Understanding the Functionality of Hydraulic Filter Carts
When it comes to your hydraulic equipment, understanding the functionality of its components, such as hydraulic filter carts can be helpful. While contamination of hydraulic fluids is inevitable with continued use of your equipment, the efficiency of your hydraulics is important to your business functions. The more you use the equipment, the more likely it becomes that water or particulates will sneak into your system.
When your hydraulic equipment suffers from contamination, this can lead to increased wear and tear. Rather than waste valuable time and money to replace the fluid, a portable hydraulic filter cart could be the solution to all of your hydraulic problems and needs.
Here’s what you need to know about the functionality of hydraulic filter carts:
- Internal Logistics
- How to use a Filter Cart
- Hydraulic Filter Cart Features
- Purpose of a Filter Cart
Internal Logistics
When thinking about the internal logistics of a filter cart, the fundamentals tend to be easy to understand. While the actual components may be quite complex, there are three main elements to a hydraulic filter cart. The pump pulls oil from your system into the input side, pushes it through the filter, and then back out the output into your existing system. The motor provides the energy to run the pump on the filter cart. The filter allows oil to pass through while stopping contaminants.
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How to use a Filter Cart
Incorporating a filter cart into your hydraulic systems is typically a simple process. You need to plug the inlet and return into the hydraulic reservoir of your equipment, preferably with an inlet and return a good distance from one another. Power up the cart and allow it to filter the entire volume of oil. However, there are some features to your hydraulic filter carts that you should keep in mind.
Hydraulic Filter Cart Features
When it comes to cleanliness, your hydraulic systems should have a specific ISO code for you to reach. Choose your filter based on the code you are trying to achieve. Pay attention to the micron size of the filter as well to ensure that the filter is fine enough to remove the particles that are contaminating your oil. Filter carts are available with several different power sources, but not all will be ideal for your niche circumstances. Be sure that the power source on the filter cart you use is compatible with your work site.
The cart you choose should have a pump that can handle your needs. Typically, the max rate of flow for the pump should be 10 percent of the full volume of the pump. Pay attention to the temperature of the oil, the fluid compatibility and the viscosity of the fluid when choosing a pump. You can get a variety of features on a cart, including different types of tires, hoses, configurations for hose end fittings, sample ports and more.
Pro Tip: Testing the oil is not required, but it is certainly recommended. Only after testing can you be sure of the state of the oil and whether you need to filter it or not. By testing, you can determine what types of contaminants are in the oil and therefore what type of filtration you need to use. Testing can also tell you if the oil has reached its maximum lifespan. If all the additives are depleted, filtering is not going to fix the oil.
Purpose of a Filter Cart
While the main purpose of a hydraulic filter cart is to clean the oil within your system, there are a multitude of other elements that filter carts benefit. Clean oil ensures that your equipment is running at optimum efficiency. While it can be tempting to put off filtering, it is not recommended as your business could suffer from downtime. Clean fluid ensures your equipment runs properly as you purchased your hydraulic system to get a job done right. Clean equipment fluid can also extend the lifespan of hydraulic equipment. As friction is the enemy of machinery, and contaminants in your fluid can increase that unwanted friction, bringing heat and degradation.
In order to ensure your hydraulic systems are running smoothly and efficiently, proactive maintenance supplied by the right hydraulic filter carts can help you to prevent unnecessary damages to your entire power unit.
Invest with Air & Hydraulic Equipment Inc.
Finding high quality hydraulic components can be as easy as finding a reputable retailer. Air & Hydraulic, Inc. sources hydraulic components from the country’s top manufacturers. Many components for many industries are available directly from our website.
And if you run into a situation where you need some help outside of component sourcing, we can help with that, too. Repair services are available to help with all of your hydraulic and pneumatic needs. Contact us today!
