Hyster S60xM Forklift mast leak, what kind fluid?

Today a leak developed somewhere in the mast of our Hyster S60xM, not severe and seems to leak only when forks raised (as you'd expect.) We haven't isolated leak source yet, so any tips on doing that are welcome. A large heavy thing we were unloading yesterday swung and a part of it hit the Hyster on the very bottom of the mast while mast was still raised so maybe something down there cracked?

Anyway we have to use it daily until we can get the repair service to look at it and unless the leak really gets severe (only an annoying trickle making little puddles now) I'll be replacing fluid as needed. I think the hyd. Fluid fill and dipstick are what's under the little trap door in front of the pedals, but not sure. What kind of hyd. Fluid does the S60xM use? I don't have a manual and didn't find anything on older models on the Hyster site.

Any AW32 or AW46 hydraulic oil would be fine. They hold a lot of oil so you might run it a long time before you need to add oil.

Thanks. Do those fluids have other names or are they a different class from the fluids I use in lathes and other large machine tools, because when I buy fluids for them I'm looking for an ISO or that other system of viscosities.

It's ISO32 or ISO46 with an anti-wear additive. Any farm supply store will have it.

Cannonmn: Be careful, it sounds like you are in the area of your brake master cylinder. That is probably for automotive type brake fluid. Definitely, you do not want to pour hydraulic oil in the master cylinder.

JH

Thanks; anyone out there have a Hyster? Where on your machine is hydraulic fluid added?

I highly recommend you take a little time to clean the cylinder top to bottom. This way the location and severity of the leak will quickly become apparent. Then you can figure out how long it's going to take to repair. You may also be able to tell how long you have before it becomes unrepairable and or dangerous.
Check under the seat for the hydraulic reservoir. It should have a sight glass on the side and a breather cap on top. It is likely to have at least a 10 gallon capacity. So don't put hydraulic oil in a little tank! Your brakes will have about a 1 quart capacity in the master cylinder.

I would not use the forklift until you find out what is leaking.
If something is cracked and leaking in the hydraulic system it could be very dangerous or at the least a potential big mess / hazard.

The dipstick under the floorboard is the transmission.
The hydraulic tank is on the side, usually built into the frame.
The oils look the same. Haven't used red atf in years.

Try and use the correct oil in the trans if you have to add any.
The additives help with smooth clutch engagement. J20C.

This is a serious hazard. A loader or other lifting device with dual acting cylinders can be safely operated with leaks on the outboard end because the pressure is sealed by the piston seal. A forklift uses a displacement cylinder with no seal on the piston. The pressure simply enters the cylinder and the only thing that can move is the piston and rod, so it does. The only thing holding pressure in the system is the gland seal at the top of the mast cylinder. If that gland seal is leaking, there is nothing to stop the load from falling when/if it blows out or develops a more severe leak. Fix it now. First time I saw how one was made, it terrified me of the trust I had put in them over the years.

Thanks, I hadn't thought about suddenly dropping the load and will take precautions. I have to unload about. 15 skids from a truck in a few hours and it has to happen, no plan b. So I will drive the fork myself and make sure no one gets close enough to get hurt, will keep loads as close to ground as poss, etc. Only rental Id be able to get is an old Komatsu I call Kamakazi, hard to operate and prone to run or back over things, so even the leaker is better. But will take leaker out of service when truck is gone.

During truck unloading we noticed the leaking occurred only when using the sideshift, and it increased with use until a solid stream reaching out about 8' horizontally was seen. So we stopped using sideshift until such time as we get it repaired.

Forklifts, to me, present a higher degree of liability and as such you want to make sure your lift is always properly maintained and in good working condition, especially the brakes. The side shift can always be capped off like the lifts that didn't get the option. Option B is to disconnect the linkage from the side-shift lever so it cannot activate the valve.

2 things-- forklifts have an almost unique style of weirdness in the way they are laid out. For example, I'm looking all over for the brake fluid on my Yale and can't find the reservoir/fill anywhere. As it turns out, it was tucked up under the dash and a panel had to come off to access it.

Advise: call one of your local forklift dealers and have them come out and fix the darn thing. It will be done right and right away. Regardless, I'd get a service manual for the forklift as well-- cheaper than stabbing in the dark for clues on it.

Personally, I like working on the pre-90's forklifts. The one's built back in the 60's are my speed and real similar to the farm equipment and cars I worked on back in the 80's. I had a steering seal start leaking on my 76 Allis. Dripped all over the floor when you turned it. So I got one of those plastic drywall troughs, drilled a hole on each end, and wire tied it to the cylinder and rod. It staying in place to catch the drips until I repaired it. So, I ordered the cylinder kit and when it came I proceeded to remove the assembly. Unfortunately, the cylinder rebuild kit was not of the correct size bore. So I took it down to the local hydraulic re-builder and 3 days later it was like new ready to install. Will like go another 30 years.

danil said:

Advise: call one of your local forklift dealers and have them come out and fix the darn thing. It will be done right and right away. Regardless, I'd get a service manual for the forklift as well-- cheaper than stabbing in the dark for clues on it.

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The dealers in your area must be a lot better than the ones I deal with. I have me own forklifts, but I also have use of a Toyota that belongs to the industrial park I rent from. It gets regular "service" from the dealer. I'm pretty sure that means they look at it and see that it still looks vaguely like a forklift, and therefore must be fine.

It had a coolant leak, so I told them to get it fixed. Dealer service guy comes out and I went to talk to him. He says "I'm here to fix a coolant leak". I said "just pressure test the coolant system and you should see it right away". He just looked at me and was obviously confused. So, I had to go get my pressure tester and show him how to use it. Turned out to be a loose clamp.

Same with the exhaust leak. It needs new studs in the exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe connection. The threads are bad and it does not stay tight. I tell them that every time they come out. And every time, they just tighten the nuts and it's OK for about 5 minutes.

It's not impressive.

If its sideshift, it may be the hoses to it. There is usually a long pair of hoses routed in a way that they run up and down with the carriage and mast if its a multi-segment mast. Those wrap over a few guide pulleys and tend to fail there. At the end of the hose plumbing is usually some amount of steel tubing to tie into the side shift cylinder. If the leak is bad enough to notice it should be pretty easy to find. I get mine made up at a local hydraulic shop. They'll appreciate it if you flush the hoses out and wipe the grease from them before you walk in the door.

I also do a lot of in-house lift repairs. They get quarterly PM service but mostly that involves them telling me that the tail light lenses are cracked and that my forks are worn out, even though the factory manual's measurements proves they are fine. Sometimes the forks are not worn out though, I guess they feel healthier some days. I outsource things involving the electric motor controllers, though maybe I should not. Last time I called the dealer in to diagnose what I thought was a bad controller took a day and a half to decide that it was a bad controller. Guy didn't even bring the computer that would have proved it in about 5 minutes. I can't program them so I'm stuck with calling in the people with the computer.

If it is a side-shift leaking after impact?
My money would be on a damaged hydraulic adapter that screws into the cylinder.
Easy fix. Very common.

Thanks, today the leak was bad enough that it was easy to see it was coming from one small cut in the "sideshift left" supply hose. Can Hyster send a replacement given all the truck's details or should I just have the old hose copied by a local hydraulic hose business? I got some video of the hose leaking before I realized there is absolutely no earthly use for that footage.

You local shop will probably be you best bet.

If it is the hose that runs in the mast over rollers and such, I would go oem.
It can be a pain to get them to behave.
There should be a mast number near the right side tilt cylinder mount.

If it is a short hose from a bulkhead fitting to the cylinder, hose source is not critical.

AW32 hydraulic fluid will be fine for that Hyster. You can check out Hyster forklift fluid specs - for the correct fluids to use on various models of Hyster. As far as your leak goes, you probably have a leaky lift cylinder. Repacking the cylinder is time consuming but the parts are pretty cheap.

Thanks, will get some AW-32. Funny the lubricants page linked makes no mention of hydraulic fluid. The leak is a hole in the "sideshift right" hose, which we'll remove to give to local hose smith to reproduce. If not too costly we'll have the other sideshift hose reproduced at same time since I'm sure it'll start peeing too one of these days.