Fluidlexikon

Engine oil as hydraulic fluid

People would be perfectly happy to work with just one type of oil in mobile hydraulics, i.e. using the same oil in the both the engine and the hydraulics. This, however, is not advisable from either a taxation or a technical perspective, since an engine oil must have good emulsifying properties (up to 50% water), which would be highly detrimental in terms of the lifetime of roller bearings in hydraulic devices.