Hydraulic Filters from Power Trac

[joshlee]

I bought 6 hydraulic filters when I was down at Tazewell and noticed how they didn't have the neat little power trac logo anymore. These filters tell you the manufacturer, part number, etc. I priced these filters on the web and it looks like they go for 30 to 40 dollars. I'm going to continue buying them from PT, just so it gives them a little bit of business. I appreciate the fact that it's a small American company of about 30 employess, probably not making allot of money but enough to make a living and have a sense of pride (the healthy type) in there workmanship.

 

[marrt]

This filter appears to have a different replacement cycle than recommended by PT.

Replacing the filter every 50 hours is crazy (even though I do it). If there's enough contamination entering the hydraulic system every 50 hours to fill up the filter and reduce flow, there's something fundamentally wrong with the design. A cycle of 250 hours is much more reasonable.

This is only a 10 micron filter anyway. However, the particles that do the most damage are less than 10 microns (because they can easily fit between bearing and other precision surfaces and act as an abrasive under high pressure). However, to avoid cavitation, a 3 micron filter would have to be HUGE. So, we're stuck with 10 microns as a tradeoff. This compromise is common on most hydraulic machines.

 

[RickB]

Exactly why most machines that experience hydrostatic system failures have not had timely oil changes. Hydros need cool, clean oil in the proper quantity.

 

[joshlee]

The maintainance manual for a Steiner 430 Max that I had said for the the same type of oil change that is recommended on this filter. Like you, I still do what PT recommends with the 50 hr oil change.

 

[marrt]

Exactly why most machines that experience hydrostatic system failures have not had timely oil changes. Hydros need cool, clean oil in the proper quantity.

Agreed. I just changed the hydraulic oil (10w-30 motor oil) in my Takeuchi TL8 at the 1000 hour recommended service. Kubota usually recommends changing the fluid at 50 hours and every 300 hour interval thereafter. Think about this for a second. If the machine is used commercially, that could mean several fluid changes per year.

PT recommends a fluid change "when it looks dirty." Consequently, most PT owners have probably never changed the hydraulic oil. That doesn't cut it. The particles doing the damage are too small to see in the oil (unless it's massively contaminated). If you want to be safe, change the oil on Kubota's recommended intervals. Or...you could take a sample of the oil and send it to be analyzed. This is the most "correct" procedure from a technical point of view. Either way, it's probably one of the most important things you can do to save the pumps....along with letting the machine warm up properly before use to avoid cavitation.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I wait for my periodic hose rupture to automatically change my oil.

 

[MossRoad]

I wait for my periodic hose rupture to automatically change my oil.

Nice! :laughing:

 

[m5040]

Don't forget to add magnets to take out the extremely fine particles that may slip through the filter. The reason the brand named filters have a longer service interval might be because they were intended for a return filter where the oil gets pushed through. As you know on the PT they are on the suction side which is sensitive to any restrictions and would need to be changed out at the reduced interval. That would be a good reason for PT to paint over the filter with their own label so as to not cause confusion with the manufacturers labeled service interval.

 

[joshlee]

Does the PT hydraulic tank plug have a magnet in it?

 

[joshlee]

What do you think about these magnets for working on the PT hydro oil filter?

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