NATDA Magazine Jan/Feb 2016 | Page 46

-4) Rust in motor. These motors are not rated to be outside of a toolbox. And sometimes people clean the inside of the toolbox with a high pressure water sprayer. Not recommended. -5) Bent valve stem. Usually due to tools being thrown in toolbox. -6) Valve coils are not energizing. You can put a screw driver to the top of the coil, push the button on the controller to see if either valve is magnetizing. If either coil is not magnetizing, the wires going to that coil may have a bad connection. Contaminated hydraulic fluid potential problems Hydraulic fluid cleanliness. The tolerances within a hydraulic power unit are very tight. Therefore the cleaner the hydraulic fluid the less chances for problems like sticking valves. Also, temperature can play a factor. In colder temperatures the fluid can thicken causing the battery to pull more amps causing more premature battery related issues. We recommend transmission fluid for most applications but especially cooler climates (ATF or Dextron III). But it is also recommended that you filter the fluid before putting it into your pump. But field application of this may be challenging. Fluid contamination can happen a variety of ways. 46 When building the trailer and the hydraulics are first being installed. Filtering the fluid is more practical. When making the hydraulic hoses be sure to clean the hoses out after they have been cut and crimped. If you are going to store the hoses before installing them be sure to cap them off after you clean them. Just sitting on the shelf waiting to be installed can potentially introduce dirt. Then when installing the hoses, the installer needs to pay careful attention that they do not accidently introduce contamination. Such as dropping the end of the hose onto the ground before attaching it to the pump or cylinder. Even if all of these precautions have been done then there is still the potential for internal contamination. For example: all of the pumps and cylinders have been tested on a test bench at their respective factory. Is the fluid on the test bench clean? On a rare occasion a gear pump may pass all of its test but may still have a sliver of aluminum that fails to break off after machining. Then it makes NATDA Magazine www.natda.org