A new client, a hydraulic repairer, consulted me about the failure of one of their piston pump rebuilds. The pump was not installed by them, but when the failed unit came back for inspection, it was obvious the drive coupling had been hammered onto the pump’s drive shaft.

For the uninitiated, this is a really dumb thing to do. If … Read more

A very frustrated member sent me this recently:

“I have done all but beg the company I work for to buy a portable oil filtration cart, but I cant seem to get my point across to them. The company is a government contractor and everything is done on a cost basis at the moment. So it’s cheaper to mix oils … Read more

When properly applied in a hydraulic circuit, bladder and diaphragm accumulators can have a long and trouble-free life. But if their operating parameters are not correct, recurring failure can result. Consider this story from one of our members:

“Currently we are using a miniature accumulator from Hawe — part number AC 130-1/4, max. operating pressure 500 bar, max. gas fill … Read more