Hydraulic Leak

Most of our equipment has a hydraulic system that powers the mowing decks or reels, lift the reels off of the ground for transport or back to the ground for mowing and the steering system.  The hydraulic system operate at a pressure of 3000 psi.  Every so often, a hose will become damaged and will leak or a moving piece on the mower creates a wear mark on the hose which weakens the wall and the extreme pressure literally blows a hole in the hose.  Hopefully we catch a majority of our leaks before they occur but from time to time a hose will become damaged without our knowledge.  A large amount of fluid can come out of a machine very quickly because of the high pressure. 

Late last week, a hose on the bunker rake gave way and left a trail of dead grass and a mess on the cart path near the 5th tee box.  We attempt to get to the asphalt paths or driveways as quickly as possible to reduce the amount of turf that will have to be repaired and assist with an easier cleanup. 

As our operator was coming out of the bunker on #4, he noticed a stream of oil shooting out underneath the front wheel.  As you can see, the trail led back to the cart path where he was able to shut it off.  As long as the soil was not saturated, we should be able to reseed in this area.  If too much oil is on the soil, a sod cutter will be used to strip up the spot and sod will be used to repair the spot.  We utilize a company to manufacture hoses for us because the retail cost of hose replacement from the equipment dealer is not very cost competitive.

Over the years, many a superintendent has lost sleep with hydraulic leaks on greens and other fine turf areas.
One advantage of using walking greens mowers is that their are no hydraulic system on the mower which could potentially leak oil onto a green.