Air filters:

Clean air is critical to the performance and life of your engine. For efficient combustion, a modern diesel engine requie several thousand times as much air as it does fuel. Under normal operating conditions, to burn one gallon of fuel you have to clean 15,000 gallons of air. Add a turbocharger to that engine, and air consumption requirements increase by 20% or more.
Proper air filtration is important because a small amount of dirt can cause a tremendous amount of engine damage. The purpose of the air filter is to promote long system life by keeping damaging contaminants away from sensitive engine components.

To improve dust holding capacity and air flow, Baldwin Filters uses two proven methods to separate and stabilize the pleated media.

• PermaPleat ® - an embossing process that forms dividers between pleats which prevents bunching and insures uniform air flow.


• Beading - a continuous bead of adhesive around the circumference of the filters metal wrap, either inner or outer, to lock the pleat tips in place and prevent movement.

Most engine manufacturers specify minimum initial efficiency of at least 98.5%.
On first reading, this figure seems very high. Remember though, that dirt in any amount can be harmful to your engine.

Maximum efficency.

Most Baldwin heavy-duty air filters have minimum initial efficiencies approaching 99%.
Then, as dirt particles begin to accumulate in the filter media, those particles decrease the size of the media's openings, making it more difficult for even the smallest particles to pass through. As a result, the
media's efficiency has actually been increased.

Heavy-Duty Primary Media: routinely achieve initial efficiencies of 98.5% and higher; as the filter loads with dirt, the accumulative efficiency of the media is normally 99.9% or higher.

Heavy-Duty Secondary Media: typically achieve an accumulative efficiency of 85% to 98%.

Engine manufacturers also specify the “maximum allowable initial restriction.” Baldwin filters meet all these manufacturers' requirements.

Servucung your air filter: why, when and how.

There are operational signs that an air filter has become completely plugged.
The engine will begin to lose power and fuel consumption will increase. Black smoke may blow from the exhaust stack. Continued operation with a plugged air filter may very well damage the engine.
It's impossible to determine, just by looking, when air filters should be changed.
An element that looks relatively clean may be almost totally plugged with ultrafine particles from exhaust smoke or air pollutants.
On the other hand, a filter that looks dirty may still have many hours of useful life. Remember, that until maximum acceptable restriction is reached, the accumulation of dirt in the filter actually adds to its efficiency.

Hydraulic filters

As the sophistication of hydraulic systems and components has increased, so has the importance of system maintenance. The easiest and most cost effective way to lower maintenance expense and help insure trouble-free system operation is through proper filtration.
To improve safety and efficiency, equipment designers are using hydraulics to replace belts, chains, cables and other methods of transferring power. Most new hydraulic equipment is designed to be easier to operate and maintain.
This often requires closer tolerances, faster cycle times, higher pressures, extended service intervals and more complex systems - all placing more demands on the filtration system.
In addition to these factors, Baldwin takes into account that hydraulic systems are using more filters than ever.
Improving system fluid cleanliness levels, providing better cold start performance and meeting service interval expectations are the primary objectives in the design of Baldwin hydraulic filters. To accomplish these goals, Baldwin Filters utilizes two types of filtration media:

Cellulose media -  The original and most common media used in hydraulic fluid filtration is made of natural fibers. These twisted fibers are large and irregular – creating more resistance to flow or pressure drop. This causes larger contaminant particles to become concentrated on the surface of the media, increasing restriction and limiting holding capacity. Although cellulose media comes in many efficiency grades, most cellulose hydraulic and transmission filters range from 15 to 40 microns.

 Synthetic media- The applications using synthetic media have grown rapidly since the late 1970s. Synthetic media is the choice in higher pressure, heavy-duty mobile hydraulic and transmission applications. These man-made glass fibers are uniform in size and shape. Their aerodynamic characteristics present the least possible resistance to flow, while removing contaminants from fluid.

Synthetic media elements may cost slightly more, but offer significant performance advantages. These advantages include lower restriction especially during cold start situations, improved efficiency (at smaller micron sizes) to protect sensitive controls and extended equipment life.