All in One

The HIPPO multipower system provides electricity, hydraulic power and compressed air in a package designed for use in remote locations.

Tools, power and sometimes auxiliary lighting are essential supports at every remote utility worksite. The challenge is making the full range of power sources conveniently available when beyond the easy reach of utility electricity and when terrain and working conditions are difficult.

The HIPPO multipower system, manufactured by Mobile Hydraulic Equipment Co. LLC is a truck-mounted power plant designed to bring continuous supplies of electricity, hydraulic power and compressed air wherever the truck can be driven. It enables utility crews to use power tools best suited for the job, regardless of the power source those tools require.

Paul Williams and Amos King, equipment operators with the City of Lancaster (Pa.) Water Transmis-sion and Distribution Department, demonstrated the system. The city operates two of the HIPPO power units, one built on a 2003 International, and the other on a 2005 International platform. In all other respects, the two are essentially identical. Both were demonstrated; one in actual use, the other in simulations.

Walk-around

The 2005 International 4300 4x2 (SA475) chassis is rated for a GVW of 25,500 pounds. It has a 181-inch wheelbase and a 114-inch cab-to-axle length. Powered by a Detroit DT466 electronically controlled 215-hp diesel engine with 560 pound-feet of torque at 1,400 rpm, the unit has ample power for the Allison MD3060P close-ratio 5-speed automatic transmission with PTO gears. The Parker-Chelsea PTO drives a commercial hydraulic gear pump.

The multipower unit has a Van-Air hydraulically driven rotary screw air compressor that delivers a sustained 185 cfm at 110 psi. A hydraulically powered Tendaire 6 kW generator supplies 110V and 220V outlets. The remainder of the hydraulic pump output supplies three fully adjustable, variable-flow hydraulic circuits which, depending on the tools’ demands, could support up to three devices.

The various power outlets — air, hydraulic and electric — are positioned both at the control panel on the curb side (passenger side) of the vehicle and at other key locations around the body.

International delivered the unit with all drive-train mechanicals installed except the PTO. Mobile Hydraulic installed the PTO, the power unit, and a Knapheide model 6133HC line body. This utility body provides weather-protected storage space for air, hydraulic and electric tools, and for a generous assortment of parts.

The high-wear surfaces of the body, such as the tops of the side storage boxes and the central storage bed, are coated with sprayed-on Line-X abrasion resistant material.

Hose handling is accomplished by two 50-foot spring-return hose reels from Hannay Reels. One serves the high-pressure air delivery system and the other manages supply and return hoses for one hydraulic circuit. The reels are mounted to the top of the storage body. Also mounted to the body is a 3,200-pound-capacity Venturo ET10KX electric/hydraulic crane.

Driver comforts include factory air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo radio with clock, and air suspension. Safety and performance equipment includes heated mirrors, two-speed intermittent wipers, and a hydraulic disc brake system with ABS.

Operation

The demonstration began at the public works garage, where King first loaded a hydrauling directional ram. Used to drive a rod under a street or other obstacle and then to pull a replacement water or sewer pipe through the newly created channel, the frame-mounted ram from McLaughlin Boring Systems was stored in an out-of-the-way corner inside the garage.

Although the garage presented a somewhat restricted overhead space, the crane easily lifted and then rotated to position the 350-pound load in the truck’s open bed. At the field demonstration site, King unloaded the ram and placed it in position in an open excavation. Crew member Tom Haddad then made the hydraulic connections in less time than the unloading process had taken. With King at the power unit control panel and Haddad operating the ram, work was under way in about 10 minutes.

The morning demonstration followed a night of near-freezing temperatures. The cold required a less-than-full-throttle startup of the hydraulic pump. (Hydraulic oil thickens when cold, and while the pump quickly gets the system up to operating temperature, a prudent operator does not abuse hydraulic equipment by going “pedal to the metal” on cold mornings.)

Next, King retrieved an air-powered jack hammer from an equipment locker. In less than a minute he had laid out the air hose and had the tool chattering away as he broke up a slab of concrete.

This demonstration took place at a storage yard, where space for equipment was not an issue. The next worksite was at a busy intersection where an old fire hydrant had become too difficult to operate to be left in service. The close proximity of the hydrant to the corner limited the number of public works vehicles that could get close to the work site at any time.

Public buses, school children crossing the street with a crossing guard, early morning traffic, and Williams’ crew competed for the limited space. In addition to the HIPPO unit on the 2003 chassis, a backhoe, dump truck and service vehicle were onsite or holding nearby. In spite of this crowd, the work area remained clean and traffic disruptions were minimized.

On this site, the HIPPO crane unloaded the new hydrant from the truck to a ready position on the ground, steadied the old unit while crew member Angel Rivera entered the excavation to disconnect, then lift the old unit out. With the old one clear, the new unit was lowered into position and supported while it was attached to the main. The crew then backfilled and tamped the excavation.

At both sites, an excavation with a backhoe was necessary. Each backhoe traveled to the jobsite under its own power. With a towing capacity of 20,000 pounds, the truck carrying the power unit could have towed these machines to a jobsite.

Connecting tools to any of the three types of power outlets was quick and easy. Crew members showed how all three energy sources are hooked up using industry-standard connectors.

King showed the outlets that accommodate 110V or 220V through voltage-specific receptacles and the two hose connections for the closed-loop hydraulic circuits — one for supply and one for return hydraulic fluid. Compressed air connections are provided for tools requiring different air volumes and therefore different connection devices.

Crew members demonstrated how the built-in hose reels enabled rapid hose deployment and retrieval and quick connections. Manually deployed hoses and extension cords can be used as well.

Observer comments

The HIPPO unit eliminates the need for a convoy of support vehicles and tow-behind auxiliary power plants. This well-stocked truck, carrying a full assortment of electric, hydraulic and air operated tools and a generic set of standard repair parts, would help keep a crew fully deployed and productive for an entire workday. The truck’s large-capacity fuel tank provides a day-long fuel supply.

Disaster and emergency response teams would find value in the unit’s versatility and staying power. Any of the hydraulic circuits can power a hydraulic intensifier, which is a secondary hydraulic pump. This in turn can power an extraction device such as a Jaws of Life unit.

If work site lighting is permanently mounted, these lights can be wired into an onboard electrical distribution panel or energized through manually inserted plugs.

The greatest obstacle to full utilization of the power unit would be the unavailability of tools. Ample storage space onboard should make this a non-issue in all except highly unusual cases.

Manufacturer/operator comments

“The unit can be mounted to almost any chassis so long as it can supply the power needs,” says Jeff Givens, president of Mobile Hydraulic Equipment. “Every unit and vehicle can be designed from the tires on up by the customer.”

The chassis, engine and drive train, PTO, hydraulic-driven pump, air compressor, generator and utility body are all essentially options, which the customer can select from a preferred list of suppliers.

“We work diligently to standardize as many parts as possible across the entire product line,” says Givens. “This reduces our unit cost, and we pass those savings along to our customers. Customers, in turn, have few spare parts to keep on hand. With overnight delivery, most customers are eliminating spares inventory.

“Even with standardization, the type of hydraulic fluid in a unit can be customized. Some of our machines are put to work in fragile environments. The owners have chosen to specify EnviroLogic 132 biodegradable hydraulic fluid. This alternative to petroleum-based fluids reduces the impacts of a potential spill.

“The development of the multipower unit sprang from several customers’ needs. They wanted to get away from multiple auxiliary-powered tow-behind units and move to a single consolidated unit that would satisfy all their remote power needs.”

City water transmission and distribution supervisor Don Kirchner says the city staff first saw the machine at an American Public Works Association conference. When he showed the device to Donna Jessup, public works operation supervisor, and Charlotte Katzenmoyer, public works director, they said, nearly in unison, that the unit would help cut travel costs and reduce equipment overhead and inventory.

Operator Williams observed, “This machine lets us handle a lot of different jobs from the same truck.” He reports using an air wrench to open or close curb stops when muscle power alone would not do the trick. King adds, “The machine is compact and mobile. Everything is right there with me no matter where we go. When we are out in a field after dark fixing a water main break, the auxiliary lighting is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”



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