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Eco-Friendly Hydraulic Fluids: How They Benefit the Environment

Eco-Friendly Hydraulic Fluids How They Benefit the Environment
Eco-Friendly Hydraulic Fluids How They Benefit the Environment

Eco-friendly hydraulic jacks are automotive lifting equipment that use fluid power to lift and lower vehicles for maintenance and do so without harming the environment. 

Whether through their mechanism of operation or the materials required to construct them, environment friendly jacks do not deplete the planet’s resources or pollute them in the process. 

This is in stark contrast to earlier, traditional variants, which have been increasingly wiped out through a variety of regulatory policies, specifications and labelling schemes by government and international standardization agencies. 

Before we go into how vehicle maintenance technology has advanced over the years and how hydraulic fluid- a chief component of that development- has benefited the environment, we will take a quick look at what hydraulics are. 

What are Hydraulic Jacks? 

A hydraulic jack consists of: 

  • Reservoir or buffer tank 
  • Pump with piston or plunger 
  • Pump lever or handle 
  • Check valve 
  • Main cylinder or ram 
  • Release valve 
  • Handle 

The piston is responsible for lifting the heavy load or weight. It is usually mechanically activated by shifting the positions of the handle or pump lever attached to it. This movement builds up pressure in the hydraulic fluid contained inside the reservoir or buffer tank. 

The pressure created allows the fluid to move through a check valve into the ram or main cylinder, which then pops out of the main body of the hydraulic jack creating the force required to lift the load. Finally, the release valve relieves the built pressure for easy retraction and lowering of the ram with the load on it. 

Vehicle Maintenance Technology- Regulatory Schemes Through the Years 

These measures and initiatives aim to minimize waste and reduce environmental impact throughout the entire hydraulic fluid product life cycle. Some of these are discussed below- 

  • EU Ecolabel– The EU Ecolabel is part of a broader EU Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy adopted by the European Commission that links the EU Ecolabel to other EU policies. EU Ecolabel meets the ISO 14020 Type I requirements for ecolabels. 
  • Blue Angel Eco-label– The Blue Angel is an environmental label in Germany that has been awarded to particularly environmentally friendly products and services since 1978 by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. It highlights more environmentally friendly and healthy developments and alternatives in areas where standard products have a negative impact on the environment. 
  • Swedish Standard SS 15 54 34 Category V– The Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) developed the Swedish Standard SS 15 54 34. It includes environmental requirements for hydraulic oils that contribute to their classification as non-hazardous to health and the environment. It stipulates the need for high biodegradability, low acute and chronic toxicity of the additives toward water organisms. 
  • Vessel Incidental Discharge Act– Issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States of America, the VIDA establishes a framework for the regulation of discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel under a new Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 312. 
  • USDA BioPreferred® Product Label– The USDA Biopreferred program has two major initiatives- Federal Procurement Preference and Product Labeling. It promotes the increased purchase and use of biobased products to reduce petroleum consumption, increase the use of renewable resources, better manage the carbon cycle, and reduce adverse environmental and health impacts, while promoting economic development, creating new jobs and providing new markets for farm commodities. 

Eco-Friendly Hydraulic Jack Fluids 

There are four basic types of eco-friendly hydraulic jack fluids- 

  1. HETG Fluids (Hydraulic Environmental Triglyceride)– The category of Biodegradable Hydraulic Oils is governed by the internationally accepted standard ISO 15380 (2016) and technical rule VDMA 24568 (1994). ISO 15380 standard specifies the requirements for biodegradable hydraulic oils in 4 main material product groups: HETG, HEPG, HEES and HEPR. The minimum content of base fluid for each product group shall not be less than 70 % (m/m). HETGs are technically limited by lower resistance to oxidation and temperature stability, as result of their “double bond”. HETG oils feature very high levels of biodegradability and are used in older, less demanding, hydraulic systems. For technically highly demanding hydraulic applications HETG’s are not fully suitable.
  2. HEES Fluids (Hydraulic Environmental Ester Synthetic)– Due to technical and environmental capability HEES products currently lead in the category of biodegradable hydraulic fluids. Group HEES further splits into 2 sub-categories with different levels of performance properties: a) Unsaturated (or partially saturated) synthetic esters are products based on vegetable resources or their mixtures. Their technical applicability in high demanding applications individually depends on the composition of the mixture. b) Saturated synthetic esters currently provide the most sophisticated, environmentally acceptable solution for hydraulic systems. Technical advantages of saturated synthetic esters are performance benefits, extreme stability, wide temperature range, compatibility, high levels of biodegradation and renewable resources.
  3. HEPG Fluids (Hydraulic Environmental Poly Glycol)– Performance-wise HEPG’s are highly sophisticated products. However, their severely limiting factors are incompatibility with paint, sealing materials, hoses, and virtually any other type of hydraulic oil. HEPG’s are also questioned for poor biodegradation and not meeting criteria for renewable resources, e.g. unable to obtain Ecolabels. HEPG oils are used only on a small scale. Despite these factors they have some heavy-duty advantages like good resistance to ageing, good lubrication properties, and leakages are easily washed away and invisible in water. This is why their application lies in the fields of water, such as locks, weirs, dredgers etc., concrete mixing systems, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs industries. It is not recommended in construction machinery, and its overall use is in decline, with the trend towards HEES-type media.
  4. HEPR Fluids (Hydraulic Environmental Polyalphaolefin and Related)– HEPR oils are technically well-developed products. However, their environmental acceptance is often compromised (similar to HEPG). HEPRs are produced in very low viscosities, limiting their primary applicability. Viscosity modifiers are required to improve their usability in common hydraulic applications.

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Bridge Jacks Floor jacks Hydraulic Jacks Jacks Pit Jacks Truck Jacks

What Type of Jack Do I Need for a Truck?

Trucks need periodic maintenance and repair to run smoothly and carry freight across the continent. So, truckers have to rely on workshops to keep their vehicles up and running. Which tool do the workshops rely on the most to service trucks? It’s the truck jack.

The type of Truck jacks are by far the most popular and effective vehicle servicing tools in the world. They use hydraulics to lift heavy trucks with minimum effort from the user. Once elevated, the truck’s undercarriage becomes accessible to technicians, aiding in servicing essential components like the transmission, exhaust system, and wheels.

Truck jacks come in many different varieties and weight capacities. Let’s look at the most popular iterations so that you can choose the perfect equipment for your workshop or garage.

1. The Heavy-duty Floor Jack

Hands down, this is the most popular truck jack on the market. Incredibly easy to operate, fast, efficient, and safe, the heavy-duty floor jack serves as the backbone of the car and truck service industry worldwide.

The floor jack’s lifting mechanism comprises a set of hydraulic cylinders filled with a viscous fluid, pistons, a pumping handle, and a lifting apparatus. When the operator pumps the handle, the hydraulic fluid transfers and compounds the pressure on the piston of the lifting apparatus and makes short work of lifting heavy vehicles.

When buying a heavy duty floor jack for your garage or workshop, look for the following attributes:

  • Always buy a truck jack with a greater weight capacity than the heaviest truck you are planning to lift. This way the jack won’t buckle under the weight of the vehicle and compromise the safety of the user and the vehicle.
  • What’s your truck’s ground clearance like? Is it a lifted truck or a standard one? These are two important questions you need to ask yourself before homing in on the truck jack with the right lift height.
  • The best floor jacks for cars, trucks, EVs, and other vehicles are made of strong and durable materials like high-tensile steel. This makes them last really long and give a great return on the investment.

2. The Bottle Jack

Why are bottle jacks called ‘bottle’ jacks? Well, they are shaped like bottles! That’s it. No surprises there. These stubby jacks are robust and designed for heavy-duty lifting. And like the floor jacks, bottle jacks utilize the power of hydraulics to lift big and bulky vehicles high enough for undercarriage repair and maintenance.

If you own a full-sized pickup truck or a large commercial vehicle, a bottle jack might be the tool you need. Its compact design and smaller footprint compared to a floor jack make a bottle jack easier to move around and store.

The only catch is that bottle jacks aren’t known to lift as high as floor jacks and might not be the right tool to work on lifted trucks or off-road vehicles.

3. Scissor Jacks for Small Trucks and Cars

Scissor jacks are cool mechanical devices that convert rotational motion into upward thrust, lifting cars and small trucks in the process. You must have one as part of your car’s standard toolkit.

Scissor jacks come in handy in case of roadside repairs like tire changing and undercarriage inspection. A light yet sturdy build and incredibly small footprint make these cool tools perfect for lifting cars in tight spaces and uneven surfaces.  But lifting loaded trucks is an absolute No for scissor jacks because they are simply not built to carry the weight of large and bulky vehicles.

4. Pit Jacks

Pit jacks have been keeping trucking fleets on the road for ages now. It’s impossible to imagine a truck or bus servicing workshop without a pit jack, and there’s a good reason for that.

Vehicles like large trucks and armored cars must take a lot of beating on their undercarriage due to the kind of terrain they normally have to endure. Only a pit jack has the robustness and lifting power to elevate these vehicles high enough for major undercarriage repair.

The only caveat is that these super-efficient tools need to be installed in dedicated service pits for them to operate. Despite their lack of mobility, pit jacks are tough and durable. Modern pit jacks rely on a combination of hydraulics and compressed air pumps for heavy lifting. They also have stackable adapters to accommodate all types of vehicles and subframes. So yes, you can trust a pit jack to lift anything you throw at it.

5. Rolling Bridge Jacks

Rolling bridge jacks are hydraulic devices designed to operate in tandem with four-post lifts. A set of roller bearings makes it easy to maneuver a bridge jack in a service pit.

Operating one is easy too. You just need to place the lifting apparatus of the jack under your vehicle and activate the hydraulic system and voila! Your vehicle is lifted high enough for easy access to the undercarriage. All modern bridge jacks use a combination of hydraulics and pneumatic pressure (compressed air) to lift cars and trucks. An intuitive control system aided by a locking mechanism makes the operation safe and easy.

Now that you know what’s selling, consider the following tips to home in on the perfect truck jack for your workshop:

6. Mind Your Truck’s Weight and Size

Before selecting a jack, it’s crucial to know the maximum weight of the trucks you are going to service. Check the manufacturer’s specifications for the maximum weight capacity of the truck jack you are planning to buy. Using a jack with insufficient capacity is a recipe for disaster.

Safety First: Use Jack Stands

Regardless of the jack type, always prioritize safety. Once your truck is lifted, secure it with jack stands. This provides an extra layer of protection, preventing accidents in case the jack fails.

Endnote:

Choosing a truck jack is a decision that can seriously impact your maintenance routine. Whether you opt for a scissor jack, heavy-duty floor jack, or a full-blown rolling bridge jack, make sure it aligns with your truck’s specifications. Remember, investing in the right tools ensures the longevity of your workshop business.

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