How to Identify a Kawasaki Hydraulic Pump: Series, Model Codes & No-Tag Guide

Kawasaki Precision Machinery (KPM) builds several families of axial piston pump that look broadly similar but share almost no wear parts. Getting the family and the frame size right is most of the job. This guide takes you from the pump on the bench to a model code we can quote against.

Step 1: Find the nameplate

Kawasaki stamps or rivets a plate on the pump housing, usually on the flat face of the main body or on the end cover behind the regulator. On tandem excavator pumps the plate is normally on the side of the front pump body, and there is a separate serial number stamped into the casting.

Photograph the whole plate, not just the number. The serial and the design code beside it matter when a part has been superseded.

Step 2: Which Kawasaki family do you have?

Before you decode anything, place the pump in one of these groups. It is usually obvious from the shape.

K3V, K5V and K7V — excavator and earth-moving pumps

Two pumps bolted back to back on one shaft (tandem), almost always with a small gear pump on the tail end for pilot pressure, and a regulator block on top or on the side. These are high-pressure open-circuit units rated 343 bar (34.3 MPa) with a 392 bar peak. If it came off an excavator, it is nearly always one of these.

K3VL and K3VLS — industrial, marine and mobile pumps

Single pump, one shaft, one regulator, frequently with a through drive on the back so a second pump can be stacked. K3VL runs 28 to 200 cm³/rev at 250 to 320 bar; K3VLS is the compact medium-duty version at 50 to 150 cm³/rev and 280 bar. These are what you find on power units, presses and marine deck equipment.

K3VG and K7VG — heavy-duty industrial

Physically much larger, 63 to 280 cm³/rev (K3VG) and 180 to 265 cm³/rev (K7VG), rated 350 bar. Built for presses, injection moulding and mill hydraulics.

K8V — closed circuit

A closed-loop hydrostatic pump, so it has a charge pump, charge relief valves and usually a servo or manual displacement control. If there are high-pressure relief valves on both ports and no separate tank return, it is a closed-loop unit.

M2X, M5X, M7V and Staffa — motors, not pumps

Kawasaki also builds travel and swing motors (M2X, M5X, M7V) and the Staffa radial piston motor range. If the unit has no regulator and no suction port sized for tank, you are probably holding a motor.

Step 3: Decode the model code

K3V and K5V excavator pumps

K3V   280   DT   H   100   R   2N   01
Position Meaning Values
K3V Series K3V or K5V
280 Displacement per pump section, cm³/rev 63, 112, 140, 180, 280
DT Pump configuration DT double pump, tandem • DP double pump, parallel • S single pump
H Design code blank standard • H with centrifugal pump • P with PTO
100 Regulator design code Varies by build
R Direction of rotation, viewed from the shaft end R clockwise • L counterclockwise
2N / 01 Regulator code and design series Varies by build

So a K3V112DT is a 112 cm³/rev tandem pump — the single most common excavator main pump in the 20-tonne class.

K3VL industrial pumps

K3VL   80   /B   -   1   0   R   S   S   -   L0   /1-H1
Field Meaning Values
K3VL Series —
80 Maximum displacement 28 (1.71 in³/rev), 45 (2.75), 60 (3.66), 80 (4.88), 112 (6.83), 140 (8.54), 200 (12.20)
/B Design series B K3VL45–200 • C K3VL28 only
1 Circuit type 1 open circuit
0 Through drive and porting O none, CW only • A/B/BB/C/C4/CC/CC4/D/E SAE through drive, side ported • R single pump, rear ported • N single, steel cover, side ported • S no coupling, prepared for through drive
R Direction of rotation R clockwise • L counterclockwise
S Porting threads M metric • S UNC
S Mounting flange and shaft K SAE key & mount • M ISO key & mount • S SAE spline & mount, plus R/C/X/Y/W (K3VL112/140), F (K3VL200), T (K3VL45/60)
L0 Regulator option Load sensing, pressure cut-off, torque limiting variants
H1 Fluid type — this one sets your seal kit – mineral oil (nitrile seals, Viton shaft seal) • V Viton throughout • W water glycol (nitrile including shaft seal)

K3VLS pumps

K3VLS   105   -   1   BB   R   CC   S   -   L1   A   A   M1
Field Meaning Values
K3VLS Series — variable displacement, axial piston, open loop —
105 Pump size, cm³/rev 50, 65, 85, 105, 125, 150
– O-ring material – NBR (nitrile) o-rings; oil seal is fluororubber only
1 Series type code 1 standard type
BB Through drive and porting 0 none, side ported • A/B/BB/C/CC/D SAE through drive • N through drive shaft, no coupling, steel cover • R no through drive, rear ported
R Direction of rotation R clockwise • L counterclockwise
CC Mounting flange and shaft B, BB, C, CC, D — availability depends on frame size
S Flange fixing thread S SAE 4-bolt, UNC • H SAE 4-bolt, metric

The field that decides your seal kit

On a K3VL the last block of the code is the fluid type, and it changes the seal material, not just the paperwork. A pump ordered as mineral oil takes nitrile seals with a Viton shaft seal; a V pump is Viton throughout; a W pump is on water glycol and takes nitrile including the shaft seal. Fit the wrong material and it will leak again quickly.

If you cannot read that part of the code, tell us what fluid the machine runs and we will match it.

No tag, or a tag you cannot read

This is common on machines that have been steam cleaned or repainted. Send us the following and we can almost always place the pump:

  • Photographs of the whole pump from both sides, plus the regulator and the end cover
  • The machine make, model and year it came off
  • Whether it is a single pump or two pumps on one shaft, and whether there is a small gear pump on the tail
  • Shaft type and count: splined or keyed, and the number of teeth
  • Port sizes and whether the main ports are on the side or the rear
  • Any numbers cast or stamped into the housing, even partial ones

Frame size can usually be confirmed from the mounting flange and the port centres, so a tape measure across the flange bolts is worth including.

Frequently asked questions

What does DT mean on a Kawasaki pump?

DT is a double pump in tandem: two pumping sections in line on one input shaft. DP is a double pump in parallel, and S is a single pump. Tandem is the normal arrangement on excavator main pumps.

What is the difference between K3V and K3VL?

They are different families despite the similar name. K3V is the high-pressure tandem excavator pump rated 343 bar. K3VL is a single industrial and marine pump rated 250 to 320 bar with a through-drive option. They do not share parts.

Where is the model number on a Kawasaki pump?

On a plate on the pump body, usually the flat face of the main housing or the end cover behind the regulator. On tandem pumps look on the side of the front section. There is also a serial number stamped into the casting itself, which survives when the plate does not.

Is Kawasaki the same as KPM?

Yes. KPM is Kawasaki Precision Machinery, the Kawasaki Heavy Industries division that builds the hydraulic pumps, motors and valves. Parts listed as Kawasaki, KPM or Kawasaki Precision Machinery are the same equipment.

Can you supply parts for a pump that is no longer catalogued?

Often, yes. We hold new old stock, we rebuild, and we cross reference by dimension and function. Send the model code and serial number and we will tell you the same day what is available.

Where to go next

Have a code to check? Email info@restopower.com or call (810) 882-1171. Same-day availability answers, shipped from Michigan.