The complete history of the development of The - The Linde Group

1956 1957
First telephone cable between Europe
and the US goes into operation.
Hydrostatics – it started with the Hydrocar
Seeking new products to offset the stagnating
demand for tractors, the Güldner
Motoren-Gesellschaft took over the
hydrostatics operations of the Saalmann
company in the mid-1950s, including all
employees working in that area.
In a hydrostatic drive, a rotating cylinder
drum driven by a combustion motor
pumps oil into a driving gear at high
pressure (420 bar) by means of pistons.
This driving gear in turn is rotated by
means of its pistons. The flow and, thus,
the rate of rotation is controlled by a
swash plate whose tilt angle determines
A Güldner Hydrocar tows an air force plane. These vehicles were built from
1958 to 1965 in Aschaffenburg.
The “Hubtrac” was the first Linde forklift truck; it was built from 1959 to 1969.
52
the piston stroke (see also page 56).
Transmission gears in the driving gear
reduce the rate of rotation from 2000 to
200 rpm and transmit this to the wheels
of a vehicle such as a forklift.
The change in the rotation speed is
smooth. A significant advantage of the
hydrostatic drive is that both acceleration
and braking are effectively achieved by
depressing the pedal to adjust the swash
plate of the vehicle – and without any
wear. Another point in favor of the hydrostatic
drive is that the vehicle runs
smoothly at the same speed once it has
Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite,
orbits the Earth.
N o 1461
Vehicle whose movement is
controlled by pedals (Hydrocar).
been set – no matter the resistance, such
as when it goes over a threshold.
Finally, the hydrostatically driven vehicle
can be operated away from its energy
source; it can be connected over a distance
using cables and hoses.
Linde tested this hydrostatic drive in
the “Hydrocar” starting in 1958, which
was primarily used for internal transport.
After extensive testing, the Hydrocar
made up the core around which today’s
Linde Material Handling Division was
built. From the beginning, the first hydrostatically
driven forklift had a smooth
ride, simple, precise handling, low wear
and high safety.
In the course of ongoing development,
Linde integrated the hydrostatic
drive, hydraulic pump, hydraulic motor
and gearbox into one compact axle. The
latest generation offers a higher power
density (greater pivoting angle) and can
do without the mechanical gear transmission
stage since the wheels are driven
directly by the “slow running” hydraulic
motor.
The “intelligent” electronics provide
excellent driving behavior and make optimal
use of the power of the diesel engine,
thus minimizing fuel consumption.
Linde Series 313 forklifts were produced from 1967 to 1977.
Linde hydrostatics supplies not only
the forklift customers in its own plant but
also a number of outside customers, such
as manufacturers of construction machinery,
harvesters, street-cleaning and refuse
vehicles. One of its specialties is the
drive for baggers: One hydraulic pump
can control several “consumers” (such as
a drive motor and shovel) at the same
time without affecting their performance.
Here too electronics developed at Linde
ensure sensitive control and optimal use
of the power.
The hydrostatics shop at the Aschaffenburg
plant now makes some 120,000
units per year, about half of which are for
external customers.