Purging hydraulic system (water in oil)

Open center or closed center hydraulics? I presume open center on a small unit like that in which case you get return flow when the pump is operating regardless of operating the cylinders, so you'll go through a lot of fluid by the time you cycle all the cylinders.

They make "tank tampons" that you can hang in a diesel fuel tank which absorb water, but not diesel fuel. Possibly they might be able to be used in your hydraulic oil to absorb water in the tank.

Good question. I am not sure. But there is a number of valves that can be actuated to operate this beavertail. I do not think that they would work together if they were open center.

Together or one at a time? If your power unit is a little gas engine and a basic gear pump it's most likely open center, more common and cheaper. Closed center uses variable displacement pumps and is used on large construction equipment allowing simultaneous operation of functions.

You didn't purge it from the start, so it wouldn't contaminate your hydraulic pump? I thought that was -everybody's- first action, in case it contains water/swarf from a bad old pump.

I've seen a couple cylinders with drain ports, but I doubt that's the norm. You're going to go through several 5gal buckets of hyd oil in the process, but if you can't drain 'em, cycling is the only other way I know of. Then keep a tampon in there to sop up what you miss.

And I bet that happened when you had trucked out to an auction site and had a fork lift loaded and waiting for you to lower the trailer. And the window for pick-up was about to close. My sympathies. Bob

one at a time, or together.

The pump is variablle displacement. It is an expensive pump. It is not from some kind of a toy like log splitter. i

Not a direct answer to your question, but I think the oil they sell for snowplows is supposed to have some chemicals that absorb water. Maybe, once you are done doing whatever it is you do end up doing, that kind of hydraulic oil would be the way to go.

Pete Stanaitis

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Well, if it is a closed center system that will help by only having return flow when you are actuating the cylinders and whatnot. Less fluid needed and less contaminated fluid to dispose of.