Proper or no maintenance of hydraulic equipment can mean the difference between scrapping a machine at 20,000 hours or more instead of 5,000 hours. And because they often are located deep within the workings of machines, hydraulic swivels (also called rotating joints or rotating manifolds) usually receive little or no maintenance.

A well-designed hydraulic swivel should not require much maintenance. However, if the swivel is mounted in a location where it is surrounded by hoses or tubing, shortcuts may end up being taken—and maintenance improperly conducted or components compromised.