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Tips & Tricks

Hydraulics

Sizing a hydraulic power unit for duty cycle

Start with the work the machine has to do, not the pump you already have on the shelf. Duty cycle drives reservoir size, cooling, and motor selection.

6 min read · Updated 2026

Start with flow and pressure

Add up the volume each actuator sweeps per cycle and divide by the time you have. That gives required flow. Pressure comes from the highest load case plus losses through valving and plumbing.

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Then look at heat

Anything that is not doing useful work becomes heat. If the unit runs more than a third of the shift, plan on a cooler rather than an oversized tank.