High-Torque Orbital Motor Debuts

Skid-steer-loader designers used to be restricted to cam lobe motors for propulsion because of the requirement for high torque, among other considerations. Now, one vendor has introduced an orbital motor that reportedly has the requisite high torque and long bearing life and yet is lower cost. Other applications that could benefit: forestry equipment and asphalt rollers.

The new motors, the T Series from Sauer Danfoss, provide better torque efficiency, says Jeff Brenner, the company's product manager for low-speed, high-torque motors. The motors consume less horsepower-and therefore have less horsepower to cool. That means that the motors don't require big cooling packages, which would take space and weight.

But the motors do operate at higher pressures than other orbital motors. Those higher pressures can cause sealing problems. Brenner says the company solved those problems by using more bolts than usual, but would not mention what other engineering steps engineers took.

Nevertheless, Brenner maintains that the new orbital motors will take a bite out of the existing cam lobe market. "In the past, you had no other choice by cam lobe motors if, for example, you had a 3000-hour life expectancy for your machine and were operating at higher pressure," he says. ""An orbital motor wouldn't have lived as long."