Diesel Done Differently

DIESEL DONE DIFFERENTLY

That Hydraulic Innovations built a diesel hydrostatic-drive bob-job should come as no surprise. After all, as its name suggests, the Bloomington, Minnesota-based outfit has turned out several unique

fluid-drive vehicles over the past few years, including a couple of three-wheelers and even a remote-controlled lawnmower! Company co-owner (and bike nut) Jeff Parker caught the bug from his dad, Ernie, a college professor who constructed a hydraulic-accumulator-equipped trike that ran on the energy stored during braking. As for this latest chopper, power is transmitted linkage-free from the 32-horsepower, three-cylinder diesel Kubota tractor engine to the rear wheel at a maximum of 5000 psi through hoses plumbed parallel to the hand-fabricated, single-sided diamond-plate-steel (!) swingarm. Benefit of hydrostatic drive, says Parker, is the CVT-like ease of use-there’s no mechanical clutch or gearbox. Factor in the fuel-sipping diesel powerplant (good for 80 mpg), and efficiency is, in his estimation, unmatched. To learn more, log on to www.hydraulicinnovations.com. -Matthew Miles