If your company frequently uses hydraulic machines, then you already know how valuable and expensive they can be. To ensure these heavy pieces of equipment stay in working order for as long as possible, you’ll need to do routine maintenance on them whenever you can. That’s why this article is about the things you should check regularly on your hydraulic machines.
Change Out the Oil Filter
You most likely already change the oil filter regularly, but since it’s so important to the health of your machine, it’s worth emphasizing. A clean filter ensures that contaminants don’t mix in with the machine, which could lead to large-scale problems that will be much more difficult to solve later. To keep up with the demand, you’ll want to have a reliable supplier of hydraulic oil filters on standby when you run out.
Look at the Condition of the Hoses
Hydraulic machines have many hoses to move the fluids around to where they need to go. Due to the sheer number of them, there’s a good chance that at least one is in bad shape, so it’s good to check them frequently for cracks and leaks. If you find a broken one, then you should try to replace it with a smaller hose if possible. Longer ones have the chance to rub up against objects that they shouldn’t touch, leading to quicker deterioration.
Check the Internal Temperature
If the internal temperature of your hydraulic machine is higher than usual, that usually means worn components are causing it to create excess heat. Even though the only real issue to come from this is the extra energy the machine is using, some internal parts might begin breaking down if you let it run this way for long enough.
Make Sure Pressure Levels Are Stable
In the same way that high temperatures can indicate a more significant problem, so can high-pressure levels. Check these levels often because continually rising pressure will eventually reach a breaking point, and your machine will need to release the buildup in one way or another. This usually involves something violently busting open.
Listen for Strange Sounds
The final thing you should check regularly on your hydraulic machines is how each piece of heavy equipment sounds when running. Sometimes, everything on paper will look fine, but the machine will make a strange noise. That means there’s almost certainly something wrong with it. A common sound is a high-pitched whine, which usually indicates that it’s not getting enough oil, but there are plenty of other weird sounds that it could make.
