Hydraulic Fluids. 5606 or 83282

Which is best?  One really better than the other?  Both feel the same, look the same.  5606 cost significantly less.  So why use 83282?

My observation:  5606 works fine.  It does, however, gum up and get tacky, sticky.  Especially when not used a lot.  For aircraft that are operated very regularly, I’d say 5606 is fine.  But don’t leave it for extended periods in your lines and cylinders.  Hydraulics seem to bust O rings more often and the wipers don’t work smoothly.

Using 83282 is about 3 times more expensive.  It remains fluid, maintains its viscosity.  It does NOT get sticky.  In fact, if there is a minor O ring leak, the 83282 will find it more readily than 5606.  And the leak will NOT slow down or stop as it does with 5606.  For those of us who fly only a few hours a year in their warbirds, I’d say 83282 is the way to go.

With hydraulics, you’ll need to have access to a good hydraulic mule.  I finally purchased one with variable pressure and flow.  Now I don’t have to borrow one when needed.  In fact, I find myself using it a lot more for systems checks and not using petro-dollars to do it.

The other pilot who has worked with me on the project has been doing a non-scientific test for several years on the two fluids.  The observations are interesting.  He put in equal amounts of each fluid in glass jars and inserted a pencil and a piece of aluminum tubing in each jar.  After 2 years, the 5606 was getting thick by a large degree.  Now, after several years, the 5606 is like peanut butter.  The 83282 looks as fresh as the day it was poured.  It flows easily. 

I’m sticking with the 83282.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 8:37 PM and is filed under N87921 Restoration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Hydraulic Fluids. 5606 or 83282”

  1. Bill Granewich Says:

    where did you purchase your mule?

  2. largay Says:

    See Burch website below.

    http://www.burchaircraft.com/index.php/aircraft-hydraulic-mules

    Works great.
    C

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