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April 29th

 There is no doubt about it.   HYDRAULICS COST YOU MONEY.   That is, when they are not properly taken care of.

I like to think of a hydraulic system as being very much like the human body. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we don’t operate very well.  When our blood is contaminated, arteries and valves start to clog and if our blood pressure is too high we overheat. These two elements alone can cause major downtime for us. But, with blood testing and an occasional visit to the doctor we catch certain problems as they arise. Let’s face it, we are all getting older and with age new problems will most likely pop up.  But, by getting checked out every now and then we can catch these problems before they get worse.

Think of your hydraulic systems as individuals and you are the doctors. Now, keeping this in mind would you let any old Joe the plumber take your temperature, give you a physical, draw your blood or work on your heart?  I think everyone’s answer to that question is the same, NO. And unfortunately, many maintenance personnel are not qualified to perform the proper preventive maintenance on their equipment either.

GPM can come to your facility and develop a customized Preventive Maintenance Guide on your machine centers.  The P.M.G will list all heat test points on the machine for detecting by-passing, how to tell if the pump is worn and how to check it , how to check an accumulator's pre-charge,  record pressures, shock, leakage etc. 

Since most personnel don’t know what to look for when it comes to the hydraulic system, the P.M.G will serve as a guide for the technician. By making these checks periodically, he or she will be able to diagnose and catch a problem before it effects your operating cost.

The difference is simple - oil serves a different purpose in a car or truck engine than it does in an industrial machine.  In your car engine, the oil is used exclusively for lubrication.  In an industrial hydraulic machine, the oil serves no fewer than four functions:

• To transmit energy
• As a coolant
• For internal lubrication
• As a sealant

This makes multiple viscosity hydraulic oils (oils with the designation MV, MW, MG or HVI) patently unsuitable for industrial machines.  While there is a valid argument for their use in mobile equipment, we beg to differ.  Here's why.  First, many multi viscosity oils have detergent additives.  Detergents tend to cause foaming in the oil which causes the pump to aerate and results in damage.  So how do you keep the inside of the machine clean without detergents?  Regular system flushing, not some "snake oil" additive.

The reason multi-viscosity oils are used in car and truck engines is so they will maintain a relatively constant viscosity at different temperatures.  Polymers are added to light weight oil.  When the oil is cold, the polymers are extended and do not have an appreciable effect on the viscosity.  As the oil heats, the polymers "coil up" and make it harder for the oil to travel through an orifice, artificially increasing the viscosity and maintaining lubricating properties of a heavier weight oil.  In other words, if your car had an oil heater in its oil pan as an industrial machine does, there would be no need for multi-viscosity oil.

Since hydraulic oil is used to transfer power as well as lubricate, a multiple viscosity oil (which is really a light weight oil with additives) would break down much faster than oil of the recommended weight.  This same low weight oil will be less effective as a sealant or coolant.  Hydraulic machines rely heavily on the oil to carry excess heat to the reservoir where it can be dissipated to the atmosphere.  Low viscosity oil becomes saturated with heat very quickly.

Finally, the sealing properties of a low viscosity oil leave a lot to be desired.  Multi-viscosity oil will leak much more readily from fittings and cylinder seals than oil of the proper weight.

Leave the multi-weight oil to your car engine - use the OEM recommendations for oil in your industrial hydraulic machine and consider adding an oil heater to mobile equipment that is exposed to the elements.

Nothing is more expensive than unscheduled down time.  GPM’s customers know they can call whenever they have a troubleshooting issue they simply can’t resolve.  With over 50 years experience dealing with hydraulic failures, our consultants have the resources to help troubleshoot whatever hydraulic problem you encounter.  Whether you’re experiencing a total system outage, repeated component failure or just need a professionally designed preventive maintenance schedule, the consultants at GPM can help.  Call GPM for 

            In-plant  Troubleshooting                                                

            Leakage Problems                                                         

            Pressure Settings

            Shock Problems

            Preventive Maintenance Scheduling

            Hydraulic Troubleshooting Manual Development

            Startup Consulting and Recommendations

            Heat Problems

            Repeated Component Failures  

            Speed Problems

Do you want to learn more about how GPM can help you? Go to http://gpmhydraulic.com/troubleshooting.htm

Maintenance Basic Hydraulic Troubleshooting 2009

3 Day Workshop

Registration Fee Only $895.00 Per Person
Three for the Price of TWO! Every Third Registrant Attends for FREE!
Early Registration - $845.00 For Confirmed Reservations Booked 21 Days Prior to the Start of the Workshop

Call (770) 267-3787 To Register

Learn More About Our Maintenance Basic Hydraulic Troubleshooting Course 

2009 Maintenance Basic Hydraulic Troubleshooting Schedule

Date

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A step-by-step guide for changing cylinder seals and carrying out minor repair. The manual contains disassembly, inspection of parts, minor repair, assembly, examples of seal failures and their causes, hydraulic cylinder speeds, metric/inch conversion table, fluid power formulas, rod and piston groove diameters. 

$24.99 + Shipping & Handling

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GPM Hydraulic Consulting, Inc.
Box 1376
Monroe, GA 30655
(770) 267-3787

gpm@gpmhydraulic.com