Saving fuel but breaking down the vehicle, should the hydraulic oil of your crane be replaced or not?

Hydraulic oil is refined by blending various compounds with base oil. Oxidation and deterioration, reduced anti-wear performance, and failure to meet viscosity requirements will all affect the use of cranes and directly impact work efficiency.

Generally speaking, under normal circumstances, the hydraulic oil must be replaced after working for 2,000 hours. However, the cost of changing the hydraulic oil once can easily exceed several thousand yuan. This expense makes most car owners and crane operators feel that it's a bit of a pity to spend it. As long as there are no major problems, they just make do with it. So many people say that the car has never had its hydraulic oil changed.

In fact, even if it seems that the hydraulic oil does not need to be replaced, it is necessary to check the hydraulic oil in the crane at regular intervals to see if it still meets the usage standards. If it has oxidized and deteriorated, it should be replaced in time, or one or several compounds should be added and supplemented to give the hydraulic oil certain properties or improve some of the existing properties in the lubricant. If the viscosity is found to be too high, it needs to be diluted. The viscosity of hydraulic oil can be identified through the following two methods

1. Invert the hydraulic oil in the vessel: Take the hydraulic oil and the standard hydraulic oil from the oil tank and place them respectively in two transparent glass bottles of the same size, then plug the bottle mouths. Place the two bottles side by side and turn them upside down. If the bubbles of the hydraulic oil to be tested rise faster in the bottles than those of the standard oil, it indicates that the viscosity of the hydraulic oil is lower than that of the standard hydraulic oil. Conversely, the viscosity is relatively high. If the rising speed of the hydraulic oil bubbles in the two bottles is close, it indicates that the viscosities are similar and no dilution is needed.

2. Glass plate tilting method: Take a clean glass plate, place it horizontally, drop a drop of the hydraulic oil taken out onto the glass, and at the same time, drop a drop of standard hydraulic oil beside it. Tilt the glass plate and observe the flow rate and flow distance. If the flow rate and flow distance of the tested hydraulic oil are both greater than those of the standard hydraulic oil, it indicates that its viscosity is higher than that of the standard oil droplets; otherwise, it is higher.

Among the numerous faults in hydraulic systems, 70% are caused by contamination or deterioration of hydraulic oil. The issue of hydraulic oil should not be underestimated. Therefore, crane owners should not lose the big picture for small gains and end up losing more than they gain.