Livingston & Haven designs and builds custom hydraulic power units from 1/2 HP to 1,700 HP, with reservoirs from a single-pump 1-gallon unit up to multi-pump systems of 5,000 gallons. Turnkey, from design through startup. Built in Charlotte, North Carolina by our Engineered Systems & Assemblies group.
A custom HPU is the right call when a catalog unit forces a compromise you live with for twenty years: the wrong footprint, more heat than your plant can reject, noise your operators cannot work next to, or a control scheme that will not talk to the rest of the line. We also modernise existing power units rather than replacing them, where the machine is sound and the hydraulics are not.
The range we build in
Engineering we build in, not bolt on
These are design decisions that have to be made before the unit is built. Retrofitting any of them afterwards costs more than specifying them up front.
Units we have built
The range above is what we can build. These are units we have actually delivered. Where a specification is listed, that unit was built to it.
Machines and industries we build for
Power units, and also the assemblies around them: test stands, lubrication systems, mobile systems and valve manifolds.
- Tire plant presses and paper rolling machines
- Hydraulic presses and plastic injection moulding machines
- Cranes, winches, lifts and conveyor systems
- Steel making, forging and rolling
- Construction and agricultural equipment
- Pharmaceutical production, including hazardous-area classified builds
- General industrial manufacturing
What we need from you to quote a unit
A quote turns around faster when these are settled up front. If you only have some of them, send what you have and our engineers will work through the rest with you.
What comes with the unit
Documentation is part of the build, not an extra. Every unit ships with the paperwork an engineering group needs to install it, validate it and maintain it.
- System schematics, P&ID layouts and BOM documentation
- 3-D models with supporting documentation
- FAT and witness testing on site, with output data for validation
- Remote monitoring for predictive maintenance and startup support
- Troubleshooting and operator training
Builds are designed to meet ISO, ASME, API and SAE standards where the application calls for them. Control panels are built in our own UL 508A and 698A panel shop, so motor starters and HPU integration are handled in-house rather than subcontracted.
Where a custom HPU fits alongside our other work
Common questions about custom hydraulic power units
What are the different types of hydraulic power unit?
Units are usually grouped by drive and by mounting. Electric-motor-driven units cover most industrial plant work, and are what we build most often. Engine-driven units serve mobile and remote applications. Beyond that, the meaningful distinctions are reservoir style and size, whether the pump is fixed or variable displacement, and whether the unit is a single pump group or several, as on the 3,500 psi rubber mixing unit above, which carries five separate pump and motor groups.
What are the common problems with hydraulic power units?
Heat is the most frequent. A unit sized on peak flow rather than duty cycle will run hot, degrade fluid and shorten seal life. After that: pulsation from an undersized accumulator, noise that exceeds what an operator position allows, contamination from filtration specified for the wrong ISO cleanliness code, and controls that cannot be diagnosed remotely, so every fault becomes a site visit. Each of these is cheaper to design out than to retrofit.
How do you size a hydraulic power unit?
Start from the work the actuators must do, not from the pump. Establish the required pressure and flow at each point in the cycle, then the duty cycle, then reservoir volume and cooling capacity to keep fluid temperature stable across it. Electrical supply and physical footprint usually constrain the answer as much as the hydraulics do, which is why we ask for them at the quoting stage.
Can you build to a hazardous area classification?
Yes. The 30 gallon, 1,500 psi pharmaceutical unit above was built intrinsically safe and certified for a hazardous environment. Tell us the classification the unit has to meet and it becomes a design input rather than a modification afterwards.
Do you install and support the unit after it ships?
Yes. We provide FAT and witness testing on site, startup support, remote monitoring for predictive maintenance, and operator training. Installation and commissioning are handled through service and install.
Send us the duty cycle. We will size the unit.
Pressure, flow, voltage and the space you have to work with is enough to start. Livingston & Haven has engineered fluid power systems from Charlotte, North Carolina since 1947.
