margaretm23•1mo agoProlific Poster

That $300 hydraulic oil filter housing I bought off eBay

I picked up a used hydraulic oil filter housing for $300 on eBay to save some cash on our 20-inch dredge last spring. It started leaking after about 40 hours of work and by the time I caught it we had dirt in the hydraulics and a $2,000 repair bill. Has anyone else had bad luck with used hydraulic parts or do you stick with new ones from the manufacturer?

3 comments

3 Comments

veram991mo ago

Oscar's not wrong but he's being harsh. $300 for a used housing that lasted 40 hours is still cheaper than new if you catch the leak early. Problem is you didn't catch it. That's on you not the part. I've used used hydraulic parts for years on my old backhoe. Saved a ton. But you gotta pressure test everything before you install it. Fill it with oil, cap it, air it up to working pressure. Watch for drips for an hour. That $300 part would have paid for itself if you spent 30 minutes testing.

oscar_ellis1mo ago

$300 to save $2000, real genius move there.

felixfisher1mo ago

Test your used parts under pressure before installing them, always caught me a leak or two that way. Saves a lot of headache and money in the long run.