When it comes to hydraulic fluid, it’s not possible to make one, definitive recommendation that covers all types of hydraulic equipment in all applications. But in response to the common question: “What type of oil should I use in my hydraulic machine?”, here are 3 important factors to consider:

Multigrade or monograde?

The operating temperature range of the machine is … Read more

During a seminar I presented, one of the attendees, a maintenance manager for a large open-cut mining operation, mentioned that he was considering upgrading the filtration on their fleet of hydraulic mining shovels – to achieve a higher level of hydraulic oil cleanliness.

There’s lots of documented evidence to suggest that increasing hydraulic oil cleanliness increases the service life of … Read more

Here’s the scene for an unusual but instructive hydraulic troubleshooting story:

The end of the month was just a few days away when an OEM customer called and advised its hydraulic cylinder manufacturer that the boom extension cylinder on a rough terrain forklift was SQUEALING. This single-stage cylinder was 6″ bore x 3″ rod x 14′ stroke. The OEM was … Read more