Driving Specialized Machines

Hydraulic drive systems make some of the off-highway equipment industry's most unique vehicles possible. Unencumbered by driveshafts and chains, hydraulic drives give engineers the ability to design a specialized machine around the job it is supposed to perform — whether that's loading luggage into the new Aerobus A380 in Frankfort or harvesting raisins in California's San Joaquin Valley. Engines can be placed where it is convenient and hydraulic hoses can be routed down to motors that propel the wheels.

For many of the firms that supply the hydraulic drive systems and their components, it's in the new and unusual applications that the fun resides.

In 1976, some farmers discovered bolting a new steerable hydraulic drive axle onto the rear of their International Harvester combines made the difference between harvesting their crops at the right time or playing cards in the machine shed until the sun dried the muddy fields.

Today, Mud Hog brand axles are still available as aftermarket equipment to help give harvesters or sprayers extra mobility, but you'll also find three decades worth of experience installed as original equipment — as supplementary drive axles, primary drives, or a complete axle package, including non-powered units.

"Farmers know Mud Hog and what it can do for them," says Randy Minier, president, Tuthill Drive Systems (TDS), Brookston, IN. "They've put their Mud Hog axles through the most challenging testing ground there is, muddy crop land, over the past 30 years."

In harvesting, Mud Hog axles have also proven their worth in one of the most demanding and time-sensitive roles on the farm: There's never a good time for the combine to go off-line during harvest season.

John Deere, CNH, AGCO and Oxbo Int'l. have been customers for years, and you'll find the axles on combines made in Europe by Claas and Laverda.

Minier believes this proving ground translates well to the pressures of mining, airport ground support equipment, and more. The distinctive Mud Hog logo — a wild boar outfitted with a pair of ag tires — is finding a home on off-highway equipment that will never see a muddy soybean field.

The TDS team has identified a number of industries that would benefit from equipment propelled or assisted by hydraulic drive axles which are available in an array of configurations. You'll already find the company's work in roadbuilding and turf care equipment.

Tuthill Corp. acquired the Mud Hog line in 1999, when it purchased Fluidrive Inc. Last fall the product line became Tuthill Drive Systems, one of nine divisions within Tuthill Corp., and Minier was promoted to president. The move will allow Minier's group to focus on engineering, selling and supporting Mud Hog brand products while working to develop new opportunities.

Aftermarket to original equipment

A sizeable number of Mud Hog axles go directly to the OEM, and the trend is for business to keep going in that direction.

"We certainly have no problems going to an aftermarket application, and it is a great way to qualify products," says Minier, a 27-year veteran with the axle manufacturer. "But I believe we have the right track record with proven components to qualify as a supplier to any OEM.

"There is a lot of opportunity for the hydraulic axle business to grow. With the Mud Hog line as a separate division I will be able to focus on that at a higher level."

Minier says he loves working in the research and development area, but also recognizes the risks involved. "We won't lose focus on what we have, as there will be continuous improvement with our current customers, but we'll play in the R&D area.

There are a lot of people out there with a lot of great ideas. We are going to do what we can do to get those ideas into production."

With locations around the world, TDS has placed a lot of emphasis in listening to the "voice of the customer" (VOC). "With VOC we know we are integrated in a partnership with the OEM," says Minier.

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