Why is hydraulic oil maintenance important? Which hydraulic oil for forklifts should you choose?

A forklift, like most machines used for work, requires hydraulic oil to be supplied and regularly maintained. Almost the entire range of agricultural equipment, tractors, combines, telescopic loaders, balers, machines and devices that have moving or lifting parts, closing and opening parts, including a significant portion of industrial equipment, would not fulfill their function without hydraulic oil. What exactly is its phenomenon? Why is it so useful and requires regular maintenance?

What is hydraulic oil

Hydraulic oil is a lightly colored fluid in yellow or red. Thanks to being an incompressible medium, it can be subjected to unimaginable pressure to obtain great force. This translates to actuators – it’s thanks to them that elements work and move, whose movement would be unimaginable for a human. For example, the “TUZ” in a tractor, i.e., the Three-Point Hitch System, an element at the back of the tractor consisting of three points connecting the machine to the vehicle, which allows lifting aggregates, plows or seeders, or an inconspicuous forklift, some specimens of which can lift about 3.5 tons. Hydraulic oil additionally simultaneously lubricates working elements, making them wear less. Of course, not every actuator is hydraulic – the strongest ones belong to this category, while an actuator lifting, for example, a trunk lid in a car can be gas or electric.

Which oil for forklifts

Hydraulic oil is characterized by having very wide ranges of temperature and pressure resistance at which it can work, consequently, it has been divided into many types. The most commonly used is HL oil and this is the type that should be used for forklifts. It is mineral oil enriched with additives, among others. They prevent corrosion, are well suited for devices with moderate load that are not exposed to sudden temperature changes, making it ideal as oil for forklifts.

Oils for forklifts from specific manufacturers

  1. Still – HL/LHM class is recommended – oils intended for moderate loads.
  2. Jungheinrich – It’s best to use oil from the same manufacturer, for example Jungheinrich HLVP 46, or 48, with the latter being thicker so in frosty conditions the empty mast may lower slowly (or not at all)

In case of doubts about which oil to use, this type of information is always found in the instruction manual of the owned device, and if there is no manual, it can be found on the internet or by asking the manufacturer’s helpline.

How to select hydraulic oil for forklifts

Which hydraulic oil for forklifts? When deciding to purchase hydraulic oil (unless we already have a proven type and brand), we should pay attention to three things:

  1. Oil viscosity
  2. Working conditions (cool, neutral, warm)
  3. Climate

These three pieces of information are essential for the selected product to be satisfactory. We pay attention to climate when the forklift will work outdoors. If work will be performed in cool/winter conditions and the oil has viscosity at level 48, it will thicken under temperature influence. Consequently, after lifting something to maximum height and putting it down, when we want to lower the empty mast, it will either descend very slowly or not at all. In warm climate, oil thins out, so if we use oil that already has weak viscosity from the factory, it may leak. The situation is similar for work in closed rooms – for example, a cold storage has a cold climate, while a boiler room is hot – these are working conditions.

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Amount of oil in forklift

How much hydraulic oil for forklifts?

Oil tanks of different forklifts differ from each other but they oscillate in the range of 22-30 liters. When changing oil, remember to replace filters.

When to change hydraulic oil in forklifts?

According to the generally accepted guideline, hydraulic oil should be changed approximately every 500 engine hours, however there are exceptions when the forklift is used relatively rarely, then in principle the change should be made once a year.