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?

FilterMag Industrial Products Division | CT for Spin-on Filters

 

[joshlee]

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

FilterMag Industrial Products Division | CT for Spin-on Filters

 

[woodlandfarms]

I jus put a few rare earth magnets on the outside of my filter. Works pretty well. If you want to do it right look at Ken Simolo magnet setup.

 

[m5040]

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

FilterMag Industrial Products Division | CT for Spin-on Filters

Very interesting. Was a price listed? I might try some and cut the filter open to see what it collected. The part about FLUXCON technology is probably not of any use to us. My Kubota has a ring magnet in each hyd filter (they look like a big O-ring and are next to the real 0-rings), so if it works for a company that can afford to do a lot of testing I believe it would be good across the board. If the price is right, I would buy some for all my stuff. It is best to get the metal out of the system. The magnetic s would have to be strong enough to hold the particles with the oil flowing through. At least this doesn't involved taking the hydraulic tank all apart. Let me know if you get prices and what size you went with.

 

[coolconnection]

This thread got me to thinking about this again...so I was researching and found this on the internet and ran upon this article from this man. He doesn't say who he works for (which is good, unbiased) just that he is a lubrication engineer. After you read this article you may want to put the magnets in the oil reservoir. Don't forget these are just companies wanting to sell their products and will tell you things in a way that makes sence to you and they are very good at it. Additionally I am not trying to stir the pot, just my 2 cents.

Michael Roy
Speaking as a lubrication engineer that specializes in the filtration area of this field, I would like to clarify a few points. First is the size of particulate that is of concern, the loose metal that does 75% of the damage (wear) to an internal combustion engine is under 8 microns. That means they are invisible in small amounts and would only be seen when millions are concentrated in one spot. Fortunately, if you put a magnet in the oil stream of an engine you will capture these sizes. Not just large particulate but actually all the way down to 1 micron, so you technically reduce wear by at least 75% by using them.

The question is where do I place them to be most effective and cause no danger. That answer is easy... You want to put them INSIDE the filter and in the direct flow of oil but AFTER the factory media has done its job of filtering particles above the filters' threshold. Again, we only need to capture the particulate that the filter DOES NOT catch, so we only need to place them in the downstream or inside the filter.

There is a technical note for those of you that think you can put magnets on the outside and this is a critical point:

Wrapping or placing a magnet on the outside of an oil filter is not only the wrong way to capture damaging particulate, it actually lowers efficiency of filters and restricts oil flow. Think about all the large metal particles that will be captured, the ones you "see" when guys cut open the cans. Wouldn't those particles have been captured by the paper media? Of course they would because the filter element is 20, 30 or 40 micron rated and the particles are 100, 200, 500, even 1000 micron (Note: A human blood cell is 10 microns, so anything you can see is hundreds). Additionally, pulling and concentrating all that large garbage to one side or around the inside of the can is going to slow oil flow as it travels up the inside wall. Remember there is very little space between the paper and the metal container shell, so anything rough on this surface is going to reduce efficiency. Fact is the inside of oil filter casings are sprayed with super smooth coatings to try and increase flow and eliminate resistance, so you don't want to defeat this process.

P.S. You should NOT use Neo magnets on oil filters, they are not rated for the heat and will lose strength over time.

 

[ponytug]

Not to ding the expert, but there is plenty of room between the pleats for flow on our filters.

I can say that my neodymium magnets on the outside of the filter pickup a black slime for lack of a better description. Personally, I figure anything that I can do by way of filtration is a help. I had a car with a manual transmission that had a magnetic drain plug. One oil change, I picked up a synchromesh tooth and debris off the magnetic plug, and I thought the end was near. 120,000 miles later, the transmission was still going strong, and it made me a believer in magnets around oil.

I have thought of adding a high pressure filter on the return line from steering/FEL, but I think Ken’s way is the best; it just has not made it to the top of my personal do list.

As always YMMV...

All the best, Peter

 

[RickB]

A ring magnet on the unfiltered side of the filter (as Kubota does) allows for a larger surface area of magnet to be used than could be put on the clean (inner) side of the filter as a practical matter. That location also allows the magnet to be transferred easily to another filter if necessary. Having the magnet on the inlet side of the media absolutely precludes the possibility of the magnet becoming dislodged and ingested by the pump.

 

[joshlee]

I definitely agree with ya on that. The last thing anyone wants is a magnet to get sucked up into the pump. There is no way anyone is convincing me to stick a magnet on the inner middle part of the filter.

 

[m5040]

I could see the flow restriction being an issue if you where at max rated GPM for the filter, when the magnets were on the sides. But what if you put the magnets on the bottom of the filter can where there is no flow to obstruct (which also means they are not in the direct oil flow)?
It is no doubt that the right way is to take the cover off the PT hyd reservoir and tap it for a removable magnet tree that would hang down near the gang of return hose fittings. Does anyone know if they use a paper gasket on that cover or gasket in a tube? The more I read about this issue the higher it gets on the to-do list.

 

[RickB]

The flow restriction argument is a nonstarter for me. If there is enough crap in the filter to restrict flow it is time for a new filter. Is that not why there is a filter there to begin with?

 

[joshlee]

The flow restriction argument is a nonstarter for me. If there is enough crap in the filter to restrict flow it is time for a new filter. Is that not why there is a filter there to begin with?

That is exactly the question that I was asking myself. The more dirt a filter picks up, whether in the filter itself or on the wall/magnet, either way is going to restrict it to some degree. That guy is basically saying that there will be more restriction in the oil flow if debris is caught on the wall as opposed to being caught in the filter. ??