LifeTrac 6 Hydraulics - Concept Diagram
1 and 2 Power Cube Operation, 5 Spools Total
Current operation involves 5 spool operation with cylinder valves. Cushion valves are used to mitigate stopping on the wheels.
Case 1 - One Power Cube to Drive Wheels
Notes: One power cube allows 2 or 4 wheel drive. 2 wheel drive occurs by connecting a pair or motors, either front or rear wheel drive. 4 wheel drive occurs by paralleling the 2 pairs of front and real drive motors. In the configuraion of using a total of only 5 spools, conversion between 2 and 4 wheel drive happens only by unplugging second set of wheels and plugging the hoses into each other for fluid continuity within the disconnected motors.
Case 2 - 2 Power Cubes to Drive Wheels
In the 5 spool configuraion, 2 power cube case - 4 wheel drive can be obtained by connecting one power cube to one pair of motors, and the other power cube to the other pair of motors. This is necessary as fluid needs to remain independent between the 2 power cubes.
Operation with 2 Power Cubes - Enhancement for Automatic Selection Between 2 and 4 Wheel Drive
To enable automatic switching between 2 and 4 wheel drive by activating and deactivating a spool - another 2 spool valve must be added. This valve must be a motoring valve to allow freewheeling in both directions whenever the motor is disengaged.
To do this: