moisture in hydraulic fluid

[RandyLarochelle]

Hi
Randy here, I have a massey 1533 hydrostatic, the hydraulics keep freezing up in winter. When it's been sitting overnight and I start it I get noise from one of the pumps beceause the hydraulic line is frozen, I have to use propane heater under the tractor to warm things up. I have changed filter and fluid, but always same problem, it's about 5 year old and always had this problem, any ideas would be appreciated.
Randy

 

[DMW]

Randy, Are you sure it's water in the fluid that's freezing, or the fluid itself getting too cold so that it thickens, and doesn't flow to the pump? Either way, you might want to switch to a synthetic tractor hydraulic fluid. Petrocan's Duratran synthetic is nice, Amsoil another. Kubota's SUDT is also a lot better than Massey's factory fill IMO.

Dennis

 

[Red Horse]

Randy, Are you sure it's water in the fluid that's freezing, or the fluid itself getting too cold so that it thickens, and doesn't flow to the pump? Either way, you might want to switch to a synthetic tractor hydraulic fluid. Petrocan's Duratran synthetic is nice, Amsoil another. Kubota's SUDT is also a lot better than Massey's factory fill IMO.

Dennis

IMO, if you had water to any degree your fluid would have a milky look. If it is clear and bright, you don't have water.

 

[grm61]

Hi
Randy here, I have a massey 1533 hydrostatic, the hydraulics keep freezing up in winter. When it's been sitting overnight and I start it I get noise from one of the pumps beceause the hydraulic line is frozen, I have to use propane heater under the tractor to warm things up. I have changed filter and fluid, but always same problem, it's about 5 year old and always had this problem, any ideas would be appreciated.
Randy

I just got my tractor the end of May, I have only started it once when it was very cold, 0 degrees F, my pump made noise for a couple minutes, I found that if I lightly feathered the loader control up, and gave the fluid someplace to go, the noise would stop.
The other thing I was going to try, the next time I have to start it at those temps, is to put the loader in float, I have heard that that allows the fluid to flow through all the loader cylinders. I don't know if it will make any difference but I will try it.

All the other times I've run it this winter previous to the 0 degreeF start it's been in the low 20s to low thirties F, and no noise.
That's been my experience to date.

Good luck

 

[DMW]

I have changed filter and fluid, but always same problem, it's about 5 year old and always had this problem, any ideas would be appreciated.
Randy

The first couple years with the GC2300 I had problems. Hydro filter ruptured c.40 hrs on cold weather startup the first winter. Dealer did 50hr fluid change at that time. Within 80hrs(2yrs) on the new fluid, the water contamination was so bad that the hydraulics wouldn't work below freezing. Changed out to Duratran, another 200+ hours(5yrs) later and no problems with water contamination. Outside storage seems to make it worse, and the area you live in really does need a synthetic for year round use, if you only use the tractor occasionally. You have to deal with extremes in temperature/humidity, that can be very hard on a regular fluid. The factory fill is crap IMO, and do you know what fluid was used in the change?
Also check the hydraulic suction filter for any blockages (usually can only be done when changing fluid).