Hydrostatic Transmission Uptake on the Rise in Off-Highway Equipment

Adoption of hydrostatic transmissions is increasing in various mobile off-highway equipment applications due to the many benefits this drive technology can provide.

In this video interview with Power & Motion, Tony Welter, President, Hydrostatics Division at Danfoss Power Solutions, discusses the benefits of hydrostatic transmissions and why their use is increasing.  

He explained that a hydrostatic transmission is essentially comprised of a pump and a motor that is coupled via a hydraulic hose, and fluid from the pump flows to the motor, turns the motor and turns a vehicle’s wheels in a very simplified fashion.

This design offers many advantages, particularly for off-highway equipment whose architecture may not support a more traditional mechanical transmission design which requires the prime mover, such as an engine, to be in close proximity to the wheels.

“Hydrostatics address that…by giving equipment manufacturers the flexibility to design equipment how they need it,” said Welter.

This design flexibility and other benefits offered by hydrostatic transmissions is leading to their increased use in the off-highway equipment industry. Welter said Danfoss is seeing market growth in machinery applications typically equipped with this type of transmission technology as well as those which have not used it previously.

Read the below articles to learn more about hydrostatic transmissions and their use in off-highway equipment applications.