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IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ NOW
Hydraulic Fluid Contamination
Hydraulic Fluid Contamination poses a serious issue for your Lift; contaminants such as water, dirt, or
other debris can get into the Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings on your Lift, making your new Lift inoperable
and unusable.
Your Lift is shipped with clean components; however, BendPak strongly recommends that you take
secondary precaution and clean all Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings prior to making connections. It is bet-
ter and less costly to take these extra steps now so that you do not need to take your Lift out of service
later to fix issues that could have been prevented at the time of the installation.
There are several ways to clean Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings:
• Compressed air. Use an air compressor to blow out contaminants from each Hydraulic Hose and Fit-
ting prior to installation. Clean, dry air is preferred. Wear eye protection (safety glasses, goggles, or face
shield) when using compressed air for cleaning. Never point an air hose nozzle at any part of your body
or any other person.
• Fluid flushing. As long as the Hydraulic Fluid is clean and compatible with the system fluid, you can
flush Hoses and Fittings to create turbulent flow and remove particulates. Always ensure that the fluid
itself is contaminant-free.
Some additional steps that will help keep the Hydraulic Fluid clean:
• Remove old thread seal tape. Some ports on the Hydraulic Cylinders are shipped with temporary plugs
secured with thread seal tape, so make sure to thoroughly remove any leftover thread seal tape that may
inadvertently enter the Hydraulic System.
• Use a liquid thread sealant only. Teflon paste-type thread sealant or Loctite™ 5452 thread sealant
is recommended for all NPT Fittings. Do not over tighten NPT Fittings or they may crack. Do not use
thread seal tape on flare-end JIC 37-degree bevel Fittings or ORB O-Ring Fittings.
• Always use clean equipment. If you use a dirty bucket or funnel to transfer the Hydraulic Fluid into the
Hydraulic Fluid Reservoir, the contaminants will likely be introduced into the Fluid. When using cleaning
rags, use a lint-free rag.
• Proper storage. Keep the Hydraulic Fluid sealed in its container until ready for use. Store the Fluid in a
clean, dry, and cool area.
• Cover the Hoses and Fittings. Before installation, do not leave the ends of the Fittings exposed; the
same applies for Hydraulic Hoses. As a general rule, keep the Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings capped and
kept in a clean area until ready for use.
• Filter the new Hydraulic Fluid. Just because it is new does not necessarily mean it is clean. Use an
offline filtration cart or kidney loop system to make sure the Hydraulic Fluid is clean before being trans-
ferred into the Reservoir (even using a heavy duty nylon mesh screen is better than trusting what is left at
the bottom of the barrel).
• Avoid mixing different types of Hydraulic Fluid. If Hydraulic Fluid needs to be replaced, make sure to
flush the Hydraulic System of the old Hydraulic Fluid before you add the replacement fluid; do not mix
the two together.
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