I purchased an old hydraulic clicker press. It was manufactured in the early '70s by a German company, Sandt (Model 410). It was well maintained and in perfect working order when purchased. After purchase, it was bolted on a pallet and trucked a couple hundred miles. When it arrived it was wired to a rotary phase converter, as the building only has single phase power and it is a 3-phase motor. The phase converter is more than adequate for the press. But once power was wired to the press, the hydraulic press head will not move. The motor comes on and the pump is working. There are 2 hand controls that have to be pressed at the same time. When they are pressed, nothing happens. The press head remains in the down position. All fuses and relays were checked. The pump is rotating in the right direction.
I don't even know where to begin to troubleshoot. I am in a rural area and can't locate anyone locally familiar with clicker presses. A hydraulic mechanic came out and said the hydraulics appear fine and that the problem is electrical. An electrician came out, checked the relays and fuses and scratched his head. The confusing part of this is that the machine was functioning fine before it was placed on the truck. It was transported with the hydraulic fluid full. It was not drained.
Does anyone out there have any experience with hydraulic clicker presses? Does anyone have a guess as to why the machine might stop working after being transported? I thought that maybe moving the machine around might stir up some gunk from the bottom of the fluid resevoir, but if that was the case, wouldn't the press head still move only sluggishly? It is not moving at all. Any tips, ideas, or suggestions would be appreciated.