Frequently Asked Questions

Our offices are open 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am - 12pm Saturday.

Yes, we can offer delivery worldwide. Please contact our sales team to discuss your requirements and how we can help.

In order to secure next day delivery your order should be placed by 10pm, this is subject to parts availability and delivery location.

We accept Credit Card and PayPal payment methods.

Once your order has been accepted you will receive an order confirmation by email.

Your delivery details along with tracking details can be found on your order confirmation.

If you require a VAT invoice you can request it via email.

Our trade counters are open 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am - 12pm Saturday at the following locations:

Armada Engineering Ltd, Unit 3 Bickland Industrial Park, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4TA

Armada Engineering Ltd, 3-5 The Coombe, Newlyn, Cornwall, TR18 5HS

This is dependent on the oil temperature, the application, work cycle and level of filtration installed within the hydraulic circuit. To discuss in further detail, please contact our specialist team.

The most common reasons for a hose bursting are due to the wrong application, corrosion of the ferrules, high pressure pulsing of the hydraulic installation, incorrect bend radius of the installed hose or out of date hoses.

For more assistance and to discuss your hose requirements please contact us.

As the oil's temperature increases, its viscosity decreases. Therefore, a hydraulic system is operating too hot when it reaches the temperature at which oil viscosity falls below that required for adequate lubrication.

Apart from the issue of adequate lubrication, the importance of which cannot be overstated, operating tempertures above 82 degrees Celsius damage most seal and hose compounds and accelerate degradation of the oil. But for the reasons already explained, a hydraulic system can be running too hot well below this temperature. A good base temperature for a healthy system would be 50-60°C.

This depends on many variables. Only by knowing the cleanliness level, dirt ingression rate and the filter dirt holding capacity of your system can you calculate the service life of a filter element. As a rule of thumb, we would recommend changing your elements at least every 6 months. With very dirty environments we would recommend every 3 months. Also, most hydraulic systems will have a return filter that either has a visual clogged indicator or an electrical clogging indicator for your observation. This must be checked when the system is running and up to normal running temperatures.

You should firstly consult your operators' manual for their recommendations. As a guide, small yacht steering systems would use 15 grade mineral-based oil. Hydraulic systems in temperate conditions (northern hemispere) use 32 grade. In tropical conditions, use 46 grade oil. There are occasions where flame retardant oil would be required. In these cases, a synthetic oil should be used. Caution is required with theses oils as they are toxic. When using any hydraulic oil or lubricant, you must observe COSH information.

As with all oils, protective clothing should be worn, and COSH information will be available form the oil supplier. You can purchase personal protective equipment from our online store or contact our sales team.

Stainless steel fittings and couplings are widely used in marine & chemical environments. The corrosion resisstance of stainless steel offers great advantages fr the future removal and is aesthetically pleasing. However, when installing steel components, care must be taken to ensure a suitable anti-gawling paste, as stainless steel will lock up the coupling and cause the user problems.

Steel plated fittings offer minimal corrosion resistance and therefore, when used within the marine industry, rust and cause the end user problems when dismantling. Steel plated fittings have cost advantages and used in a non-marine environment are both cost effective and practical.

Yes. However, fireproofong of hoses is a complicated matter. We offer a range of MSHA approved hoses which are flame resistant to US MSHA Approval IC-188. To cover the hydraulic range, please contact us for the full range and related data sheets.

The basic components to any hydraulic system are as follows:

1. The prime mover (engine, electric motor etc)
2. Hydraulic pump pressure & flow
3. Control gear
4. Relief valve system pressure
5. Motor of cylinder etc

With any fault finding, if you break the system down into manageable areas as above, you can indentify the location of the fault. To progress further, please contact us to discuss your ecact requirements and we will advise the best way to proceed.

Firstly, you must consult the originator's equipment manual for starting procedures. However, we doo not recommend any person without knowledge to start a system, as damage to the equipment, yourself and others may result. If you would like advice, we would be pleased to help. Just give us a call.

Contaminated Oil - The vast majority of cylinder failures will be due to contaminated oil. Abrasive particles in dirty oil can damage the seals and the piston rod surface, airborne contamination can be drawn into a cylinder by faulty or worn wiper seal. Contamination occurs in numerous ways speak to our technical team for information on keeping your oil clean.

Side loading - if a cylinder has been misaligned this creates an unusual force on the piston rod. A side load enough magnitude can result in tube scoring, a deformed piston rod, rod bearing wear and seal failure.

Pitted Rods - Pitted rods damage the seals and reduce their normal life resulting in very short seal life.

A hydraulic pump coverts mechanical power normally from an electric motor or engine into hydraulic energy. It generates flow in the system with enough power to overcome pressure induced by the overall system load.

The function of a pump is to produce oil flow: it does not generate pressure. Pressure is generated when there is a resistance to fluid in the system.

A  hydraulic motor converts hydraulic pressure and flow into torque and angular displacement (rotation).

New oil has an average ISO cleanliness code of around 20/18/15. This is okay for very basic pumps and systems. However, if you've got piston pumps, gear pumps, hydraulic motors, proportional or servo valves, this oil is above acceptable cleanliness levels. Our engineers will filter the oil to the correct level before putting it into any system and recommend carrying out this practice. When pouring new oil straight from the barrel into a system youare more than likely introducing contamination into your system. Speak to our technical team about offline filter units, oil sampling and analysis.