2019 Was The Year Of Our Brilliant MF500 Hydrostatic Transmission Training Systems

When we decided to design and build the MF500 Hydrostatic Transmission, Hydraulic Steering, and Bucket Control Systems hydraulic training system we had no idea the trainer would be the amazing success it has proven to be.

It took one and half years to build a prototype of the MF500 Hydrostatic Transmission Training. As with every training system we develop the MF500 was destined to be the most advanced hydrostatic transmission training system in the world. We planned to build about two to three units a year. This year we have shipped eight units, including one that was shipped to Australia.

We are proud to have MF500's at two of Bobcat's authorized training centers - Palomar College in California, and The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When we build for manufacturers we paint the units their unique colors. The MF500 looks stunning in Bobcat white.

For years college instructors asked us to develop a more advanced and more "life-like" training system. Since one of the most misunderstood, and expensive systems in the world of hydraulics is hydrostatic transmissions we decided to develop a hydrostatic transmission trainer based on a skid-steer type loader. The MF500 is equipped with dual M46 Sauer Danfoss pumps. We are busy upgrading to the Sauer Danfoss H1 transmission.

The MF500 is available with three power supply options: diesel, electric motor - fixed speed, and electric motor with variable speed. Diesel drive unit shown below. The Diesel engine equipped vehicle is endorsed by AED for colleges that apply for AED accreditation. In my opinion AED has the highest standard for accreditation in the industry.

Terrain can be seen on the interactive touch screen (photo below). Student can select a variety of drive modes.

There are a number of factors that make the make the MF500 the most advanced in the world:

1. It is the only hydrostatically propelled vehicle that is designed specifically for training.
2. It can be driven in real time. There is no difference between driving a skid-steer loader on a construction site and driving the MF500. Pump flow and pressures change according to the speed of the vehicle and operating pressures change according to the load demand. The terrain is displayed on a 24" interactive touchscreen.
3. The MF500 achieves what no actual construction machine can achieve. The hydrostatic transmission can experience - in real time, every fault that is listed in a Sauer Danfoss, Rexroth, Parker Denison, Linde, et al, troubleshooting guidelines. Faults include, but are not limited to; worn pump (s), worn motor (s), low charge pressure, high case pressure, electronic faults in the electronic displacement control valve (EDC) controller (s), faults in the electronic joysticks, and many more.
4. The software and student textbooks are as sophisticated as the training simulator itself. All the visual aids are animated. The student workbooks are the most comprehensive for learning and understanding hydrostatic drives. We offer complimentary training for instructors.
5. Most technical colleges do not teach students about hydrostatic transmissions. The few that do teach student about hydrostatic drives utilize skid steer loaders, which are useless for teaching complex hydrostatic drives. In addition to being useless, they are extraordinarily hazardous. Skid-steer loaders should never be used in a confined lab environment. Even though the MF500 can be driven in real time the four wheels never touch the ground. They are enclosed in tough transparent enclosures.

There is a critical shortage of mechanics that have the skillsets needed to install, set-up, adjust, and troubleshoot hydrostatic drives. Mechanics that possess these skillsets will have no problem getting high-paying jobs. When choosing a technical college students MUST inspect the labs. Choose a college that invests heavily in state-of-the-art training aids.

For more information see out website - www.fpti.org