3 Tips To Better Maintain Your Hydraulic Cylinders

Hydraulic systems are used to power large pieces of equipment. A cylinder is at the heart of any hydraulic system. Without a quality cylinder in place, the performance, and efficiency of your machinery. That said, the best way to ensure your hydraulic cylinders are functioning properly is to maintain them regularly.

Use these tips to help you provide better quality maintenance to your hydraulic cylinders in the future.

1. Keep the Oil Clean

Contaminated oil is one of the leading causes of hydraulic cylinder failure. Particles that find their way into your cylinder's oil supply can damage the interior surface of the cylinder. As such, it's critical that you maintain proper oil levels and use a filter to help remove contaminant particles in your hydraulic machinery. Monitor your filters often so that you can install new ones when the old ones have become clogged with debris. Many operators choose to add differential pressure gauges to their hydraulic systems so that they will be alerted when a filter needs to be replaced.

You can easily extend the life of your hydraulic cylinder by ensuring a clean supply of oil runs through the cylinder at all times.

2. Visually Inspect the Rod

Routine visual inspections of your hydraulic cylinder rods are critical to the overall maintenance and care of your hydraulic cylinders as a whole. Therefore, you should evaluate a rod to determine if evidence of corrosion, pitting, or uneven wear is present. These types of rod damage can indicate that the moisture levels inside your hydraulic cylinders are too high. In this case, you will need to find the source of the moisture infiltration in either your air or hydraulic fluid supply lines and make the necessary repairs.

Using rods as a gauge of the health of your hydraulic cylinder allows you to identify problems early so that you can make repairs before significant damage is sustained.

3. Maintain Cylinder Accessories

You must maintain all of the accessories connecting your hydraulic cylinder to your machine if you want the cylinder to last. Accessories that must be maintained regularly include brackets, ball joints, clevises, and pivot pins. Each of these accessories plays an important role in helping your hydraulic cylinder maintain the proper positioning while a machine is in use.

When these accessories begin to fail, the hydraulic cylinder can move and vibrate. This increases the risk of the cylinder sustaining damage during routine use. As such, you should replace any damaged or corroded accessories to preserve the integrity of your hydraulic cylinder.

For more information, contact a company like Miller Hydraulics Service, Inc.