High – Flow vs. Standard – Flow Skid Steer

The hydraulic system of a skid steer plays a crucial role in determining its performance and the types of attachments it can power. There are two main types of hydraulic systems: high – flow and standard – flow, and understanding the differences between them is essential for choosing the right skid steer for your needs.

Standard – Flow Skid Steer

As the name suggests, standard – flow is the regular flow rate designed for typical hydraulics operations. It is suitable for most standard applications and tools that don’t require as much power. Some common standard – flow attachments include pallet forks, trenchers, augers, and hammers. Standard – flow systems are optimized for efficiency and longevity at this flow rate. They are the standard capacity among common skid steers and are sufficient for a wide range of general – purpose tasks.

High – Flow Skid Steer

The main advantage of a high – flow skid steer is its significantly higher flow rate. It creates more hydraulic horsepower, allowing the loader to operate heavy – duty high – flow attachments, like stump grinders, mulchers, and cold planers. High – flow systems generate power by delivering a greater volume of fluid in a given time as compared to standard flow. Many modern high – flow machines can also operate with standard – flow hydraulics when you switch the high – flow option off, making them more versatile. However, modifying a machine’s flow capacity with auxiliary hydraulics is usually costly.

Calculating Hydraulic Horsepower

To determine the power of a skid steer’s hydraulic system, you can calculate the hydraulic horsepower. Knowing the flow rate in gallons per minute (GPM) and hydraulic system pressure (PSI) will help you with this calculation. The formula for hydraulic horsepower is: Hydraulic Horsepower (HP)=(GPM×PSI)/1714. This calculation will give you an idea of how powerful the machine is and whether it can handle the attachments you need.

Which One to Choose?

If your projects mainly involve standard tasks and you don’t need to use high – power attachments, a standard – flow skid steer is likely to be sufficient. It is more cost – effective and better suited for general – purpose work. On the other hand, if you frequently need to use heavy – duty attachments such as stump grinders, mulchers, or cold planers, a high – flow skid steer is the better choice. It will provide the necessary power to operate these attachments efficiently and effectively. Some skid steers offer the option to switch between standard flow and high – flow hydraulics, which can be a great advantage if you have a variety of tasks with different power requirements.