Whether it is crawler excavators, dump trucks, traction engines, wheel chargers, bulldozers, tunnel drilling machines or rollers, anywhere machinery moves stone, earth and sand, gears, engines and hydraulics are exposed to dirt and water, intense loads and vibrations. The widest range of areas of use – from the Russian taiga to the Dubai desert, from shafts underground to huge construction sites above it – must be mastered.
Due to tighter schedules, machine breakdowns on a construction site and the associated operational downtime should be avoided as much as possible. Accordingly, machinery manufacturers and operators count on regular oil analyses. The aim is also to manage oil change intervals based on condition. This is because increasingly improved lubricants and varying operating conditions often allow lubricating and hydraulic oils to operate for a very long time. This allows a machine's capacity to be improved due to optimum maintenance planning. Constant contact with the soil and the risk of leakages mean that construction and agricultural machinery often uses quickly biodegradable hydraulic oils. These "bio-oils" are mandatory in water conservation areas. When switching from mineral oil to bio-oil, an oil switch check is recommended to ensure that the oil meets the required environmental standards. Furthermore, these oils often react very sensitively to moisture and mixing. As such, regular monitoring is obligatory in this case.
Dust, water and sludge are construction machinery's kryptonite. As such, the hydraulic system, which is often filled with several hundred liters of oil, must be especially protected. At pressure levels >300 bar, hard dust particle or moisture can cause significant damage. Independent studies have shown that approx. 80% of all disruptions are caused by premature wear caused by polluted oil. Modern hydraulic oils can have a service life of up to 10,000 operating hours in good conditions.
Hydraulic fluids which are more quickly biodegradable are used for work in sensitive areas in particular, such as flood protection. These should be monitored regularly. They react with water and sometimes form acids which can severely damage a hydraulics system. Engines and gears may also be monitored for the purposes of preventive maintenance.
In today's agriculture, machines work more hectares than ever before. The oil must therefore be in use for as long as possible, to avoid downtime caused by oil changes. Increased pollution and water content in oil, however, can lead to damage to gears, hydraulics, or the engine. Regular oil analyses are therefore recommended for the oils being used. Following a switch from mineral oil to a bio-oil, OELCHECK can also check whether the maximum permitted residue of mineral oil (2%) is complied with, by means of an oil switch check.
Engines, gears and hydraulic systems are exposed to a lot of dust, high temperatures and strong vibrations and impact. Conditions are particularly challenging when underground, deep-drilling or building tunnels. Underground, fluids with extremely low flammability must sometimes be used, as a fire would have devastating results. Oil and water mixtures, which are difficult to ignite, are used accordingly. These do not share the properties of a normal lubricant. As such, the water content and condition of the oil must be monitored regularly, as well as the machine. For this purpose OELCHECK offers specially compiled HFC analysis kits.
Machinery filled with large quantities of oil are used frequently. These are also used around the clock in shifts where required. As such, changing oil is often difficult and associated with huge costs. Regular oil analysis allows this to take place where required and damage to be identified early.
Should unusual noises occur on combustion, or the exhaust gases become discoloured, a fuel analysis can find the cause. Often the diesel is mixed with another substance, the wrong fuel has been used or there is too much water. In agricultural operations and farms in particular, fuel tanks are usually less than optimally placed in the open air. In the event of major fluctuations in temperature, the tank "breathes" and the air it draws in forms condensation. Impurities can severely damage an engine's fuel system. Do you have an engine that will not start in winter? OELCHECK fuel analyses can also establish whether you are using a "winter diesel".
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