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Hydraulic Pump Nameplates: How to Read the Model Code
Half of all ordering errors in hydraulics come from the customer naming a series while the supplier ships a specific size. “An A10VSO pump” is not a part; it is a family with dozens of versions inside it. Here is how to read a model code so that you order what you actually need.
Half of all ordering errors in hydraulics come from the customer naming a series while the supplier ships a specific size. “An A10VSO pump” is not a part; it is a family with dozens of versions inside it. Here is how to read a model code so that you order what you actually need.
Series and size are two different things
A hydraulic model code almost always has two levels:
- Series — a product family built on a common design. Axial piston pumps of one series, for example, may be made in a dozen sizes.
- Size — the specific displacement. This is what determines how much the pump delivers per revolution.
If a request names only the series, the supplier has to guess. So the first thing to ask the customer is: what displacement is needed.
What a full part number contains
A full part number usually encodes several independent parameters. The order and the codes differ between manufacturers, but the logic is similar.
A10VSO 45 DFR1 /31R PP A12 N00
| Block | What it encodes |
|---|---|
| Series | Product type and design family |
| Size | Displacement — the key selection parameter |
| Control | Compensator: constant pressure, power, flow or combined |
| Version / generation | Design generation, direction of rotation |
| Connections | Port type and layout, metric or inch |
| Shaft | Shaft type: splined, keyed, length |
| Options | Seals, filters, sensors, special versions |
Practical takeaway: if only the first two blocks survive — series and size — that is enough to find a base component, but not enough to guarantee full interchangeability.
Why you cannot just “take the same one”
Two pumps of the same series and the same size may differ in their compensator. One holds constant pressure, the other constant power. Physically, the second will fit in place of the first, but the system will behave differently: the response to load, the flow distribution and the heat build-up all change.
The same goes for direction of rotation and port layout. The component will fit, but the hoses will have to be rerouted.
How to prepare a request
We ask customers to send as much of the following as they can — even a partial match speeds up part matching several times over.
- Full part number from the nameplate — complete, without abbreviations.
- Photo of the nameplate — the number is often easier to read than to copy.
- Photo of the component — an overall view and the side with the connections.
- Machine model on which the component is installed.
- What exactly happened — the component does not work, leaks, is noisy or overheats.
Three of the most common mistakes
1. The number is copied with an error
Similar-looking characters: 0 and O, 1 and I, 8 and B. One wrong digit and the number cannot be found in the catalogue. That is why a photo of the nameplate is safer than typed text.
2. The number is taken from a different component
A machine often carries several similar components — two pumps in tandem, for example. You need the number from the one that failed.
3. Ordering “by series”
“I need a pump from this series” is the most common wording and the most common cause of returns. A series without a size does not identify a part.
If the number cannot be read at all, this is not a dead end. The size can be identified from the connection dimensions and displacement, and the compensator from the behaviour of the system and the appearance of the component. But it takes longer, so a photo is still needed.
The bottom line
A model code is not bureaucracy; it is a way to describe a part unambiguously. The more complete the number in your request, the lower the chance of receiving “almost the same thing”.
One more thing: if a supplier does not ask follow-up questions about the number, that is a reason to be wary. Good part matching always starts with questions.
Cannot decode the model code? Send us a photo of the nameplate — we will help identify the component