This was my first hydraulics project and I started to get really worried that it wouldn't work right when I got it done. I'm so glad I used all face seal! Boat Buggy Build

Nice video Mr. Thompson(I watched it this morning when I was at work ). I am impressed too with the lady doing some mechanical jobs...( though we have lots of good women welder back home too )...

BTW, what did you use the hydraulics for?...

Thanks! Actually the entire rig mostly. Kubota 1505 4 Cyl Diesel coupled to a hydrostatic pump on one side and two Ultra stacked pumps running off of a belt on the front side. Same setup as the mower but I removed one of the 3 original pumps and left two considering I don't have all the 5 reels to spin. I have a motor from a sand rake driving the transfer case, a motor from a reel that turns the prop. (It's the motor that would power the grass cutting reel) And the steering is hydraulic too. The cylinder came off of the mower and the orbital valve is from the same sand rake. I used the sand rake valve because it had side ports that allowed me to plumb easier. I used the gear motor from the sand rake because I assumed it would be less displacement than the four motors that came from the mower.
I will tell Steph what you said. She actually did 75% of the welding and pulled and replaced the injector pump on the Kubota. Here is a new better video from today. Boat Buggy Test Video 2

Your vehicle reminds me of a unit I saw in Central City, KY at a customers place in the 70's. It was 6-wheel and was driven by a Chev 6 cylinder and a 5 Speed transmission going to (3) Drive axles with a drive shaft to each axle, NO HYDRULICS however. Skid Steered with brakes and two pedals. Basically would go through anything that it could get air to the carbretor.

Here is a web site of a 6-Wheel Military vehicle that uses Hydraulic Motors on all wheels and has a circuit that can shift to tow a Chinook Helicopter into a Cargo Plane and reach 50 MPH on the flat. Not amphibious though.
http://www.3dram.com/george-morgan/Military-HyVee.pdf

Your rig would be a hit at this web site:
http://www.pirate4x4.com
Some unusual builds and great videos of what can be done with all wheel drive.

Hi Bud, Thanks for the links. I submitted a link to my video at the Pirate 4x4 site.

Does anyone know what the charge pressure should be going in to the traction pump? I believe it is made by Eaton but I'm not sure.

Charge Pessure usually runs 150-300 PSI on most Comercial Hydra-Static Pumps.

Here is a link to the Eaton web site. If you can find any part numbers you can look up your pump there.
[url=http://hydraulics.eaton.com/products/eaton.html]

Look in the "Transmissions" link.

Maybe look until you find a picture of your unit.

Hey, thanks again Bud! Do you have any cautions for bringing a traction pump back into service after an overhaul? A link will be fine if it saves typing.

I would like to take a second to say that I got really worried during this build. I started to think I was crazy to mess around with hydraulics. I always loved hydraulic stuff but I thought it would be problematic to get things working right. I have to say that so far I have been really surprised at how well everything is working straight out of the "factory" I'm hooked! I've been dreaming up all kinds of attachments like turning the left-over cooling fan motor into a two speed hydraulic Daiquiri maker!

I just found out that Woods'N Water would like to do a story on us and the machine! FLUID POWER!!!

If "traction pump" means Hydra-Static pump circuit, all I ever caution on is to make sure the system is FULL OF THE CORRECT OIL and fluid level is checked constantly during startup run in.

Also I always start any system with the Relief Valve/s set at lowest pressure and run the pump to bleed air by operating valves or cracking fittings. Similar to Bleeding a Brake system after any repair that caused a fluid loss. That way there is less chance of having a cylinder act like a Missile Launch when oil compresses air until the actuator can move. Also air is not a great lubricator.

Hydraulics systems are not easy to learn but I'm constantly surprised how much equipment is made by persons with little or no training. Fortunately, Trial and Error is reasonably safe with hydraulics except for what can happen when someone gets a body part in the way of moving equipment. The other danger is from being injected with oil from a High Pressure Leak/Stream. I've only seen the aftermath of one incident and it was not a pretty sight. The injection of the oil was bad enough, the infection the contaminated oil caused took over a year to clean out and return the arm and hand to somewhat normal.

You might want to study the basic Ebook that can be seen from the Ebook Link on the Home Page of this Forum. It is one I have used to teach Fluid Power Basics to Mechanical and Electrial Engineers and Maintenence persons. May give you some ideas on components you have not heard of.

If it's a piston unit FILL THE CASE WITH OIL before start up. If the pump has a servo piston controlling displacement the controller will need to be nulled. If it is not nulled, the drive will start moving as soon as you start it up, so be cautious. Have a guage to check charge pump pressure, If you can't get any charge pump pressure to build, shut it down and figure out why. I think there is a guide to follow for start up on Eatons page that Bud mentioned.