HiRanger bucket truck

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Ray

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Aug 20, 2003
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Illinois
Can anybody tell me what hydraulic oil should be used in a high lift HiRanger bucket unit? The oil that is in it now is red and seems light weight. Other owners have told me they use any standard, universal hydraulic oil, such as HyTran which I keep in stock for farm equipment. If HiRanger is not out of business, I would like to order a service manual for this unit. Along with the HyRanger name it also has the name Altec on it. It was built in 1988. Thanks for any help.
 
Ray,

My old lift (a different brand) required a special dielectric fluid called Shell Tellus T-22.

It would be best to track down the manufacturer (www.altec.com) and find out what they specify.

And, a local guy died this spring using an aerial lift incorrectly - no safety harness and he was catapulted out onto the ground 30 feet below.

The owners manual will really point out the safety info required to use these units correctly. Their use results in many deaths each year.

Best of luck.

[ July 28, 2004, 05:02 PM: Message edited by: doitmyself ]
 
It is normally aviation spec 5606 (red in color). Among the various things in the spec is the dielectric strength, another is a high viscosity index ISO 15, making it suitable for different climates. But the manuals for this equipment then go on to say in hot climates you can use an ISO 32 as long as it has the high dielectric strength. Hydraulic oils vary a lot in their dielectric strength. In the tropics here we use Chevron Rykon Premium ISO 32.
 
One of the major problems with bucket trucks is that we put in this low di-electric hydraulic oil which then begins to pick up moisture the minute it is put in.. As you well know, water conducts electric current just fine.. Manufacturers of Cherry Pickers/Bucket trucks do absolutely nothing to prevent the oil from airborne contaminants, inclouding moisture. The addition of a desiccant breather is highly recommended. This will keep that low di-electric hydraulic oil (preferably Mil L 5606) clean and DRY, thus safe for bucket/cherry picker use.. Frankly, the use of desiccant breather is even more important than the oil in that even 5605A will become unusable in short order without moisture protection...
George Morrison
 
I'll second Georges suggestion and add that here the oil is generally tested periodically for dielectric strength, run through a drier/filter as needed and re-used.
 
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