Protecting the surface of hydraulic cylinder rods  is particularly important in corrosive environments, such as marine or offshore applications. And even more so if the cylinder rod is finished with conventional, hard chrome plating, which due to its micro porosity, has relatively poor corrosion resistance. The BEST way to keep the surface of the cylinder rod protected, is of course … Read more

One of our members wrote me this question:

“In hydraulic systems and in hydraulic components in particular, bolts are everywhere. Should we change bolts every time we open them, for example, on a hydraulic cylinder head joint? If not, how many times can bolts be re-torqued?”

Unlike bolts used on engine heads, most of the bolts used to assemble hydraulic … Read more

In chapter 13 of The Hydraulic Maintenance Handbook, I discuss the principle of engineering out issues that have the potential to cause recurring maintenance problems. Since maintenance occurs after the event, that is, after the machine is designed and built, this strategy is very much a retrospective one. Which means it’s desirable and preferable not to engineer in such … Read more