Make of hydraulic oil for splitters

[velvetfoot]

Recommendations? Does it matter? I would think synthetic would be best, but I have no idea even what type to look for or where.

On engine oil I've had good luck with synthetic oil in the snowblower which pulls over by hand in winter okay.

 

[GVA]

Synthetic hydraulic oil???????
what would be the point?
Hydraulic oil is not like motor oil, motor oil is for lubrication. Hydraulic oil is practically non-compressable which is why it is used to transmit power.
A synthetic oil is mainly to reduce friction and burning of oil. The only friction a splitter should be seeing is that log when the ram hits it.
Anyway getting back to it..... some synthetic blends can harm your gland seals and piston rings. Most all hydraulics seals are made of BUNA-N and synthetics may (I'm saying may) harm them. Don't waste your money get a can of Marvel mystery oil and add a Tablespoon or 2 to the reservoir this will keep things lubricated.

And finally what designation of oil does your splitter call for....DTE...SAE....AGMA.....SUS, The designations can get confusing and I can tell you a cross reference for each

 

[velvetfoot]

The manual does not say what oil to use. The pump pushes the fluid at what, 3000psi through orifices and valves I imagine generating heat especially when working hard. The reservoir on the unit I am looking at has a working capacity of 2.5 gallons, which I understand could be on the low side.

As far as the engine goes, I believe I have had good luck running synthetic multigrade fluid in my Techumsah powered snowblower. I have also run synthetic oil in my diesel VW for the last 188k miles with 10k mile changes. The Robin engine manual says multigrade is okay but does not mention synthetic.

 

[suematteva]

Someone on the forum(not sure who) was buying their hydraulic oil at wallyworld the price was good and quality was sufficient....no personal experience with their brand...

 

[velvetfoot]

Sounds like Dexron III is the winner.

Speeco says this:

The hydraulic reservoir should be kept filled with an SAE 20 hydraulic oil. If hydraulic oil is difficult to obtain, automatic
transmission fluid can be substituted and should be used instead of hydraulic oil when temperatures are
below 32 degrees. Use only clean oil and take care to prevent dirt from entering the hydraulic reservoir.

Troybilt:

The approved fluids that our log splitter hydraulic systems may be filled with are either: a) Dexron III Automatic Transmission Fluid or b) 10W AW Hydraulic Oil or c) Pro Mix AW-32 Hydraulic Fluid. These fluids are all non-foaming hydraulic fluids and available from most hardware, automotive supply, farm equipment, and other major home improvement supply stores.

Brave:

We recommend either a non-foaming universal tractor hydraulic oil or automatic transmission fluid. However, never mix the oils. Always stay with one type when adding additional oil to your tank.

Swisher:

FILLING THE HYDRAULIC RESERVOIR
Fill the hydraulic reservoir with at least 13 ½ Quarts of Dextron III Automatic
Transmission fluid or 10W AW hydraulic fluid. After the hydraulic reservoir and the
engine crankcase are filled correctly with their respective oils, start the engine. Remember
to set the throttle and turn on the fuel shut-off valve. The hydraulic pump should prime
itself. With the engine running, move the hydraulic valve lever toward the wedge. This
will cause the cylinder to extend and expel air. When the cylinder is fully extended, retract
it. Repeat this procedure several times. An erratic movement of the cylinder indicates that
there is still air in the system. More oil should then be added to bring the fluid level up to
approximately 1” below the fill hole. After adding more oil to fill the tank, cycle the
cylinder again until it has a constant speed indicating that all air has been expelled. Check
the oil level in the reservoir again. These models require approx. 21-22 Quarts of hydraulic
fluid.
NOTE: If the tank is overfilled, it will tend to expel oil from the breather cap when the
cylinder is retracted.

 

[adrpga498]

Someone on the forum(not sure who) was buying their hydraulic oil at wallyworld the price was good and quality was sufficient....no personal experience with their brand...

May have been me. I got mine by the gallon at a WallMart store . It met manual specs for "Dextron " ?transmission fluid.

 

[GVA]

The AW-32 is a DTE#
Dexron 3 should work though.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks. What is a DTE#? It's a new world for me.
HF tech support got back to me (not awesomely impressed but it shouldn't be rocket science).
The fluid they recommend is Enerpac HF-101 or equivalent.
They said it was a 30 weight petroleum-based oil and to "adjust" for cold weather.

edit: I'm not sure that 30 weight the guy said was right.
The specs on the Enerpac site for its HF oil says it is an ISO grade of 32.
I have read that corresponds to a ~SAE 10 oil.
I'm leaning towards the AW32 (AW=anti-wear I believe)

 

[DavidV]

I have a "northstar" splitter from norther tool so I use the northern tool oil. about 11 bucks a gallon. if I recall.

 

[GVA]

Thanks. What is a DTE#? It's a new world for me.
HF tech support got back to me (not awesomely impressed but it shouldn't be rocket science).
The fluid they recommend is Enerpac HF-101 or equivalent.
They said it was a 30 weight petroleum-based oil and to "adjust" for cold weather.

edit: I'm not sure that 30 weight the guy said was right.
The specs on the Enerpac site for its HF oil says it is an ISO grade of 32.
I have read that corresponds to a ~SAE 10 oil.
I'm leaning towards the AW32 (AW=anti-wear I believe)

Man are they confusing.... That HF-101 would be the ISO# which is a 30 weight
A ISO/ ASTM# is a direct representation of what is called Kinematic viscosity, Most hydraulic oil companies call this a DTE#
It gets really confusing, But here goes.
There are 2 different SAE types there is SAE crankcase oil and SAE gear oil.
An example here A 46 kin viscosity= 46 ISO = 20W SAE crankcase oil = 80W SAE gear oil = AGMA 1(american gear manufacturer association)
That's enough to confuse alot of people.
To answer your question yes ISO 32 is = to a 10W crank case oil in viscosity. And AW is anti wear. ISO AW-32 is what you want

 

[velvetfoot]

"ISO AW-32 is what you want"

I do believe you're right, thanks. My mind is made up.
Plus, it should be readily available.

Here is a link to the HF-101 specs (the 101 just indicates the product in a gallon container.)
(broken link removed to http://www.enerpac.com/html/products/industrial_tools/syscom_imp/Cat_Pages/A_HF_LX_FZ_325US.pdf)

 

[michaelthomas]

I have a similar question. I got my splitter as a homemade model (second hand). It is filled with hydraulic fluid but I do not know what type? It is kind of milky with a green tint to it. Anyone know what that might be? and where to get more.

 

[GVA]

I have a similar question. I got my splitter as a homemade model (second hand). It is filled with hydraulic fluid but I do not know what type? It is kind of milky with a green tint to it. Anyone know what that might be? and where to get more.

If it's milky like whiteish than that is an indication of water contamination. As far as the green tint i'm not sure.

 

[velvetfoot]

Here is the email response I got from Harbor Freight. I guess it is indeed not rocket science.

"The type is not critical as long as it is clean."