How Clean is Your New Oil? - Pictures

[Captain]

On the subject of hydraulic oils and filters, I had a problem with my small New Holland tractor until yesterday....
I had loaned it out for a week to a friend that used it for light bucket work and grading in Vermont, and when it came back, the hydraulic pump had a whine noise.  My wife then used the tractor to spread 32 tons of crushed bank in the driveway, and the noise got worse.  I was right at the service interval for the filter.  Changed the hydraulic fluid and filter, and the noise was averted.  

My question is, on what schedule would your experience recommend :
1) hydraulic filter replacement
2) hydraulic fluid replacement

Thanks!!

Captain

[beenthere]

I have followed 50 hours on the first filter and tranny oil change. Found lots of metal filings in the filter, although it wasn't plugged yet.
Plan on 200 hours after that. This is on a hydrostatic transmission Deere 4300.
How many hours were on yours when you changed it?

[Captain]

The filter was changed approximately 104 hours ago.  I changed the fluid at 100 hours, so it had 405 hours on it.  

Captain

[ElectricAl]

We have been using Bio-Diesel for a year and a half now. During the summer it is 100% and when it's below 40F, it's 40% B and 60% winter blend road diesel.

Our B100 is soybean based not recycled vegtable oil.

There are two main problems we deal with.

First is the junk floating in the mix. We have a 5 micron filter on the bulk tank, but the skidsteer inline filter plugs about every 10 hours. At $6  each and 20 minutes to change the inline filter plus the fuel is a buck a gallon more it's hard to be environmentally enthusiatic :-/

Second is "Emulsified Water" . Emulsifed Water is water suspended in the fuel. It can not be removed by standard water seperating fuel filters. The Emulsified Water corodes and etches the injuctor pump and injectors.
All major engine manufactures will not warrenty an engine that has used 100% BioDiesel.

I have talked to an engine manufacture "off the record" about B100. They had gotten there fuel supply from the same distributor we get ours from. The test was for 1000 hours at 100% load. The internal engine wear was less than seen on other engines using fossil based diesel fuel. The big problem was with the injector pump and injectors. That is why the major manufactors state using 20% BioDiesel or less.


Hey Mark,

Know of any high tech fuel filters designed for emulsified water?


We are looking forward to spending $2000 on injectors and a pump some day ;D

[Mark M]

Hi Al

There are a number that will remove water, you might be able to make one yourself using a silica-gel column. I have used such a device to remove water from peat extracts. It was a glass column with some glass wool plugging the bottom and then filled with silica gel which I think is aluminum-silicate but can't remember for sure. The nice thing is you can dump it out and dry the silicate and then use it again. You would want to follow up with a 2 micron fuel filter such as the ones Cat makes.

If you need help finding something let me know. I know of a fellow who makes an excellent fitler cart and I'm sure he has water separator filters too. It's expensive but it can be used to clean other oils instead of dumping them. His web site is http://www.?????? DanG I can't remember it. I'll see if I can find it tomorrow.


http://www.oiltransfer.com/ that's it.

Here is another link to some good filter info:
http://www.filtrationtips.com/2004_12_16.htm

[ElectricAl]

Thanks Mark,


I'm going to slide over to the CAT dealer and see if I can get a 2 micron spin on for the bulk tank.

Thought about trying to see if I can mount a spin on filter on the skidsteer. Not a whole lot of room under the hood ;D.

[Mark M]

They may be called 4 micron since they recently changed the rate system but they should know what you are talking about. If you get one for a 3500 engine they are big and have lots of capacity. They also have small ones too. You might look at the Cat skid-steers to see if they have a small filter base that might fit.

Good luck

[Buzz-sawyer]

Al
how do you dry the bio when you make it(Do you make it?)....
25" of vacume works wonders...and removes the methanol for recycle at the same time..... ;)

[Buzz-sawyer]

Mark, I want to know what the parts per thousand or how ever you count particles were on these samples....all your galleries are mia :-[