Just hit 500 hours on my hydraulic pump and had to stop and check the manual

I was running a job on the Mississippi backwater near Vicksburg last Tuesday when my pump hour meter ticked over to 500. I slapped my own forehead because I totally forgot to swap the hydraulic fluid at the 400 hour mark like the manual says. So I shut everything down right there, drove 45 minutes to the nearest parts house, and spent $180 on new fluid and a filter. I guess my point is that milestone numbers can sneak up on you. Anybody else ever forget a routine service interval and pay for it later?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_diana21d ago

$180 on new fluid and a filter" - that's not bad actually, you got off pretty light lol. I've seen guys destroy a whole pump because they let the fluid go too long and it got all sludgy. But hey, 500 hours is still pretty early in the game for most pumps. I'd say you caught it before any real damage could happen, just wasted some time and money. Next time just set a reminder on your phone or write the interval on the pump housing with a sharpie, that's what I do.

milaw1421d ago

Write the interval RIGHT on the pump housing with a sharpie like they said, that's what I do on all my equipment and it saves me every time. Set a phone reminder a week before too, that way you don't forget when you get busy. Catching it at 500 hours with just a fluid and filter change means you dodged a much bigger bill down the road.

uma_ellis21d ago

Phone reminder a month out and a sharpie note on the pump cover saves me every single time.