Hello all, I have an old Hitachi EX15 which as been difficult to level loose material, I know loose materials are more difficult, but she's become bad enough I think a shovel/spade will be easier. She's become quite jerky, and it's very difficult to bring the dipper arm in and out smoothly, it's the same for the main boom, the bucket is either digging in to deep or out of the ground, help/ suggestions greatly received
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Jerky
- Thread starter quickdraw
- Start date
HarleyHappy
Senior Member
How loose are the pins and bushings?
The looser a machine gets, the harder it is to do fine work and the smallest changes in hydraulics, make big changes in the bucket.
The looser a machine gets, the harder it is to do fine work and the smallest changes in hydraulics, make big changes in the bucket.
I added Lucas hydraulic oil stabilizer to my 3 ton IHI and it helped jerkiness a lot. I estimate my ratio of treatment is about 7-8%. The previous owner was running universal tractor/hydraulic fluid in it and after reading about it I decided not to change it out because it was new oil already so I added the Lucas and it helped. Not sure if you would help you but I’ve read where it also helped others. But you may have something else going on that I’m not aware of. I’m no expert.
HarleyHappy
Senior Member
I’m not quite sure how you think Lucas solved this or made it better but would be interested to hear your ideas.
Im not big into snake oils, other than Lucas oil additives in older engines.
I have never used their hydraulic additives and am curious.
Im not big into snake oils, other than Lucas oil additives in older engines.
I have never used their hydraulic additives and am curious.
ianjoub
Senior Member
My chinese mini ex has started to get pretty jerky as well. It has no hyd filter, only a suction screen. I changed out the oil to AW100 hyd oil. It didn't get better, maybe worse. I was considering trying AW 32. My machine has 200 hrs or less, pins are all tight. This is a hydraulic issue. I was not provided with the spec of the oil it was shipped with. The recommended oil is 'condition dependent'.
I don't believe in snake oil either. My guess is that it's so much thicker and tackier that it smooths out the fluid movement a little and slows it down. There's no doubt the jerkiness improved on my machine. I thought it was a try for about $30.
I had used Lucas years ago on a Nissan transmission due to water getting in through a line in the radiator. All the transmission shops told me it will need to be replaced but I changed the fluid out about 6 times to make sure all the coolant was out and added 2 quarts of Lucas transmission fix and it smoothed it out nicely. Drove it another 150k miles and even went up Mt Washington with no issues. Was still going strong until she got totaled. So Lucas got my attention. I don't think it's a fix-it for everything but in certain situations it certainly can help.
This is what Lucas claims:
An additive for hydraulic systems that stops leaks and increases hydraulic pressure. Use in new units to stop initial wear and increase fluid life.
Lucas Hydraulic Oil Booster & Stop Leak was formulated to renew hydraulic fluid with an additive package that stops seal leaks, boosts pressure, reduces operating temperatures and increases the life of hoses, rams and cylinders. It is an inexpensive solution to most hydraulic problems and a perfect preventative maintenance product.
I had used Lucas years ago on a Nissan transmission due to water getting in through a line in the radiator. All the transmission shops told me it will need to be replaced but I changed the fluid out about 6 times to make sure all the coolant was out and added 2 quarts of Lucas transmission fix and it smoothed it out nicely. Drove it another 150k miles and even went up Mt Washington with no issues. Was still going strong until she got totaled. So Lucas got my attention. I don't think it's a fix-it for everything but in certain situations it certainly can help.
This is what Lucas claims:
An additive for hydraulic systems that stops leaks and increases hydraulic pressure. Use in new units to stop initial wear and increase fluid life.
Lucas Hydraulic Oil Booster & Stop Leak was formulated to renew hydraulic fluid with an additive package that stops seal leaks, boosts pressure, reduces operating temperatures and increases the life of hoses, rams and cylinders. It is an inexpensive solution to most hydraulic problems and a perfect preventative maintenance product.
HarleyHappy
Senior Member
I may try some in my Jeep JK’s transmission as it’s slipping a little backing up a hill into my garage.
It's worth a try!
I'm not fully understanding quickdraw's issues either...I don't understand if he's saying all the hydraulics are jerky (like mine were) or if it's just the dipper cylinder. If it's just one cylinder doing that i would pull it apart and examine it for seals damage. They may be completely shot. But if this is happening all across the board, it could be something else happening. I was thinking that most smaller machines tend to be a bit jerky, even the older quality name brand machines such as the Hitachi. But of course we know the jerkiness of the new Chinese machines.
I'm not fully understanding quickdraw's issues either...I don't understand if he's saying all the hydraulics are jerky (like mine were) or if it's just the dipper cylinder. If it's just one cylinder doing that i would pull it apart and examine it for seals damage. They may be completely shot. But if this is happening all across the board, it could be something else happening. I was thinking that most smaller machines tend to be a bit jerky, even the older quality name brand machines such as the Hitachi. But of course we know the jerkiness of the new Chinese machines.