Gravity-purification in your hydraulic tank (or perhaps better,... on the shelf)

[Too many Kubotas]

An old trick to get around that and also get rid of ferromagnetic particles is to put your neo magnets onto the outside of the disposable filter cannister. - which is made of thin steel. Win/win.
rScotty

I've used those external magnet setups for years.

Why do I believe in using magnets? Because if filters really worked well I'd never find anything on the magnetic drain and level plugs. But I always do.

 

[Sodo]

if filters really worked well I'd never find anything on the magnetic drain and level plugs. But I always do.

Filters are limited to about 10 microns. Oil film of hydr oil (AW46 20w?) could be less than 1/2 micron. So particles that affect the life of your machine smaller than 10 microns go right thru the filter. A magnet will catch some of them and that's a good thing. Keep in mind the magnet does not reach across the reservoir and draw steel. Nor does it pull (tiny) steel out of moving fluid. The black dust you see is what falls onto the magnet (by gravity) when the oil is still. It's a small "purification cone".

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I think a good way is to have some spare Hydr oil on hand, You suck out some oil that has been there awhile and set it on a shelf. Perhaps in a water-clear gallon bottle so you can see when it becomes clear as honey. Let the metal & stone settle to the bottom (on the shelf).

Then when you have a few minutes, you just suck out a used gallon, and pour in a clean gallon. Or 2gal, or 5 gal.
Like an "exchange". But you have to label your oil jugs and stuff. It takes a little bit of organization but it could pay for itself in oil savings, and keeping a clean machine. Here, 5 gal is ~$90 with tax. The best way is to have different shelves for "settling" and "purified".

The oil you sucked out goes on the shelf, self-purifying for the next round. It's not a lot of effort, just takes organization.

I don't know how many rounds you can purify oil, topping up with some fresh oil as needed. Probably 3 or 4 times is reasonable.

The standard way to remove the liquid is to use a siphon rather than pour. Much better results.

[YouTube]

I will do it like this. In the past I used the shop-vac but the 18v blower is easier to carry out to the machine. This blower was about $60 and uses my Makita batteries.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Last I read, is that magnets actually cause the really fine metal particles, the ones too small for the filter to catch, to spin like little motors, and stay in suspension. This would idicate that magnets are actually a bad idea.

 

[rScotty]

I've used those external magnet setups for years.

Why do I believe in using magnets? Because if filters really worked well I'd never find anything on the magnetic drain and level plugs. But I always do.

Maybe so, though it makes me wonder....It depends on where the magnets are. Either pre or post filtered oil.

Hydraulic system standard suction type filters are limited to about 10 microns when new in order to have a large enough pore size to keep the flow rate up. Pressure and bypass type filters can filter as small as wanted. They start at about 4 microns and go down to tiny fraction of a micron depending on the media chosen. .... but the flow rate goes down unless the filter is very large.

Any home mechanic can easily add bypass filtration to an engine or trans/hydraulic system.
Amsoil and Frantz offer bypass kits and sell the special filters.

BTW, some tractors already have bypass super filtration for the HST.

 

[Sodo]

Last I read, is that magnets actually cause the really fine metal particles, the ones too small for the filter to catch, to spin like little motors, and stay in suspension. This would idicate that magnets are actually a bad idea.

That doesn't sound feasible. I highly doubt a magnet has any effect on a tiny particle until it's within a few mm.
I'd be interested to read the article though, if you can remember where you saw it or a link.

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Pre-filter is interesting if the magnetic filter is "inspectable" it tells you if something is generating "steel". In that case the filter would take longer to plug up too.

However, note that as a filter plugs up it filters "finer".
Unless it goes into "bypass".
If the filter catches it.....and is able to hold onto it.... that's good for the machine.

super-bypass filtration - that is on-going and does not require effort to extract, label & manage jugs of oil.....
is a better method.
Especially if you have several items of hydraulic eqpt.

 

[m5040]

I'm only guessing if there is that much "steel" in your hydraulic system you have bigger problems that need to be addressed or will be evident by operational problems. If there is a small amount I would think the filter would catch it preventing it from getting to critical parts like your pump

ANY steel is not good. Before you disregard the idea, hang a good magnet in the hyd tank (it doesn't have to be at the bottom, the flow will bring steel to it) and check it after 50 hours. If when you wipe it off on a paper towel, it doesn't leave a black residue, you have a fantastic filter/machine.

 

[Lavender Valley]

The thing is..... hydraulic filtration goes down to 10 microns "at best".
Oil film thickness can be 1/2 micron when a pump is "working hard".

So particles between ----> ~2 and 10 microns are flowing freely, getting mashed between your precision surfaces.
So there's a lot of steel dust that you cannot filter out, you just live with it.
There is a "normal component lifetime" associated with "normal levels of lubricant contamination".

If you can reduce contamination, longer component lifetime can be expected.
One way is to replace the hydraulic oil at shorter intervals.

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It's cool when magnets catch and hold larger particles.

But on on very tiny particles, magnetic attraction is very weak. Like the fine dust on a magnet, it's just "barely held" by a magnet.
The magnets don't draw fine steel dust out of the oil. But they can "hold it" if it drops down onto the magnet by gravity (when the oil is "still").

That's why you'd want lots of magnets spread around rather than just one drainplug.

You want to catch and hold any very-hard steel wear-particles for sure.
Brass & aluminum can be considered a "cushion" - they are the best kind of dust to have.

Stone is bad though. Water is bad.

The concept of catching & holding oil contaminants "out of the flow" in a non-moving area on the bottom of the reservoir seems reasonable to get longer life from valve bodies and pumps.

Then the bulk of the hours, the machine is operating with the upper stratification (the more purified) oil.

The gravity method seems "real easy" too (good for the lazy person !!)

Years ago, I was opening a Quarry, and people objected by putting Ajax, an abrasive cleaner, into the big excavator hydraulic tank (200 gals). That went through the system, pealing and hardening off pump gears. The same was true for hydraulic motors and rams. Then, all the bits were found in the filters. Hydraulic oil is filtered when returning to the tank, too late. Most drain plugs are magnetised, as this one was, again, too late.

 

[Dennis Mohn]

Was this posted on April 1? If you have so much dirt and metal in your hyd tank you need to either start practicing better housecleaning or find the reason your system is accumulating trash.

 

[Sodo]

Was this posted on April 1? If you have so much dirt and metal in your hyd tank you need to either start practicing better housecleaning or find the reason your system is accumulating trash.

April fools? Perhaps you misunderstand...... this is an entirely different subject.
Other posters mentioned "so much metal and dirt etc"

This effort is to remove the “normal” steel and "normal" stone that the “normal” system filter cannot catch & hold. Its like replacing the hydraulic fluid more often without spending more $$ on oil.
5 gallon pails are about $85 now.

You put a little effort in,
save some oil $$
your cleaner oil reduces wear,
your machine lasts longer.

If you feel your MFR's maintenance intervals produce a sufficient lifetime,
your extra effort may just amount to "a favor" for the the next owner (after you sell it).

 

[nyone]

Anything you can get out of the fluid will help. If theres low of metal in your hydraulics you may have other issues. For filters typicaly the tank is the dirty side of the filter and the filter is the suction side..the side you really care about and need to be clean.

Then theres the problem of additives that can wear out, thus the hourly cycle of changing out hydraulic fluid. Typicaly 600-1000hrs. And that's going to be way cheaper than alot of components in the hydraulic system.