Kept telling guys hydraulic oil is hydraulic oil...

Ran a job with a cheap brand last fall and had a valve stick after three months in the cold. Switched to a name brand and haven't had a problem since - what's your go-to oil for colder climates?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_susan1mo ago

You seriously had a valve stick after only three months from cheap oil? That's wild. I ran a job with a generic brand one time and after a week at 10 below the whole system sounded like it was grinding rocks. Switched to a higher tier winter blend and it ran smooth all season. I don't have a specific brand loyalty for cold, but I stick to anything labeled for arctic or severe winter duty. That valve sticking thing would have scared me straight too.

joseph_murray81mo ago

Seventy bucks for a five gallon pail of house brand hydraulic oil saved me money for two years straight across three different machines with zero valve problems. That generic brand you used probably had water in it from poor storage, not from the base oil being bad. Cold weather performance is about viscosity rating and additive package, not the name on the bottle.