A hungry donkey enters a barn in search of hay. Much to his delight he discovers two, identical haystacks, each on the opposite side of the barn. The donkey stands in the middle of the barn between the two piles of hay, not knowing which one to choose. Hours go by, and then days, but he still can’t make up … Read more

Back in 1991, the hydraulics company I was working for had supplied conversion kits to change the hydraulic piston pump on an ROV (remotely operated [submersible] vehicle) from an obsolete brand to Linde.

The kits had been supplied as an in-field replacement, so that the changeover could be done when necessary, in other words, when the existing hydraulic pump failed. … Read more

From a predictive maintenance perspective, there is little real benefit from taking an oil sample directly from the hydraulic tank. Sure, an oil sample taken from the tank can be used to establish the cleanliness of the fluid, and the condition of its base oil and additives.

But these days, most hydraulic systems feature a return filter, and so sampling … Read more