Lift in unheated shop, heat tape the hydraulic lines?

My shop is a pole barn, no room for wall insulation unless i remove all the shelving that is installed between the 6x6 poles. I have a large tarp that i put over the lift in winter months and use a kerosene heater to get the fluid around 45F or so, for safe use of the lift. Depending on how cold it is this could take an hour or so... I was wondering if i could add heat tape and insulation around my hydraulic lines to speed up the warming process. Anyone ever done this or see reasons this would be a bad idea?

thanks

David

What part of the world are you in? I've never had a problem with using the lift cold in my shop but I'm in central Ohio which isn't really that cold as real winters go. 

I am near Albany NY, the owenrs manual indicates "Lift is not intended for outdoor use and has an operating ambient temperature range of 41º-104ºF (5º-40ºC).", this appears to be a common temp range for lifts i have seen on the internet.

I believe that is a "cover your butt for insurance purposes" sort of statement. 

My tractor hydraulics still operate at -40c, they're just really slow until the system gets warmed up.

Is "safe use of the lift" actually a phrase the manufacturer uses, or was that your wording?

I can't think of anything unsafe about using a lift, even if the hydraulics fail. They have manual safety blocks. Cold hydraulics should mean slow operation, not catastrophic collapse.

The temps in upstate NY are definitely a lot colder than where I live, but we frequently see temps lower than 41* F.  Outdoor lifts are very common here (including in professional shops).  I've never heard of anyone heating their hydraulic lines. 

I'd just run it till it won't run and not worry about it.

(I've installed about 300 lifts)

Practically speaking, shops never get that cold because the water pipes can freeze if the ambient temperature is 40F in the building.  Something about that being an average temp, heat transfer, I dunno.  My coworker was a plumber's son.  Anyway, in their intended environment, 40F is a ground floor for temp so to speak for other reasons.

Practically speaking some more, unless it's too cold for you to work, it'll be fine.  Raising the lift heats the fluid, too.  Sometimes by a staggering amount.

I'd say something about tow trucks use ATF in their hydraulics and they don't worry about cold, but I also think it's a State regulation that tow trucks piddle fluid all the time  Actual hydraulic fluid is thinner than ATF.

I'd just use common sense... if the lift is struggling, don't force it to work.  A 9000lb rated lift should have no problem lifting a 3000lb car no matter the fluid temperature.

ATF is a good solution here assuming the lift manufacturer is okay with it or at least doesn't advise against it. Most, if not all, ATF should be much lower viscosity at low temperatures, especially synthetic stuff like Dex VI and later.
 

Bendpak recommended ATF for low temp operation in the HD-9 4 post I had. Same for the maxjax I just installed. No issues with the 4 post lift using ATF in an unheated garage in SE Michigan for 10 years. 

Firstly, I agree with the others and I wouldn't worry. 
 

To address the insulation question, wouldn't you be insulating the lines *against* the heat your applying, so then it would take even longer unless I am misunderstanding the setup you have in mind. 

Heat tape and insulation would be just fine. I have a slop sink in mu unheated garage and use the same. Make sure you have a tstat so its only on when needed to keep the lines warm. 

ShawnG said:

I believe that is a "cover your butt for insurance purposes" sort of statement.

Not living in particularly cold country nor operating hydraulics regularly, I'm inclined to agree. Any time nice, round numbers are used, like that temperature range of 5-40° C, they give the impression of being arbitrarily chosen to keep someone out of hot water.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

 

Actual hydraulic fluid is thinner than ATF.

Not really. Most ATF has a viscosity around 32 cst at 40c. The most common hydraulic fluid is AW 32... a viscosity of 32 at 40c, and that is what is typically spec'd for equipment exposed to variable temperatures. 
 

AW22 and 46 are readily available hydraulic fluids but not near as common. Most tractor hydraulic fluids are in the 46 to 64 range.   There is no real advantage to using ATF over hydraulic fluids, especially AW rated.

Idling the system for a short time, with the oil bypassing, will bring the oil temperature up.