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Fleet Management Information for Sweeping Professionals |
Care of Sweeper Hydraulics: What You Need to Knowby Ranger Kidwell-Ross The hydraulic system on a sweeper is perhaps its most critical component. The following interview with an expert from Bailey Hydraulics tells you what you need to know to maximize performance and longevity.
WorldSweeper: It's my pleasure to introduce our readers to Sean Howley, who is an Applications Specialist with Bailey International, a firm that specializes in hydraulics. Sean is going to be talking about what I would term the care and feeding of your hydraulics to make them last the maximum amount of time possible. And with that, let's move and let Sean do the talking.
The disc, if deformed, can start rubbing against something or if the bolt head on top that secures the brushes to the disc starts striking parts of the vehicle or other parts of the sweeper, that resistance could damage either the sweeper or the truck. Those strikes can be abusive to the motor's life as well. You can bend a shaft, and all this is not good for the hydraulic system since it's going to generate heat. If you're operating a mechanical sweeper, gutter brooms will have similar potential issues as I just described. However, you also have a main broom to contend with. Most of the time, there's an adjustment set for how hard that broom is in contact with the ground to get a proper sweep without wearing it out too quickly. The harder you bury that broom into the ground, the more overloaded the motor becomes until it stalls. Longevity of the motor depends on keeping heat down; you don't want to overload that motor any more than necessary. Getting those adjustments set as the broom wears will help both its life and the motor's life. Keeping heat down will help the hydraulic system altogether. In an air sweeper, if you hit a curb and rip the head off the truck, you've got cylinders attached that raise and lower it. It's possible those cylinders could be damaged or torn apart, leading to oil spills – something nobody wants due to environmental problems. Ensuring proper driving so you don't damage components is always beneficial for maintenance. It's hugely important to have a clean filter for oil. Any debris in that system will wear out different components like cylinders or motors or even valves operating in the system. Debris is one of the biggest enemies inside oil flow. WorldSweeper: What about water? Sean Howley of Bailey International: Water in the system is also problematic for hydraulic component longevity. Air can be an issue too. If you let your oil tank go too low, you might start pulling air into the system or have an unnoticed leak allowing air in. Air pockets can cause cavitation in motors or pumps over time, leading to damage or reduced efficiency. Getting back to heat: Efficiency is directly connected to heat generation – less efficient products generate more heat. If your system has a cooler onboard, ensure good airflow through it since debris buildup can prevent airflow and cause overheating. WorldSweeper: I know there’s an environmentally friendly hydraulic fluid available now. Do you think it's worth it despite being extra money? Sean Howley of Bailey International: You're exactly right. Going with a more environmentally friendly oil certainly benefits EPA-related problems. Products used around golf courses are particularly sensitive; spills can cause massive cleanup issues. While there's definitely a cost associated with making that change, under certain conditions, it's absolutely beneficial. If you spill oil anywhere on a golf course, there's a massive problem with getting that cleaned up, and going with more environmentally friendly product is certainly going to be a huge benefit in those instances. You still have to do a cleanup if you spill oil on the ground, of course, but at least you don't have to worry about the environmental impact by doing that. And as you said, there's definitely a cost associated with making that change, but under certain conditions, it's absolutely a benefit. WorldSweeper: How does hydraulic fluid get particles in it over time? How does it get water in it? How does it get air in it? How does it get particles, and air and water in it? Sean Howley of Bailey International: Water is fairly easy. That can happen when you have something open to the environment. When you're cleaning a sweeper, you might get a blast of water in it, or if it rains the water might get in it. The most obvious and frequent source of entry is the tank itself. The tank has to have an air bleed capability so it can breathe as the oil is being consumed, and so there's an access to have water get in there. Also, if there's some kind of problem with the tank itself, it's possible to get water in, more often than not, that is going to be the source of where the water came from. That certainly is the part you want to focus on, if you have water show up. You're going to know that you have water, because the oil is going to change to a milky kind of color and and the system is not going to be as effective as it would have been. As for the oil getting air in the system? I think I covered that a little bit earlier, but the main source of getting air in the system is going to be through a fitting that has come loose a little bit and maybe sucks some air in during the operation. Or if you let the oil tank get a little too low, and the return oil, when it lands in there agitates the water and puts air bubbles in the water. And then if that gets sucked into the system you end up with air in the system. It's possible – although you'll have a huge indicator of this – that you might have a cylinder where the seal on it is failing. It would occur when you have a retraction, since you might could pull some air in past that seal. However, you'll have an indication well in advance because you'll see signs of oil dripping someplace. If you have a failed seal in one of the motors, like a gutter broom motor because you've given it too much impact too many times, the seal itself could be damaged and start leaking oil. You wouldn't necessarily know it, depending on how bad the leak is. When that happens,it probably starts as a minor leak causing the oil level to start dropping. Same thing with the cylinder. If you have a failed seal on a cylinder, over time you're going to start losing oil level. If you're not paying attention to it, that can catch you. If you see that you're not having as good a performance out of your hydraulics, you check your level of oil and make sure that that's up and make sure it doesn't have coloration. You'd also want to check the pressure in the system. If the system should be operating at 2500 psi, for example, and for whatever reason you're measuring maybe 1500 or 1800, that would be one of the reasons why the system could be sluggish. If the system isn't operating the way you would anticipate, that would be an indication that there's a problem with the pump itself, or that a serious leak someplace in the system is causing the pressure to drop. You should notice the leak before you notice pressure drop, but that would be another source. WorldSweeper: When it's hot out – and we're getting into some scorching seasons these days – are there certain operating temperatures you shouldn't operate above? What do you do then? Are there special things you would do in the summer, when it's really hot out, and conversely, when it's cold in the winter? Sean Howley of Bailey International: The temperature you want your system to be operating is going to be between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In my experience that I've seen with sweepers, 120 to 140 degrees is very low for for what you would typically see. What I've noticed is they tend to operate above 150 now, and the higher the temperature, the worse it's going to be on the system. You could have the oil break down. If the temperature gets too high, you have seals fail. They'll actually melt. And then you have a massive leak, whether it be in a valve or a cylinder or a pump or the motors. If you're using an O-ring type fitting, the seal in those fittings could also fail under those high temperatures, which might start leaking out of those connection points. Different oils have different limits that they can go to before damage occurs and you have to replace it. To an extent it just depends on what kind of oil that you're using. In addition to that, the seals provide different seal options. So if you've got a seal that can operate, let's say at 180 degrees, then that's going to be your limit. Or, if it's 200 degrees then that's going to be your limit; whatever the case might be for the different seals and the oil that you that that you're using. Oil also gets a lot more sluggish in the winter. In my experience, not so much with a sweeper as with a tractor.When it's cold weather out, you really need to let the machine warm up in order to work your hydraulics. Allow it to warm up, to get up to an operating temperature of about 120-140 degrees. That temperature range will be a good range to operate. If you just jump in the truck first thing in the morning and you take off and sweep starting from the end of the driveway, the oil won't be up to temperature yet, and so the cylinders, the motors and and the pump, everything is going to operate a little sluggish because oil is too thick. You want to get the temperature up to a moderate temperature at least before you get going, to ensure that you're going to have consistent operation and an expected operation of the different hydraulic components. If it's possible, and I know that it's not always possible, in very cold climates it's a really good idea to store the sweeper inside of either a covered car parking area or sweeper parking area or inside of a building. That way it wouldn't be as exposed to those extreme temperatures; that'll also allow you to get started much faster when you go out in the morning. WorldSweeper: It seems like that problem might especially happen for an auxiliary, pony, engine. Contractors especially want to conserve fuel, so they get to their first client to start the auxiliary motor. Everything else is all warmed up. They just had to drive five miles or 10 miles to get to their first client. So that's a special caution for contractors to make sure their operators warm up their auxiliary motor before they start sweeping. Stop any tendency to start the motor once you the operator gets there, in cold weather especially, and sets out to sweep. Is there any particular oil brands you recommend? Sean Howley of Bailey International: In terms of warming up your engine, I totally agree. Hydraulic oil types or brands are kind of the preference of the user and their supplier. I don't think that I could tell you to use this use that, because every application is a little bit different. What I would recommend is to reference the manual that comes with the sweeper as to what oil to use. What oil do they suggest or require? Don't veer off of that even if you have problems finding that oil wherever you're located. Instead, contact the sweeper manufacturer or the dealership that you purchased from and and see what they would recommend in your particular situation. WorldSweeper: And how about additives? Are there any additives that you think make sense? Sean Howley of Bailey International: I'm going to have to give the same answer I just gave a minute ago, because as soon as you add anything to that hydraulic system that wasn't originally intended to be in there you're potentially going to hurt the system or or ruin your warranty on the product if it's still within warranty. I would not recommend putting anything in the hydraulic system of a sweeper unless you consult either the dealer you got it from or the manufacturer. There are lots of different additives that can be added to cover any number of different issues that might come up. However, in this kind of case I'd always resort back to "what does the manual say? What does the manufacturer suggest?" WorldSweeper: It seems like we've pretty much covered this topic. Are there questions I haven't asked that you wish I had? Before we're done here I do want you to tell me what Bailey international does in the hydraulics world, so all of our listeners can understand that as well. Sean Howley of Bailey International: My last comment on this is to advise everyone to make sure they stay on top of inspections. Be vigilant with your daily walk around; make sure that hoses aren't hanging down someplace where they shouldn't be so they won't get damaged through the operation of a gutter room, or get pinched by the hopper when it comes down or when it goes up. Pay attention to those kind of things; staying on top of your inspections is how you stop a potential problem before it happens. WorldSweeper: I've heard or seen through the years, it's definitely a a good tip to park your sweepers in the same spot every time: same sweeper, same spot. Keep the area underneath each sweeper cleaned out underneath, so there aren't any oil spots. That way, if you see an oil spot you can figure out where it's coming from. If your sweepers are always parked in the same spot, then the location of the oil drip will tell you where to look on your system to see where the oil might be coming from. Now, tell us about Bailey International and what you provide please. Sean Howley of Bailey International: Bailey has been around for a little more than 45 years. We make custom cylinders in Knoxville, Tennessee, as well as have the ability to do some custom work overseas. We also stock hundreds of thousands of different cylinders that are more standardized within the different industries. That's especially true for the agriculture industry. A lot of our cylinders are used there. We sell lots of motors and pumps. We also have a custom joystick, and a foot pedal part of the company called Sure Grip Controls. Another, Hydro Custom, is Bailey's brand of configurable and custom-manufactured manifolds, motors, valves, and pumps, designed to meet each customer's specific requirements. Among all of us, we have at least 18 different experts that can help solve any number of problems that a person might have. And we can also look at what we can supply for a given product. If it's an off the shelf need, we can react very quickly. If it's a custom need we can react to that too. WorldSweeper: Thank you for choosing to educate the power sweeping industry on this topic. I took a look at your impressive website and encourage anyone wanting to know more to go to Bailey's About Us page. For more information about the company in general, go to www.BaileyHydraulics.com. For questions and to contact the company, call 800-800-1810, or send email to sales@baileyhydraulics.com. |
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Sean Howley of Bailey International: I appreciate being here. So just digging in right away, there are some obvious things that sweepers have a tendency to have problems with due to the nature of the beast: that's the gutter brooms. They're always reaching out into gutters and curb lines, and it's always possible that there could be strikes against it that could either cause the disc to deform or bend the shaft of the motor. It could also cause an overload situation for the motor trying to keep up, which generates extra heat for the hydraulic system. Heat is the enemy; keeping a minimum heat is always beneficial for the longevity of your sweeper and reducing maintenance problems down the road.