Low transmission fluid, did it cause damage?

[wxboy]

I've had my 2305 for just over a week now and with 4.5 hours on it the transmission seemed to be noisy so I checked the transmission fluid level. There was no fluid visible in the window so I went to buy 2 quarts. I put in both quarts and still no fluid showing so I went back and bought a gallon. After putting another quart in now the level is where it should be. My question is do you think I did any damage in the 4 hours I used the machine being down 3 quarts? The transmission still sounds loud but I don't know if that is normal. It seem like more than just the usual whine of a hydrostatic but I could be paranoid.

I bought the fluid at a dealer that is closer than the dealer that I bought the tractor from so I have not spoken to my dealer yet about the issue. Also I did not check the fluid level right when I got the tractor home on day 1 but I keep it in the garage and there have been no leaks so it looks like the dealer didn't do their part and check the fluids before I took delivery. So yes I am not happy with the dealer but should I be concerned about the transmission?

For anyone not familiar with the 2305 it holds 3.4 gallons and the fluid is shared between the transmission and the hydraulics.

 

[browns40]

Hi wxboy,

When I busted a hose off the front steering cylinder I had the same concerns...

Dealer told me hyrdaulics (tranny & others) would stop functioning at a fluid level which would leave enough in the reservoir to prevent overheating...

I caught it quick & it hardly registered on the stick...

Call dealer & ask him.... you were down roughly 20%... when engine oils down a quart people don't seem to have catastrophic results... maybe same priciple applies...

 

[kljunior]

It sounds like whoever installed the fel didn't top off the fluid after filling the lines and hyd. cylinders. I don't think being a few quarts low for a few hours of use is a big deal. Being low in real hot weather or while being worked real hard would certainly lead to higher hyd. fluid temps, but probably not damaging in your case.
As far as the hydro being noisy.........Are you running WOT? It is important that the tractor, or any other hydro tractor for that matter, be operated at WOT!! You can damage the system by operating tractor at part throttle.

 

[pruntyc]

That is just not true, there is no reason to operate at WOT. You can, if you want to, unless you are using the PTO, and it has a speed for it, which is below WOT. I don't know where you got your idea, if it were true they would only have 2 places you could move the throttle, idle or wide open. Fact is while breaking in the tractor, you shouldn't use WOT at all till it had several hours on it.

 

[kljunior]

I mentioned the wot engine speed because the hydro systems are a little noisy when operated at low rpm (incorrectly). The fast idle speed (no load) on a 2305 is only a couple hundred rpm higher than the 2900 rpm needed for 540 pto speed. As soon as you apply any load to the implement you are using, it will drop about that much. If you operate the machine with the loader, mower, or rear implement at say... half or 3/4 throttle, you are putting undue strain on the engine and hydraulic pump. Operate a hydro unit at WOT and you will never hurt it. That is why they govern the engine at a couple hundred rpm over the ideal pto speed. Half throttle serves no useful purpose with a hydro trans.

 

[pruntyc]

You don't know anything about them, I can see that. So do what you want to do, but you shouldn't try to tell others, when you don't know anything about what you are talking about.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

On the one hand, I've heard and read quite a bit about hydros wanting plenty of input power to work with, and also of course that diesels don't like to lug. On the other hand, I don't think WOT is going to do much for you other than waste fuel. I tend to go for the RPM than gives the greatest torque. On a Kubota Grand L 30, I think this is around 2200-2300 RPM, vs. the redline of 2700-2800.

About the only time I use WOT is when I want to get every last pound of operating pressure out of the hydraulic system for maximum lifting power. All other times, the "sweet spot" works fine for me, and probably adds a little lifespan to the engine.

Oops - oh yeah, the topic - I agree that you probably didn't do a thing to your machine. I would think that the hydraulic fluid level would be even less critical than the engine oil level. It's still obviously best to keep it where it's supposed to be to keep the temps down, but short-term like that I'd say your fine. (No harm in reminding the dealer to check fluid levels before delivering a tractor).

John

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Doubt you've done any dammage. I wouldn't worry about it -- although I would give the dealer call.

If the hydro is makeing a lot of noise, do check that the parking brake isn't on. Mine screams if I leave the break on.

Also, it's possible that something isn't adjusted correctly causing it to be noisy (like the brake for instance).

I seldom put my tractor at wide open. Don't see any reason for it. If I will be working the tractor hard, I put it at PTO RPM and that's generally been enough so far.

Cliff

 

[ddivinia]

I try not to exceed the RPM to operated the PTO at 540RPM. I am sure the engine will handle it and sometime do go above a tad when doing heavy loader work on my 5525 and it is by accident.

If you are doing a lot of heavy hydraulic work, you certainly don't to run it at idle, or WOT. I think rated RPM at 540PTO seems to make sense.

Also, I don't think you hurt it - there is a lot of fluid in it for a number of reasons (cooling, leaks, etc).

You might want to go listen to another tractor to see if the trans makes the same noise. Have you tried it in and out of 4wd? 4wd will be louder and sometimes that is due to the fluid not being totally warmed up. Also, the surface (grass vs. concrete) can make a huge difference in sound level.

D.


D.

 

[JDFANATIC]

I don't think you damaged anything. I remember one day on my old JD425 where I was snowblowing and didn't notice that a hose was severed by rubbing on a tire. When it ran out of fluid, the tractor just stopped. After replacing the hose and a few gallons of fluid, the tractor gave me another 10+ years and 700+ hours of service before I traded it in on a 2210. As I understand it, the new owner has had no problems either. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif