Hydro oil leak

[Overtaxed]

I think I have a leak of hydraulic fluid on my NX6010. It's kind of wet in the back near the 3rd function valve and it smells, to me, like hydraulic fluid. A few questions:

1) If it is the 3rd function, where would I see the level dropping? On the transmission lube indicator near the PTO shaft or somewhere else?
2) If it's a 3 point lift cylinder that leaking, same question as above? Or is everything in this tractor connected to a single hydro pump (and therefore there's only one dipstick to check, that one near the PTO)?
3) What would be the symptoms if I am leaking hydro fluid? Anything gonna blow up?
4) I did pull the dipstick near the PTO and it looks low to me, how "level" is level for checking this dipstick? I'm not sure I'm 100% level and don't want to overfill it if I'm just misreading the stick.

Thanks, any tips/tricks, please feel free to add!

 

[Overtaxed]

I think I have a leak of hydraulic fluid on my NX6010. It's kind of wet in the back near the 3rd function valve and it smells, to me, like hydraulic fluid. A few questions:

1) If it is the 3rd function, where would I see the level dropping? On the transmission lube indicator near the PTO shaft or somewhere else?
2) If it's a 3 point lift cylinder that leaking, same question as above? Or is everything in this tractor connected to a single hydro pump (and therefore there's only one dipstick to check, that one near the PTO)?
3) What would be the symptoms if I am leaking hydro fluid? Anything gonna blow up?
4) I did pull the dipstick near the PTO and it looks low to me, how "level" is level for checking this dipstick? I'm not sure I'm 100% level and don't want to overfill it if I'm just misreading the stick.

Thanks, any tips/tricks, please feel free to add!

Updating my own thread, I found the leak. Between the remotes in the back there's a little plate, it was cracked and leaking hydro oil. New part on the way. I wound up overfilling the oil, so now I have too much in there, hoping it'll work it's way out over the next few days. Tractor seems fine, no strange symptoms at all, and I only added about 1 gallon of oil, so it's not that bad. Let me know if I need to drain it or risk messing something up, otherwise, problem found (and shortly will be resolved).

 

[DieselBound]

If you have too much fluid then you really ought to drain some. How much over-full are you?

 

[Overtaxed]

If you have too much fluid then you really ought to drain some. How much over-full are you?

Dribbles out of the dipstick port when I pull the stick to check the level. Can't see it looking down through the fill hole. I added about a gallon, maybe 1.5 gallons of fluid, so no way I'm more than about .5 or so over. At least, I can't see how I'd be more than that over.

 

[DieselBound]

That plug has a dipstick on it. There are notches in it which tell you the operating levels. Be sure to be on level ground when reading it. Yes, it's tough to really see the fluid; you have to wipe, re-insert, pull out, and kind of "read the tea leaves."

 

[JimR]

The easiest way to drain it is to pull up a slight incline and pull the dipstick. The oil will pour right out. You can always put it back in if you drain too much out.