Construction Plant World 8th March 2018

EDITORIAL FOCUS ON HYDRAULICS
both safety and dumping speed concerns,
both of which have been improved by
the latest design. In fact, early trials have
indicated an improvement of about a
minute in tipping time compared with
the previous bins.
Of course, hydraulics is about far more
than just cylinders. Valves, for instance,
are a critical component in the optimised
performance of construction vehicles. In
the new Link-Belt 350 X4 LF (long front)
excavator from LBX, for example, the
base machine delivers up to 8% faster
cycle times than its predecessor. This
performance increase is largely due to a
new proprietary control valve with a 30%
larger hydraulic passage area.
Valve manufacturers are constantly
researching ways to improve
performance, and among them is Webtec,
which has recently extended its VFD
range of hydraulic flow control valves for
construction machinery applications. The
series comprises three models – VFD50,
VFD120 and VFD190 – for inlet flows of
up to 50, 120 and 190 litre/min
respectively, and all rated at up to 420
bar. The VFD120 and VFD190 are the
recently introduced valves, and both
have a 66% higher operating pressure
and much lower pressure drop than the
existing Webtec 2FV2V series, which is
scheduled to be withdrawn in June.
Thanks to their new and more efficient
design, Webtec says that the VFD120 and
VFD190 can reduce heat generation in