Compared two brands of hydraulic oil on my Ellicott 270 last month

I ran cheap oil for two seasons and had to swap filters every other week. Switched to the premium stuff and now I get 8 weeks between changes. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in filter life with different oil brands?

2 comments

2 Comments

calebm4610d ago

Oh man, you hit on something I learned the hard way too! I ran some generic bulk oil in my 270 last year and swore the filters were just getting clogged from silt. Turns out the cheap stuff was way off on viscosity when it warmed up, causing way more bypass and dirt loading. Switched to a name brand hydraulic oil and suddenly my filter changes went from every 2-3 weeks to solid 6-8 weeks, just like you. I also started checking the specs closer after that because some bargain brands don't even meet the pump manufacturer's minimum requirements. It's a night and day difference once you get the right oil in there, no question about it.

nina_clark10d ago

Have you checked if the cheap oil was actually the right viscosity for your pump? I found out mine was too thin and it was causing way more filter changes than the oil itself.