One of our members wrote me about a case study he read in which the life of a mineral hydraulic oil in a mobile hydraulic machine was extended from the 4,000 hours recommended by the machine’s manufacturer to 17,000 hours. The question raised was: “is this really possible?”

The first thing to keep in mind is that hydraulic oil should … Read more

Hydraulic filter elements divide into two main categories: surface and depth. Surface filters typically have a wire mesh construction like, for example, a suction strainer. Depth filters are constructed from a matrix of fibres. Cellulose (paper), plastic, glass and metal can all be used to construct a depth filter.

Man-made glass fibers are smaller and more uniform than naturally occurring … Read more

A new client consulted me about the hydraulic oil turning black, smells bad and is depositing varnish in the Hitachi EX5600 excavators he is responsible for. These are BIG diggers. Twin Cummins QSK50s with 4 main pumps (250 GPM) on each engine. Bucket capacity is 40 tons. And a 240 ton dump truck is loaded in 6 passes, in around … Read more