Land & Water changes hydraulic fluid

Specialist contractor Land & Water has decided to convert all its excavators to use non-toxic and biodegradable hydraulic fluid.

However, the array of biodegradable oils is bewildering and not all are non-toxic - criteria laid down by the likes of the Environment Agency and the water companies.

To evaluate the cost and difficulty of converting to bio-oils, and maintaining the lubricant once it is in the machine, the company is undertaking a trial with three different oils in near identical machines.

Our sister magazine PMJ follows the trial and in this first instalment reports on the types of oil available and difficulties in converting in-service machines.

For the full story so far, log into Archive on www.contractjournal.com under biodegradable trial.