Hydraulic pumps

A hydraulic lubrication pump uses an energy source a construction machine or tractor already has: the hydraulic circuit. It needs neither on-board voltage nor compressed air, and it does not fail when the machine's electrics do. That is exactly why it is the most robust option on earth-moving and agricultural machinery.

Source: DropsA manufacturer data, retrieved 31 July 2026 – Hydraulikpumpe. The figures in the respective datasheet are binding.

Cartridge instead of tank — what that changes

The pump works from a 400 gram cartridge, not a reservoir. The practical gain is cleanliness: a cartridge change in the field brings no dirt into the grease, decanting from an open pail does. The price is a short refill interval, which is why this design is meant for individual points or small divider circuits rather than a whole installation.

The wide lubricant approval from NLGI 000 to NLGI 2 is unusually generous and is the real merit of the hydraulic design: a control pressure of 100 to 300 bar provides enough force to move a stiffer grease too. What the consistency classes mean, and why the class alone says nothing about pumpability in the cold, is covered in our article on NLGI classes.

Sizing against the machine circuit

The output of 0.2 to 2 cm³ per stroke is adjustable — the pump is not replaced when demand changes, it is re-set. More important is checking the control pressure: if the machine's hydraulic circuit sits permanently below 100 bar the pump will not work reliably, and that only shows up in service.

The storage window of −30 to +90 °C is markedly wider than the operating window of −10 to +70 °C. For a machine that stands outdoors in winter that is the distinction that matters: surviving and working are two different ratings.

The hammer pump: a special case with its own logic

The Hammer Pump 5 is not a system pump but a single-shot pump for the hydraulic breaker. Connected to the breaker's own circuit through a control valve, it delivers one dose per activation — the chisel is greased exactly when it works, and only then.

That is the point of this application: a hydraulic breaker alternates short, heavily loaded phases with long pauses. A time- or distance-based system would keep greasing during the pause and under-deliver in use. Coupling to the hydraulic circuit solves that assignment with no controller and no sensors.

DropsA specifies a steel body and a hardened, polished piston for grease up to NLGI 2 — chisel paste in that consistency is the normal case. No further figures are published for this range; request the datasheet from the manufacturer for a specific design.

Source: DropsA manufacturer data, retrieved 31 July 2026 – Hammer Pump 5. The figures in the respective datasheet are binding.