensing line is adapted to communicate a highest load sensing pressure from a plurality of valves to the pressure compensator. The pressure compensator adjusts the variable displacement mechanism of the pump based on the highest load sensing pressure for maintaining a constant pressure drop across one or more work ports in each of the plurality of valves. The plurality of valves each include a load sense port having an integrated check valve that includes a metering orifice.

A method and apparatus for dithering hydraulic valves to mitigate static friction (“stiction”) associated with the hydraulic valves. A first hydraulic valve and a second hydraulic valve are dithered to mitigate stiction associated with those valves. The dithering of the first and second hydraulic valves also cause dithering of a main hydraulic valve associated with the first and second hydraulic valves. Accordingly, stiction of three hydraulic valves of a hydraulic system is mitigated.