Is there anything worse than your production stopping due to your machinery breaking down?

Or the ever present uncertainty that one of your machines won’t start?

In most cases this is due to your hydraulic components breaking down; which is particularly painful when there were signs of this happening weeks ago. The all-important hydraulics were playing up and were due to be serviced, however you were busy, and business got in the way. It’s ok, it happens to everyone.

But when you know in the back of your mind that your machinery needs maintenance and will fall over any day now, it’s like a dark cloud hanging over your head. It’s a bit like that constant slow leaking tyre that you just keep topping up – when you know it’s going to go totally flat any day now.

This feeling can easily be avoided with the right amount of planning and maintenance of your hydraulic components.

Because without your hydraulic system working, nothing works.

What are the side effects of Hydraulic breakdowns

• Lost production

• Extra labour to get production done

• Hydraulic Technicians – often performing repairs after hours

• Your machine produces reject parts, or wastage

• When your hydraulics are not moving properly – this often damages other parts of your machinery

So what are the 6 most common causes of hydraulic system breakdown?

1. Contaminated hydraulic oil

2. Hydraulic system running too hot

3. Worn and leaking moving components

4. Leaking cylinders, pumps, motors, valves, fitting and hose connection

5. Worn or damaged hydraulic hoses

6. Sludge or varnish in the oil

Without your hydraulics, everything stops.

Therefore the cost to your business of hydraulic system breakdowns can be anywhere between $1000/hr to $100,000’s /hr. Compared to $140/hr to have your hydraulic machinery inspected and serviced each quarter.

In 2021 we had a customer who kept running there 2500T press with an excessive leak from the main cylinder. They knew it was a problem, as they’d been topping up around 120 litres of oil each week, and were seeing signs. But they just kept going.

By the time Flotek was called in and the cylinder was removed for repair the main plunger was totally cactus. The whole thing was damaged beyond repair - seals totally destroyed, barrel bore scored, metal contamination throughout the entire system. It was done.

Flotek immediately embarked on a full cylinder repair and system flush which cost just over $42,000 and the machine was down for 6 weeks! Had our client addressed the leak as soon as it became evident, it would have meant production was down for less than 24hrs, and it would have saved them around $31,000.

This company now has Flotek carry out a quarterly inspection of their presses which costs less than $900/quarter.

Flotek are the Hydraulic System experts - it’s our day job!

If you have hydraulic presses that are causing you suspicion – you can give Flotek a call anytime. We can have one of our hydraulics technicians out within 24 hours anywhere in greater Melbourne; potentially saving your business thousands of dollars in production downtime.

We also offer Scheduled Inspection Programs, which means that a Flotek Technician will be on your site every 3 months for 3 hours to ensure your important hydraulic equipment works reliably for longer.

Our mission is to keep your production going – it’s all about More Up-Time.