Hydraulic fluid straight from the drum, has a typical cleanliness level of ISO 4406 23/21/18.
A 25 GPM pump operating continuously in hydraulic oil at this cleanliness level will circulate 3,500 pounds of dirt, on an accumulative basis, to the hydraulic system’s components each year!
So to add hydraulic oil, and not the dirt, always filter new oil prior to … 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