Hydraulic Failures Aren’t Random; They’re a Maintenance Strategy Problem

Hydraulic systems rarely fail without warning; they happen when warning signs are ignored. 

In most facilities, breakdowns are the result of gradual, compounding issues – contamination, moisture, heat, and wear – that develop over time and go unaddressed until a component can no longer maintain functional integrity. When that happens, the response is urgent and expensive, and the root causes often remain in place.

The difference between predictable uptime and chronic downtime is almost always tied to how hydraulic systems are maintained.

How Maintenance Strategy Defines Reliability

Across manufacturing, hydraulic maintenance spans a wide spectrum. At one end are operations that run equipment until failure. At the other end are facilities that intentionally design failure out of the system through disciplined cleanliness control, monitoring, and proactive fluid care. 

Understanding where a system sits on the maintenance spectrum is the first step toward improving reliability and controlling cost.

At the most basic level is breakdown (reactive) maintenance. In this environment, pumps, valves, and cylinders are left in service until they fail. Repairs are unplanned, downtime is unavoidable, and the response is chaotic. Contamination is frequently blamed after the fact but rarely controlled in advance. This common approach is the most expensive way to maintain hydraulic equipment over time.

Scheduled (time-based) maintenance is a step forward, increasing operational performance by 28 percent. Components are serviced or replaced at fixed intervals, often based on OEM recommendations. This introduces predictability, but it does not account for real operating conditions. Systems running in dirty environments or at higher pressures may degrade faster than the schedule anticipates, while other components are replaced long before their useful life is exhausted.

Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance add a critical layer of intelligence that enhances operational performance an additional 16 percent beyond scheduled programs, for a combined gain of roughly 44 percent over reactive maintenance. Instead of relying on time alone, maintenance decisions are informed by data for particle counts, moisture levels, temperature trends, viscosity changes, and wear metals. Tracking these parameters over time exposes early warning signs long before a system fails. Manufacturers should target their maintenance programs to at least this level. 

The highest level of maintenance maturity is proactive preventative maintenance. The emphasis shifts from detecting failure to eliminating the conditions that cause failure. Cleanliness control, moisture exclusion, proper filtration design, and stable operating temperatures become standard practice. Manufacturers that fully adopt proactive preventative maintenance achieve up to an astonishing 99% improvement in operational performance compared to breakdown maintenance.

Where a system falls on this spectrum ultimately determines both reliability outcomes and the true cost of operation.

Substantial Financial Implications

When downtime occurs, is the real cost fully understood or only the repair cost?

Unplanned downtime disrupts production schedules, strains maintenance resources, and can ripple through supply chains. In large manufacturing environments, even a few hours of downtime can translate into significant revenue loss.

In most cases, the costs traced to downtime originate long before the failure itself. Contamination control sits at the center of this discussion. Solid particulates, moisture, air ingress, and oxidation byproducts all accelerate wear and degrade fluid performance. Early indicators such as darkening fluid, rising temperatures, or increasing filter differential pressure are often visible long before failure.

Effective preventative maintenance addresses this by limiting ingress at every point, from proper filtration and clean fluid handling to sealed reservoirs and desiccant breathers that manage moisture and airborne contaminants.

Fluid chemistry also plays a decisive role. Oxidation, thermal stress, and additive depletion shorten fluid life if operating conditions are not controlled. Proactive programs rely on routine sampling and laboratory analysis to establish baseline fluid integrity and identify abnormal trends early.

From Early Insight to Informed Action

Predictive maintenance tools – oil analysis, particle counting, temperature tracking, and wear debris analysis – consistently reveal developing problems long before operational symptoms appear. What those tools reveal, however, must be interpreted in the context of each system’s operating environment.

That context matters because, typically, no two hydraulic systems operate under identical conditions. Effective maintenance programs account for operating pressure, environmental severity, contamination load, equipment criticality, and production demand.

This variability is why improving hydraulic reliability does not require a complete overhaul. It begins with understanding current conditions, establishing a baseline, and making informed, incremental improvements. The closer maintenance practices move toward proactive prevention, the greater the return in uptime, reliability, and cost efficiency.

At the Forefront of Hydraulic Reliability

For decades, Hill & Griffith has helped industrial manufacturers translate maintenance theory into practical, facility-specific solutions that improve uptime, reduce unplanned downtime, and control maintenance and operating costs. 

Contact us at sales@hillandgriffith.com for a no-pressure, no-cost discussion to explore system nuances, unique operating dynamics, and high-impact opportunities to improve reliability.