Has anyone tried used hydraulic oil in a drip torch?

[bswiv]

Have to change both the engine oil and the hydraulic oil in my M8540 here shortly.

The engine oil I know will work fine in our drip torches for prescribed burning, just need to let it settle and then only use the top 90% or so and it works about like diesel.

The hydraulic oil I have no experience with using and therefor have no idea how it will react once mixed with gasoline in the torch. Anyone know if it will gum things up used this way?

Yes......I know.....mix a few quarts and try it. Which sounds reasonable but what it does initially and what it does after sitting partially used in the torch or later mixed with other mixes of fuel I have no idea.

So has anyone used it?

 

[aczlan]

Both burn about the same for our uses (pouring on some hay to start a bonfire), I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

Aaron Z

 

[RNeumann]

I’ve used a drip torch for a long time. I’ve never heard of letting the oil settle out before mixing it in. The idea with the mix is to create a ratio that has good staying power but is able to light with a match or flare. The fluid, in a puddle, should light and continue to burn for awhile. Just gas and it burns out too quickly. Just diesel and or oil and it’s too hard to light.

Like the post above says- it will work fine. I’d start with a 10-20% gas mix and go from there...... it doesn’t take much gas! Test it in a pan or on something non flammable- see if it lights.

 

[Tx Jim]

Back when I was employed at a tractor dealership as service manager we burnt both engine & hyd oil in an oil fired furnace to heat the shop in Winter. We burned 100% of the oil. I no experience utilizing a drip torch.

 

[Diggin It]

I used a cup or two on a small brush pile that was rain damp. Took a bit of coaxing to get it to go, but once it did, it was rather intense.

 

[ericm979]

It should be cleaner than used engine oil because there's no combustion byproducts in it. AW68 is about equivalent to 20w engine oil. AW46 is about 15w. AW32 is about 10w. So it should be about the same viscosity.

 

[wdchyd]

I’ve not used a drip torch but should burn the same. We burn about 2500 gals per season at the hyd shop with a waste oil heater.

 

[bswiv]

Thank you for the replies. Will give it a try rather than carrying it to the recycle. If it works as good as the diesel.....or close.......it'll save a few $.

 

[countrybumpkin]

I use it in mine, mix is about 1/3 gas to 2/3 hydraulic oil.

 

[RalphVa]

Back when I was employed at a tractor dealership as service manager we burnt both engine & hyd oil in an oil fired furnace to heat the shop in Winter. We burned 100% of the oil. I no experience utilizing a drip torch.

A friend of mine has a shop. He does the same thing. His system more or less just drips the used oil into the combustion chamber. Hydraulic oil is likely very light weight oil that is often diverted into the diesel pool at refineries, depending on demand for that oil vs. diesel/fuel oil.

Ralph