A hydraulic
system controls the flow of fluid to and from several functions on a
machine. Each function has a valve
assembly through which fluid is supplied under pressure from a source to an
actuator and through which fluid returns from the
actuator to a shared return line connected by a return line metering valve to the
system tank. There are several regeneration
modes of operation in which fluid exhausted from one port is supplied into the other port of the same
actuator, which eliminates or reduces the amount of
hydraulic fluid that must be supplied from the source. In some regeneration
modes, input fluid for an actuator is obtained from another hydraulic function via the shared return line. In these regeneration
modes an
electronic controller operates the return line metering valve to
restrict fluid from flowing into the tank from the shared return line, so that the fluid will be available to be supplied into an actuator port.