HEAT AND HYDRAULICS SYSTEMS - WHY EFFICIENCY IS KEY

HEAT & HYDRAULICS SYSTEMS – WHY EFFICIENCY IS KEY

Before purchasing a volumetric concrete mixer, you are likely considering output and storage capacity but that is not all that matters – heat generation and efficient hydraulics systems need to be at the top of your list. Those two factors cannot only make the difference between finishing a job on time or being late, they also have a huge influence on cost-efficiency – and we have made sure to develop an industry-leading system.

WHY TEMPERATURE CONTROL MATTERS

One of the biggest benefits of volumetric concrete mixers is the capacity to mix fresh concrete on-site. Especially if you are working in a geographic area prone to high temperatures, or if your project runs through the summer, volumetric mixers allow you to pour higher-quality concrete regardless of the weather.

This is because your mixer is not spending hours sitting in traffic in the sun like traditional concrete trucks. That exposure would affect the density of the concrete and you may need to add water before pouring.

But what about the mixer itself? One of the key components of a ProAll Reimer mixer is a strong and versatile hydraulics system. The hydraulics rely on high-quality hydraulic fluid which needs to be kept within a set temperature range. ProAll mixers work best when the hydraulic system is running between 120 and 150 °F (65.5 °C).

A hydraulic system that’s running too hot may not immediately stop your mixer from operating. However, over time excess heat will damage components of your equipment. Plus, the fluid itself will degrade faster than normal, forcing you to replace it. However, all of those issues are preventable.

WHAT INFLUENCES THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM TEMPERATURE?

Several factors affect the temperature of your volumetric concrete mixer’s hydraulic system. The ambient temperature and the design of the system itself are the two biggest influences.

If you are running large projects through the summer months, especially in a hot climate, it’s important to monitor your hydraulic system regularly. Most contractors have their own procedures to ensure this happens.

Whilst we can’t change the climate in the locations where our mixers are used, we made sure to design the hydraulic system in a way that prevents overheating issues. Simply put, we designed our entire range of ProAll range of mixers with the most efficient hydraulic system in the industry.

As a result, our mixers generate far less heat than those of our competitors. In addition, they use only two-thirds of the hydraulic fluid compared to our closest competitor. This gives you two advantages: temperature and overheating are less of a concern, and you save in operational costs and maintenance time.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR VOLUMETRIC MIXER IS RUNNING TOO HOT?

Even the most efficient hydraulic system may run hot on occasion. Operating your volumetric concrete mixer in hot climates over long periods of time will generate heat. Eventually, this may cause the temperature within the system to rise above its optimum range.

Noticing a temperature rise is simple: all your operators need to do is keep an eye on the Commander control system. The Commander will warn you if the temperature is getting too high. However, you don’t need to wait until there is a warning.

All that’s required is pressing one button to access the mixer’s system diagnostics display. Volumetric mixer operators can see the current temperature within the hydraulics system displayed at the bottom left. To make it easier and avoid mistakes, our engineers have made sure that the display is color-coded so it’s obvious if something is wrong. Like a basic traffic light, the display changes from green to red.

WHAT OUR TECHNICIANS WILL NEED TO KNOW

Our industry-leading design should help prevent most instances of overheating simply because of the built-in efficiency. If the system does get hot, the diagnostics and warning displays of the Commander control allow you to spot the problem early and prevent actual damage.

Plus, our engineers are here to help your operators with additional information or tips and tricks, if needed. If you saw a warning on your Commander display, this has been recorded in the system’s alarm log. An operator can then confirm if the alarm was a real alarm. This is especially useful if you are unexpectedly seeing repeated temperature alarms: they may be pointing to an underlying problem.

When you are contacting our in-house support, it’s worth having a few pieces of information ready to help them support you as efficiently as possible. They may want to know what temperature your mixer reached and how long it took to heat up to that level.

The temperature warning may be related to the operation of other parts of the system. When your system overheats, it is worth looking at belt pressure, auger pressure, and charge pressure, too.

In some cases, the temperature rise is caused by a simple maintenance issue like a lack of sufficient hydraulic fluid. Whilst ProAll volumetric mixers have been designed to be more efficient than any other mixer on the market, they do need a top-up or a change in fluid from time to time.

Having this information ready makes light work of trouble-shooting, and you will be up and running again in no time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Volumetric concrete mixers are an excellent tool to help increase efficiency in any construction project. They allow you to pour the exact quality and quantity of concrete you need when and where you need it.

At the heart of an efficient volumetric mixer lies a well-designed, state-of-the-art hydraulics system that limits problems arising from overheating at the source. Our team of engineers has taken great care to design an industry-leading hydraulics system that generates less heat than its closest competitor whilst saving you one-third of hydraulic fluid.

With construction contractors under pressure to deliver high-quality projects within short amounts of time, this efficiency gives your business a distinct advantage.

For businesses with large volumetric concrete mixer fleets, being able to see how each mixer is functioning from a remote location is key. If you are looking for a better way to keep track of your mixers’ health, check out our state-of-the-art fleet management system.