We are seeing more and more requests for biodegradable, fish friendly hydraulic oil in the solicitations that we respond to. We have a Cat 320DL that has Cat's HYDO 10w in it now. The dealer says that it is about a $10,000 process to completely change out the system to eco friendly oil, which includes some dis-assembly of cylinders and valves.
I need to get this done at some point in the future and am wondering if any of you have done this. It involves a lot more than just dumping the existing fluid, changing the filters, and replacing the fluid, but I was wondering about doing just that with a compatible oil and running it for a few hours and then repeating the process a couple of times to where the remaining original fluid amount would be negligible.
I should add that we specialize in stream channel restoration, which takes place in watersheds that have species of concern and anadromous fish populations.
Any thoughts?
I need to get this done at some point in the future and am wondering if any of you have done this. It involves a lot more than just dumping the existing fluid, changing the filters, and replacing the fluid, but I was wondering about doing just that with a compatible oil and running it for a few hours and then repeating the process a couple of times to where the remaining original fluid amount would be negligible.
I should add that we specialize in stream channel restoration, which takes place in watersheds that have species of concern and anadromous fish populations.
Any thoughts?