I finally figured out a quick way to spot a failing hydraulic line before it blows

On a tower crane in Charlotte last month, I started hearing a faint, rhythmic hiss on the swing that sounded like air but was actually a tiny pinhole leak. I wiped the suspect line with a clean rag and saw a faint, almost invisible oil mist appear, which saved us from a major cleanup and downtime. Anyone else have a good trick for catching those sneaky leaks early?

3 comments

3 Comments

verawhite9d ago

Wait, you were up on a tower crane and just heard that? My hearing is shot after twenty years on the ground, I can't imagine picking up a faint hiss with all that wind and engine noise. That's some next-level attention to detail, man. I would have written it off as normal hydraulic chatter until the thing painted the jobsite. Good on you for actually checking it out instead of just turning the radio up.

jackson.matthew9d ago

Nice catch! That's a solid trick with the clean rag. I swear, those tiny hisses are the worst to track down sometimes.

benclark5d ago

Yeah, those tiny hisses... it's wild how often the smallest sound ends up being the biggest deal if you just stop and listen for a second.