Why use a 2 Speed Hydraulic Hand Pump?

A Two Speed Hydraulic Hand Pump fits two pumps into a single pump body. There is a larger displacement low pressure pump, a small displacement high pressure pump and some means of changing from low pressure to high pressure. Get the right pump and you can cut your number of stokes or handle effort enormously. We can help you to select the right pump for your application.

Our application note explains the basics on two speed pumps. If your job requires a lot of pumping at relatively low pressure, as for example in opening a ball valve, a Two Speed Hydraulic Hand Pump can cut the number of strokes dramatically. If you are running up to 700 or 1000 bar, then you may find using a very small displacement single speed hand pump to be hard work on a larger system compared with a two speed pump. All we would say is do the arithmetic. The number of strokes and the handle effort are the key consideration. Some applications don’t work at all with two speed pumps. For example, a forklift will require a high pressure over its whole range, so a two speeder won’t help. It is lifting the load from ground level. The “pressure curve” for the job is everything, telling you how it varies as you carry on pumping. If you are in the high pressure zone too much, stick with a single speed unit rather than two speed.

Should I use a manual or automatic changeover 2 Speed Hydraulic Hand pump?

We are fans of manual changeover 2 speed pump units. The original Tangye Hydrapak, the HMP, MHP and our PPS are all manual changeover. That seems to be what the market likes on that format of pump. We would say that if you are testing with this type of pump, the manual changeover units give quite precise control. If you are on site, testing something accurately or working at height, that could be a consideration. If you are running on water or more demanding fluids, we like a no-nonsense manual valve rather than something that could be prone to corrosion or leakage.

Lots of OEM’s who are fitting the large PSP style units to their plant or equipment actually prefer an automatic changeover. The operator does not have to operate the button to change ranges. For hand pump buyers, the Enerpac MP series is auto changeover. Our auto changeover version of the Micropac PSP will replace that unit and offer a rugged multi fluid changeover valve.

Move to the mass market cylindrical high pressure 700 bar oil pumps from Enerpac, HiForce and people and the two speed units are all auto changeover and using a specific design. We use the same idea on our jacks and the MPM two speeder. It is very simple and suits the pressure ranges.

Our white paper explains all.

What Micropac two speed hand pumps are in the range?

Our MD series Two Speed Hydraulic Hand Pump draws on 30 years of experience to provide a rugged, compact and cost-effective unit. It is a stainless steel unit that challenges the widely used legacy aluminium alloy and steel pumps in the market place. Pressures of 450, 700 and 1000 bar are offered. If you need a rugged 450, 700 or 1000 Bar Hydrostatic Pressure Test Set complete with a portable reservoir and for use on water or oil, then the Micropac MD series will provide a long service life. All the valve seats are replaceable and service kits readily available. The changeover is a rugged manual system.

The 89mm square industry standard format has been around for decades, currently used on hand pumps for multi fluid hydrotest and hydraulic power units such as the Hydrapak, HMP & MHX (Trade marks acknowledged.) Some 25 years ago, we developed our own version as an OEM and volume user pump. It offers 100% retrofit and the best of Micropac technology including true multifluid capability, rugged manual changeover, replaceable soft/poppet check valve seats for long life, low cost spares and easy seal compound upgrade. Our PSP unit is available as a component pump or on a 15 litre portable reservoir.

If you have a very specific need to use an automatic changeover two speed hydraulic hand pump, then look at our auto changeover version of our PSP unit, the PSP-A . You might have an OEM pump on a press where the operator doesn’t need to decide on the changeover pressure or you might be replacing an Enerpac MP series two speed pump. It is a versatile unit.

Our MH series tandem pump is a specialist Micropac pump, offering two discrete double acting pumps in the one pump body. The MH series tandem pump can be connected to provide a range of pressures. These tandem pump units are also used for pressurise inlets, as the balanced design stops the handle from “kicking” up. Talk to us about your application for our MH series Tandem Hand pump for two speed or pressurised inlet application.

Our YouTube video explains two speed pump fundamentals.