Heil Environmental has made improvements to the full line of Half/Pack front loaders by upgrading the standard hydraulic pump from a gear pump to a single-vane pump. Vane pumps provide a number of significant benefits, Heil says, including efficiency increases of up to 20%, lower system temperatures, greater reliability, improved serviceability, overall quieter operation, and reduced fuel consumption.

Although Heil has used tandem vane pumps in its operate-at-idle system for years, the company says it still spent a year testing the new single-vane pump before making it standard on the Half/Pack and lightweight Half/Pack Sierra front loaders. The vane pump is said to have fewer leak points, which reduces the potential of hydraulic oil leaks. It also has serviceability advantages, Heil says. Its internal cartridge can be replaced without removing the entire pump from the truck.