July/August 2009
Properly maintaining lubricants and oils can mean the difference between equipment that operates effectively and economically and equipment that doesn't run at all.
By Mark Crawford
Scrapyard environments make it a challenge to keep complex hydraulic systems clean and running smoothly. A variety of mobile and stationary equipment with such systems—including trucks, front-end loaders, excavators, skid-steer loaders, balers, shears, and shredders—operate for long hours in all kinds of weather, adding to the problem. A wide range of temperatures, outdoor operations, and inherently dirty surroundings put these hydraulic oil and lubricating systems at risk for contamination from condensation moisture, airborne dirt, and metal fines from the recycling process, says Patrick Duffy, vice president of COT-Puritech (Canton, Ohio), a provider of hydraulic services for the scrap industry.
In this tough economy, every recycler wants to save money and run lean. The maintenance of expensive, mission-critical equipment is not the place to cut corners, however. A well-cared-for machine maximizes productivity and throughput and has a longer life. Maintenance is essential to the bottom line—and that includes keeping the lubricants and oils that run through the equipment clean. If flecks of steel, dirt, sludge, water, and other contaminants compromise these life-giving fluids, it can lead to the equipment's premature demise and replacement.
"Maintaining clean oil systems takes time and money, but it's cheap compared [with] the reduced efficiency or damage that results from dirty lubricants," says Al Tomes, director of operations for Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Co. (Holland, Mich.), which operates a wide variety of fixed and mobile assets, including a fleet of 80 trucks. "We spend tens of thousands of dollars annually on hydraulic fluid, grease, synthetic oils, and petroleum-based oils," Tomes says.
The problems can vary by geography. In the Midwest, the potential for moisture inside tanks causes a big concern, Tomes says. Machinery oil heats up during the day, getting hotter than the ambient temperature, he explains, so condensation forms inside the tanks. "Moisture dilutes the oil and reduces its lubricating qualities," Tomes says. Even 1 percent or less of water in lubricating oil can accelerate the oxidation process by up to 10 times—especially in the presence of catalytic metals such as copper, lead, and tin. This can lead to the failure of a component in half its normal lifespan. "To minimize condensation, we can put heaters on the oil when not in use, or insulate the tanks so condensation doesn't form," Tomes says. "However, a lot of the equipment is outside, so it's difficult to insulate the entire system." The Midwestern climate also can be bitterly cold in the winter, which can make oil coagulate into a thick sludge. Padnos uses synthetic oils in some of its over-the-road tractors during the winter months.
"We have winter oil and summer oil," Tomes explains. "In winter, the synthetic oils give us good starts and eliminate the need to plug trucks in to keep the engine blocks warm during the night."
Which Oil Is Best?
With the wide range of oil and lubricant products on the market, it can be daunting trying to select which product to use. A good place to start is with the original equipment manufacturer because manufacturers usually provide specific oil and lubricant requirements for their machinery. "We normally start with what the manufacturer recommends, especially if it is a condition of the warranty," Tomes says. "Nearly all manufacturers recommend [specific] brands," says Tyler Colling, a mechanic with Pacific Steel & Recycling (Great Falls, Mont.). Colling, based in Mayfield, Idaho, helps maintain forklifts, skid-steers, front-end loaders, material handlers, a rail pusher, and a fleet of over-the-road trucks. "As long as they meet OEM specs, Shell, Chevron, Exxon, and other major brands are all about the same. We get with our oil representative, review the specs, and find the best deal." Tomes agrees. "After the warranty expires, our team looks at different brands and determines which ones provide everything we need for our equipment, or if there is a more cost-effective product out there that works just as well."
Grade matters, says Gary Karl, senior engineering specialist with Caterpillar's corporate fluids and filter engineering department (Peoria, Ill.). "Owners think they can save money by using lower-grade oils, which are less expensive but don't provide the protection or the longevity." Caterpillar provides mineral, synthetic, and semi-synthetic oils for its equipment.
Technical advances in lubricating oils have made them last longer and have increased the length of time between service intervals, Karl says. "For example, our Cat-Hydo A-10 can go about eight months before it needs servicing." Some vendors also pitch their own special additives, claiming they improve performance and longevity. "Sort of like snake oil," Tomes laughs. When Padnos tries one out, it runs two identical pieces of equipment side by side—one with standard oil only and one with the additive. "We have found a few good ones over the years," Tomes admits.
Pacific Steel & Recycling works with Schaeffer Oil (St. Louis) to test its oil products by periodically checking for particle count, dilution, and more, Colling says. "Schaeffer claims they can extend oil life and the number of hours between changes," he says. "Right now we change the oil every 250 hours." If the company can extend that to 350 hours, it would save about $900 a year for each front-end loader, he says. "If we can get that out to 500 hours, we'll save even more." This would cut equipment service costs by half, he adds. "[We] want to cut costs, but only if we can do it without harming the equipment."
Cleaning and Reusing
Because oil never loses its lubricating properties, it's reusable so long as you remove solid contaminants and water and reblend the additives. Hydraulic fluids can last for years if properly maintained and cleaned. "Brand-new oil is already contaminated through the process of manufacturing, transportation, and pumping [it] into barrels," Tomes says. Padnos puts every barrel of oil—whether it's new or cleaned—through a particulate filter before it goes into the equipment. Some machines have a "kidney pump" that constantly filters the hydraulic fluid, he says.
Shredders, balers, and shears do not have reliable oil or fluid data even though scrap companies use a tremendous amount of hydraulic oil. As a result, Padnos started its own sampling program. "We [sent] samples from our working machines to a lab to look for bearing fragments, debris, etc.," Tomes says. "We also sent samples from a new barrel of oil and were surprised to find that—compared to brand-new oil—our used oil was cleaner because of the way we filter it."
Oil recycling companies provide on-site processing of used oil, cleaning it and bringing it back to or above OEM standards. These services preclude the need to replace the contaminated oil in the reservoir and refill it with new oil. These companies also flush the system, which further reduces the risk of premature oil and machine damage, and because they usually do it while the machines are operating, there's no downtime. By eliminating the need to dispose of waste oil and purchase replacement oil, these companies say, scrapyards can save up to 50 percent on their oil costs.
Oil recycler Purified Lubricants (Mokena, Ill.) uses a vacuum distillation process to eliminate emulsified and free water and other contaminants. A state-of-the-art, truck-mounted filtration system removes the finest solid contaminant particles, the company says. After it cleans the lubricants, it reformulates them to meet virgin oil properties. Similarly, COT-Puritech says it provides complete hydraulic services for the scrap industry, including parts sourcing and supply, system design, and maintenance solutions. It specializes in cleaning and reusing in-use oil and flushing the systems in balers and shears. "We can greatly extend the life of equipment by draining and purifying the oil and flushing the piping system while the equipment is running, which eliminates costly downtime," says Paul Grace, a COT-Puritech sales manager. "This costs far less than replacing the in-use oil with new oil, and you're also helping out the environment by conserving a nonrenewable natural resource."
One company that has used this service for a shear is Strauss Industries, which operates a scrap processing facility in Weirton, W.Va. The company scheduled the shear for a minor outage after operating 24/6 and 24/7 throughout the recent scrap metal boom. COT-Puritech found "significant damage in the gathering and shear cylinders," Duffy says. "Major flaking, spawling, and grooving had occurred on the tube surface. Much of the contamination was silting, wear metals, and seal material from the pump and cylinder failures that have occurred on this shear."
The company removed large pieces of debris, purified the oil, cleaned the reservoir and the screens, replaced filters, and installed a kidney-loop filtration system for the hydraulic oil to remove contamination from open lines after start-up as well as any contamination introduced during cylinder installation. A reservoir inspection and cleaning took care of significant solids contamination and debris on the floor. "By reclaiming and reusing the contaminated oil versus disposal and replacement, the company saved over $7,500 on the 3,100-gallon system," he says. The work also should extend the life of the pump, poppet valve, and cylinder and minimize unscheduled downtime, he adds.
Both Duffy and Tomes recommend periodic oil sampling and analysis to track contamination levels and ward off major problems before they happen. "If you're not doing a sampling program to track water and particulates in your oils, you should be," Tomes stresses. "Routine filtering, sampling, and cleaning will significantly extend the life of your equipment by removing these contaminants before they build up to damaging levels." Tomes notes his dealers often compare the scrap industry to the construction industry. "They've told me that our engines have double the life of the engines they see from builders, which reflects the care we put into taking care of our equipment," he says. "Five or six years ago, a motor on the side of a crane might get 12,000 hours before it required rebuilding; today that same motor can log 20,000 hours without impairing its performance. This is a reflection of new advances in oil technology and formulation, systematic monitoring and testing of in-use oil, and being dedicated to taking care of our equipment in the best possible way."
Mark Crawford is a writer based in Madison, Wis.
Properly maintaining lubricants and oils can mean the difference between equipment that operates effectively and economically and equipment that doesn't run at all.