Waste & Recycling
High pressure, high duty cycle, and the dirtiest environment we work in.
Waste and recycling plant is the hardest environment we work in for hydraulics, and it is a combination of things rather than any single one.
Why hose life is genuinely shorter here
Duty cycle. A baler cycles continuously for a whole shift. An excavator, however hard it is working, has gaps. Continuous high-pressure cycling is simply more fatigue.
Heat. Systems that never rest run hot, and hot oil ages hose from the inside while the outside still looks fine.
Contamination. The dust on a waste site is abrasive and it gets everywhere: into breathers, past seals, onto every surface you might open up. It is why pumps on these sites fail more than they should.
Physical damage. Sharp material, moving steel and hoses that run where material can fall on them.
What that means practically
Reactive maintenance works badly here, because failure rates are high enough that you will be reacting constantly. Scheduled hose replacement on the high-duty circuits, planned into shutdowns, costs less than the unplanned stoppages it prevents.
The other thing worth doing is fixing the environment rather than only the parts. A breather that is missing, a cooler packed with dust, a filter nobody has changed since installation: these are what turn a normal hydraulic system into one that eats components. We will point them out.
Shutdowns
Fixed plant is far better worked on when it is off. If you have a planned shutdown, tell us the window and we will get the hydraulic work done inside it rather than adding to your unplanned downtime.
Machines we work on
- Static and mobile balers
- Compactors and transfer stations
- Material handlers with grabs and magnets
- Shears and scrap processing equipment
- Trommels, picking lines and conveyors
- Refuse collection vehicle bodies
Common questions
Our baler is slowing down. Is it the pump?
Maybe, but on a baler check the oil temperature and the filters first. Waste plant runs hot and dirty, and a hot system loses pressure and slows down without anything having actually failed. If the oil is overheating, fixing the cooling is the real repair.
Can you work on a static plant during a shutdown?
Yes, and that is usually the sensible way to do it. Give us the window and we will plan the work into it. Hydraulics on fixed plant are much easier to do properly when the line is off.
Why do hoses fail so quickly on our site?
Three reasons, usually together: heat, contamination and duty cycle. Waste plant runs long shifts at high pressure in an environment full of abrasive dust. Hose life on a baler is genuinely shorter than on an excavator, and the answer is scheduled replacement rather than waiting.
Do you handle the oil spillage side?
We contain what we can and take waste oil away, but a significant spill on a permitted site is a matter for your own procedures and, potentially, your regulator. We will tell you honestly what has been released.
Machine down? We can usually be with you the same day.
Tell us the machine, the hose and where you are. We will tell you honestly whether we can reach you and what it will cost before we set off.