Current position > Product detail
『Hydraulic Flow Meter for Excavator: Mobile High-Pressure Oil Diagnostics Kits』Related information(clamp on meter|electromagnetic meter|venturi meterrotameter|orifice meter|ultrasonic flow meter|mass flow meter|coriolis mass flow meter|coriolis flow meter|magnetic flow meter|magmeter flow meter|magflow flow meter|mag meter flow meter|electromagnetic flow meter|vortex flow meter|turbine flow meter|thermal mass flow meter|thermal flow meter|rotameter flow meter)
Hydraulic Flow Meter for Excavator: Mobile High-Pressure Oil Diagnostics Kits
Quick Answer: For excavator hydraulic diagnostics, use a positive displacement oval gear flow meter rated for 420 bar and oil temperature up to 120 °C. A DN15 or DN20 meter with 0.5 to 100 L/min range, 4-20 mA HART output, and PT100 input covers most 5 ton to 35 ton machines. Silver Automation Instruments supplies the flow meter plus matched pressure sensors and a portable display as a mobile high-pressure oil diagnostics kit.
Most service engineers skip water meters for this job. Water meters have a 16 bar rating and cannot survive the return line pressure of a closed loop excavator circuit. The oil film also slips past impeller blades at viscosity above 20 cSt. The result is a reading error of 15 to 40 percent on a Komatsu PC200 or Caterpillar 320 machine. In practice, that error hides pump wear until the track drive becomes slow and fuel burn goes up.
Flow Meter Selection: Oval Gear vs Turbine
For hydraulic oil ISO VG 32, VG 46, and VG 68, the oval gear meter gives a direct volume reading. The two oval gears rotate inside a housing. Each rotation displaces a fixed volume of oil. The pulse output is linear from 10 cSt to 1000 cSt. That equals about 9 cP to 870 cP for hydraulic oil with density 0.87 kg/L. A turbine meter needs a minimum viscosity and straight upstream pipe. Excavator service crews do not have room for 10 diameters of straight pipe near the pump test port.
Recommended model: Silver Instruments SOGM-15 oval gear flow meter. DN15 end connections, flow range 0.5 to 60 L/min, pressure rating 420 bar, temperature rating 120 °C, accuracy ±0.5% of reading, output 4-20 mA HART plus pulse. For 30 ton to 50 ton excavators with pump flow up to 150 L/min, use the SOGM-20 with DN20 or DN25 connections and range 1 to 150 L/min.
Mobile High-Pressure Oil Diagnostics Kit Build
A complete mobile high-pressure oil diagnostics kit fits in one foam-lined hard case. Silver Automation Instruments builds the kit with the SOGM flow meter, two 0 to 600 bar pressure sensors, two PT100 temperature probes, one 4 channel battery powered display and data logger, three hoses with quick couplings, and a set of SAE JIC and BSP adapter fittings. The hoses are rated for 420 bar and the case weighs about 18 kg.
Here is the thing. You do not need a laptop to start a test. The display shows flow, pressure, and oil temperature on one screen. The data logger records at 1 second intervals for up to 24 hours. A mechanic can mount the meter in the pump case drain line, the main outlet line, or the return line. Just keep the oil below 100 L/min for the DN15 body and below 150 L/min for the DN20 body.
Excavator hydraulic systems are not steady flow loops. A cylinder stall can push pressure from 350 bar to 420 bar in less than one second. The SOGM body is made from ductile iron and the cover is bolted with 12.9 grade fasteners. That is why the meter survives where a standard bronze water meter would split the housing. The kit follows the general test methods in ISO 4413 for hydraulic fluid power systems.
Field Test Procedure and Baseline Numbers
We have seen this on customer sites many times. A contractor wants to know if a
Last year a mining contractor in Chile tested a fleet of 14 excavators with our mobile kit. They found 5 machines with case drain flow over 15 L/min. Two machines had a blocked suction strainer that caused the pump to cavitate. The repair cost was lower because they pulled the pumps before a hard failure contaminated the whole hydraulic system.
Supply and Ordering
Silver Automation Instruments is the flow meter manufacturer and supplier. We stock the SOGM flow meter bodies in Nanjing and ship by DHL or FedEx to Australia, Indonesia, Chile, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the Philippines. A DN15 meter with 4-20 mA HART and pulse output usually ships in 3 to 5 working days. The full mobile kit takes 7 to 10 working days because we pressure test each hose assembly to 1.5 times the rated pressure.
Send us your pump flow in L/min, working pressure in bar, oil temperature in °C, pipe size in DN, and oil viscosity in cSt. We will select the meter size and confirm the fitting type. Contact Tel: +86-25-68650347, WhatsApp: +86-25-52155837, WeChat: +86 15365082610. Visit flow-meter.com.au for the full hydraulic oil flow meter range.
FAQ: Hydraulic Flow Meter for Excavator
Q1. Can the SOGM meter run on a Cat 305 mini excavator with pilot flow around 10 L/min?
A1. Yes. The DN10 version covers 0.2 to 30 L/min. That fits mini excavator pilot lines and small pump case drain lines. Tell us the exact pilot pump flow and we will set the pulse scaling before shipping.
Q2. What kind of hydraulic oil can this meter handle?
A2. ISO VG 32, VG 46, VG 68, and most biodegradable hydraulic fluids. The oval gear body is cast iron with FKM seals. Avoid fluids with water content above 5 percent and avoid hard particles larger than 20 microns.
Q3. Do you supply the complete mobile kit or only the flow meter?
A3. Both options are available. Many service teams buy one complete kit and keep two extra flow meters for different flow ranges. We supply spare seals and gears in a small rebuild kit.
Q4. Can the data logger export data for a maintenance report?
A4. Yes. The logger stores CSV files on a USB drive. You can open the file in Excel and attach it to the machine service record. No special software is required.
Q5. How do we order from Indonesia or Australia?
A5. Send us the machine model, pump rated flow, working pressure, and pipe fitting size. We reply with a quotation and shipping time. We accept bank transfer and can ship by DHL or FedEx with the HS code 9026 1000.
If your excavator pump shows slow cycle time, track speed loss, or high fuel consumption, do not guess. Use a hydraulic flow meter for excavator diagnostics and get the actual oil flow numbers. Send your pump flow, pressure, temperature, DN size, and oil type to Silver Automation Instruments. We reply within 24 hours on working days.