Hägglunds hydraulic drive systems are a familiar presence in the mining and mineral processing industries, as well as in related materials handling applications. Compact, gearless and utterly reliable, they offer significant advantages over their electromechanical counterparts. Those advantages continue to grow stronger, and the range of possibilities they create is set to expand.

Tough solutions to key mining challenges

In many ways, mining applications are an ideal showcase for hydraulic drive strengths. Few other industries expose drive systems to such harsh and unpredictable conditions – or demand as much control over torque and speed. Hägglunds drive systems take both challenges in stride, allowing mines to secure equipment uptime and significantly boost their productivity.  

Protected from dust and grit by their closed design, Hägglunds drive systems also withstand shock loads without overdimensioning. Their built-in pressure limiting mitigates unexpected torque peaks, which reduces maintenance burden and prolongs the life of bearings, belts and chains. At the same time, the drives can supply and sustain an unprecedented amount of output torque for their size, giving operators full-torque capabilities from zero to maximum speed. 

In practice, this means Hägglunds drives can start up, hold or reverse in loaded condition without any risk of overheating. Since no gears are involved, they provide instant response and an infinite number of speeds to work with throughout their range. In combination, these features let miners adapt to ore characteristics, optimize feed rates or inch equipment along for inspection.

Unique opportunities for even more applications

What makes Hägglunds drive systems still more remarkable is their high flexibility. The hydraulic motors themselves are compact and lightweight, and no foundations or gearboxes are needed. On a bucket wheel reclaimer, for example, the high-torque motor can be located on the wheel shaft while the drive unit is placed off the boom, allowing for a lighter construction with less counterweight.

Soon that flexibility will extend to an even wider range of applications – mobile as well as stationary. New Hägglunds motor developments promise to push the envelope in multiple directions, reducing size and weight further while expanding performance capabilities.