Lubricants News and Updates

As the leaves change colors and the cold winds blow in, it's time to gear up and prepare your heavy-duty fleet for the fall and winter seasons!

• Think Colder:
  • Preparing for cold weather operation is a combination of several facts.
    • Verifying coolants are in optimal condition.
    • Verifying the correct engine oil and viscosity for cold seasons according to OEM recommendations. Lighter viscosity engine oils allow for easier startups in cold weather.
  • Training equipment operators and drivers of proper cold weather start-up and warm-up procedures. Keep in mind excessive idle time is as detrimental to equipment and lubricates as no warm-up time.
  • Thickening fluid can create resistance to flow through a filter which could result in filter damage or bypass.
• Why Warm-up and Consider Using Lighter Viscosity Engine Oils:
  • Most of the wear in engines, up to 80% of wear, can be attributed to cold start-ups.
  • Using the proper or lighter viscosity grade of oil can significantly reduce wear because the lubricant can flow to moving parts of the engine much quicker.
  • Warm-up cycles for an engine should be long enough to bring the engine up to normal operating temperature which will minimize wear and improves the service life of parts, such as turbochargers, bearings, and piston rings. The need for DPF cleaning can be impacted positively by a warm-up procedure.    
• Things To Test Before The Colder Weather Is Here:
  • Block heaters, which keep the coolant at a warm temperature when the vehicle is parked.
  • Proper sizing of a heating element is very important for ultimate coolant temperature. Also, just because the engine temperature is warm at start-up does not mean all the other parts in the vehicle have been warmed as well. Letting all components warm-up to normal operating temperature before working at 100% is very important.
  • With Diesel engines, the DPF checked and/or cleaned as it can impact the warm-up procedure.  
  • Testing DEF heaters for cold operation should be part of the schedule maintenance as DEF can freeze and could cause engine shut down.

Hopefully these tips will help you prepare your heavy-duty fleet for the colder weather! As always, if you have any questions or would like to go more in depth, feel free to reach out to us.

Quality hydraulic fluids have advanced formulations, high VI and the most advance additive packages to provide operating and maintenance benefits for increased productivity and less downtime. T

wo rules of thumb for hydraulic fluid are to keep it - “Clean and Dry”, because research and testing has proven that over 80% of hydraulic pumps wear and system failures are due to particulates and water contamination. Production downtime and labor costs for repairs often outweigh the cost of replacement of hydraulic components or systems. 

A hydraulic system can be complex with very high pressures. Most hydraulic system components have very tight tolerances ranging from 0.1 to 40 microns. Particles larger then allow tolerances can weaken the lubricant film and cause premature wear. Ingression of particulates (contaminates) usually enters the hydraulic system reservoirs or tanks through the breather cap. This is because a hydraulic reservoir will “breathe” every time the fluid is pumped in and out of an actuator or cylinder. Most particulate starts off as just airborne dust or dirt, then it finds its way into hydraulic reservoirs. From the reservoirs the particulates can find their way to the hydraulic pump and out to valves, bushings, seals, bearings, and other components. It is here that premature wear begins.

Filtration and quality breather elements are key to minimizing airborne contamination. Filtration and filter elements should be specific to the hydraulic system and its tolerances. This also holds true for a reservoir/tank breather element. Like a quality filter, a quality desiccant breather is one that: achieves the target level for “cleanliness and dryness”, has the capacity to hold and filter contaminants between fluid change-outs, but also should be easily visible for routine inspection during preventive maintenance.

Preventing the ingression of contaminants and water with quality filters, breather and hydraulic fluid is easier and costs much less then downtime or labor to replace a hydraulic system or components.

To summarize: Keeping hydraulic fluid “Clean and Dry” will extend the life of the fluid and the equipment.

Dennis K Burke is excited to announce that we are now an official distributor of Castrol automotive & heavy duty lubricants throughout the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont! 

Castrol is a premium product line, and offers a range of advanced motor oils including synthetics, synthetic blends, high mileage, conventional, and diesel engine oils.  We are excited to add Castrol to our product mix!

For more information on Castrol & Castrol Lubricants, check out their website at www.castrol.com