CK30 Front Axle Case Fluid Change

[LeTempt]

I am putting a few hours on the new CK30HST and starting to gather information and supplies for my 50 hour service (will probably not be doing the service for another 2 months at my current usage rate). The owner's manual says to use "transmission oil or SAE 90 gear oil" in the front axle case. I have been having fun going to all the local auto parts stores and reading the lables on all the different oils. I also searched the archives and saw a thread posted to the TBN on 10/3/08 reference this topic.

I also found an interesting article about gear oil at:

Gear Oil FAQ's - MX6.com

I thought the SAE 90 was going to be a thick oil, but according to the web site listed above it is about the same viscosity as 10W-40 motor oil. It would seem like you could buy a fully synthetic engine oil and save some money. My local Walmart has a 5 quart jug of Valvoline SYNpower for $19.00.

When the manual says "transmission oil" are they talking about the normal oil used to service the transmission case? Prices for universal tractor fuild (UTF) are from about $45-60 per 5 gallon bucket, so even at about $10 a gallon either alternative will be cheaper than buying 6 quarts of synthetic gear oil. And if buy two 10 gallon buckets of UTF I will have about 2 gallons left over after I service the transmission case.

Traditional (non-synthetic) gear oil is ~$3.00 per quart (vs. $3.80 for fully synthetic SYNpower or ~$2.50 per quart for UTF). I did not write down any prices for synthetic gear oil, but as I recall the prices were about $6-7 per quart (about the same cost as fully synthetic motor oil). Not sure I really need synthetic oil in the front axle case and I am not concerned about saving a dollar or 2 on the service, but if I can improve the performance and/or life of a component and save money while doing so...well sign me up.

My next post will be about API certification CJ-4 oil and service intervals if you are using anything except ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD). When reading through the oils forum on TBN, it seems like some people would fight you about oil faster than if you talked bad about their momma

Thanks,
Jeff
CK30HST
Enterprise, AL

 

[Gittyup]

I would not deviate from what is listed in your owner's manual. To do so could void your warranty. I used 90 W in the front axle and UTF in the tranny (gear tractor). 5W40 diesel specific in the engine.

 

[JoelD]

Same here,

I use 90W in front axle and 10W40 in the crankcase. I may lighten up a bit for the winter.

I use UTF in gear case.

As I tend to change frequently and am a firm believer that there is not a whole lot of difference from one oil to the next, I use the cheapest I can find as long as it has the required ratings.

Good luck,
Joel

 

[MichiganIron]

We generally use TDH Transmission fluid in the front axle for qall of our services.

A word of caution. The CK front axles are a little finicky to fill. Make sure you get the recommended amount of fluid in the front axles when you change it. It takes a while for the fluid to leak down into the differential and hub cavities when you fill it. Be patient and wait at least 10 minutes and check the level again, You will find that it takes a few times for the axle to accept the recommended amount of fluid.

Good Luck..

 

[LeTempt]

Thanks for all the comments.

Worked the tractor for about 3 hours this afternoon and I am getting comfortable with the operation and capabilities/limitations. Pushed and pulled a bunch of trees all the way up to trees that were about 10-12" in diameter. Obvious it is not a bulldozer, so you have to spend a little time digging on the bigger trees. The soil is nice with no rocks and the digging has been pretty easy. I might not feel the same next summer if I end up in some hard clay.

I am not a tree expert, but some of the trees are much easier to push or pull than others. I probably spent more than 2 hours over 2 weekends to get out one stubborn tree that was only about 6-8" in diameter. Some of the roots were as large as the trunk and the root system was probably 2 1/2' deep. I hope I do not run into any more like that. I felt like I was the king of the world when I finally got it out.

A few observations after about 12 hours in the seat - I find myself using the differential lock quite a bit, I wish the activation of the differential lock was a little easier or you could just turn it on and it would stay on until you deactivated it. Since I am still in the break-in period, I have not been running the tractor hard at all (have not had it above 2,200 RPM), but it seems like the tractor could use a little more hydraulic power for the FEL. I am LOVING the HST transmission for the loader work!! This is a very capable tractor and so far (except for the problems I had with the wiring and headlights) I am very pleased with the tractor and my wife loves to operate it.

Jeff
CK30HST - now with 18 hours
Enterprise, AL

 

[TBDonnelly]

A few observations after about 12 hours in the seat - I find myself using the differential lock quite a bit, I wish the activation of the differential lock was a little easier or you could just turn it on and it would stay on until you deactivated it.

The differential lock is for going straight ahead ONLY. When turning, one wheel needs to free wheel. If the differential had a permanent lock 'on' feature, and inadvertenly did some turning, internal damage could result.

Don

 

[Patches]

Not to minimize Michigan Iron's recommendation, but I want a GL-5 rated fluid in the front axle, especially if your using the FEL anywhere near it's capacity. The GL-5 fluid has EP(extreme pressure)additives incorporated in it's formular, so it's shear number is considerably higher than that of tractor transmission fluid. Mobil markets a totally synthetic gear oil, 75W-90 (Mobil 1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant) that I would highly recommend. I use it in the front axle of my tractor, sno-blower gear box and the differentials and transfer case of my truck

 

[dfkrug]

There are other threads on this subject, too.

To repeat a bit of it: the CKs seem to be shipped with clear hyd oil in the
front axles. At least my 2 CK30s and my one CK20. I dumped that oil at the
50hr service and went to a non-synthetic GL-5. Some CUT manufacturers
allow/require low-vis hyd fluid, but I am not comfortable with that. The
Kioti docs DO say gear oil.

MICHIGAN is correct that the front axle is hard to fill to the proper level.

 

[BJN644]

I started a similar thread on this same subject a while ago, and the verdict was split then too.

One thing that wasn't mentioned the last time was,and for what it's worth, I used to work at a place years ago that had a John Deere 644 loader, a big machine with a 3 cu yd bucket. That machine took hydraulic oil in the front axle.