"Could you describe, or better yet post a pic, of you filter rig."
Google "filter cart" and you will get lots of hits, seems like every hydraulics house has their own design. I used one that we made ourselves, and the second one I bought because I didn't have the time to design and build it.
frame
- Most are built out of a light duty hand cart for mobility
- should have a means to loop the hose, hold the suction tube, and have a small pan under everything to contain the drips
inlet hose with ball valve and a length of tubing on the end
- ball valve keeps the oil in the hose when the pump is off to minimize the mess
- the tube is used to suck out of reservoirs
strainer, wire mesh
- optional, will make the pump last longer
pump with your choice of power
- usually cheap gear pump
- sized depending on how much oil you need to move and how quickly
- I don't see why you couldn't use a hand pump - good for building muscles
- Some put a electric reel on the cart so you don't have to search for an extension cord all the time
- little box with a switch
relief valve
- in case the filters are plugged or the ball valve on the return hose is closed
- looped back to the pump inlet
filter(s)
- Most use a very common spin-on element like those found on skid steers. Many different sources and options.
return hose
- ball valve on the end to minimize the mess
The cheapest option is to run one filter with a similar micron rating as your equipment. The potential issue is that you can fill the filter up quickly.
Most carts will run two spin-on filters in series. The first one will be coarse, something in the 30-40 micron range. This is to capture the mid-sized debris and larger. The second filter should probably be 5-10 micron to catch all the small stuff. I think most 80's or older machines will have a 20 micron filter or coarser. With this set-up you will be splitting the debris between two filters allowing a longer change out interval and the second filter may do a little better job. Some people also use a water absorbing filter - I have never used one so I can't say how well they work.
ISZ