Regular Hydraulic Maintenance: Keep your Hydraulic Machinery Working

When your company has made an investment in hydraulic machinery, you expect the equipment to function well for many years. Of course, no matter how careful you use the equipment for your projects, or how well trained users are, there are aspects of hydraulic maintenance that everyone must follow in order to make sure the hydraulic machinery is safe and efficient. One of ways that hydraulic machinery often requires regular maintenance is for its cylinder rods and wiper seals, because dents gouges in these areas reduce seal life and give contaminants an open pathway to the hydraulic system. These particles speed wear to the components of the hydraulic machinery.

Failing to pursue aggressive hydraulic maintenance can lead to equipment failure in a relatively short period of time. Most equipment owners respond to poor function by lugging their hydraulic machinery to the nearest repair shop, spending thousands of dollars to have the maintenance professionals rebuild their components. Perhaps this equipment failure is caused by high contamination levels, incorrect oil viscosity, cavitation or extreme temperature operation; whatever the cause of the failure, rebuilt components are generally the solution. The reality is that many owners believe that by simply checking the fluid levels of their hydraulic equipment they are performing all of the maintenance necessary to keep it running smoothly or thousands of hours and avoid equipment failure, which is, of course, wrong. What is lacking is a sufficient level of knowledge about what is necessary to get a maximum lifespan for your hydraulic machinery.

An effective hydraulic maintenance program must be proactive, and there are some monetary and convenience costs to adhering to such as program. However, the savings in machine performance, elongated component life, increased fluid life, reduced work downtime and fewer repairs down the road.There are seven suggested routines for owners who want to minimize the risk of their hydraulic machinery displaying premature component failures. In order to avoid work downtime and productivity loss, owners need to perform the following hydraulic maintenance:

1. Maintain hydraulic fluid cleanliness
2. Maintain optimum hydraulic fluid temperature and viscosity
3. Maintain hydraulic systems settings in accordance with manufacturers’ specifications
4. Schedule hydraulic component change-outs prior to actual failure
5. Follow correct commissioning procedures
6. Conduct routine failure analysis

For more information on hydraulic machinery and suggestions for how to set a hydraulic maintenance schedule, contact the experienced professionals at Jones Hydraulic Service. We offer a full line of hydraulic equipment and are a multi-line distributor of the products we carry. Call us today at 713-674-9571 for the hydraulic tools and equipment you need to keep your workflow going.