Oil & Fuel HST transmission fluid does anyone use a non Kubota brand? Recommendations?

[kootenai]

I am a new owner to an '07 L3400 with 163 hours. I noticed I do not have a visible line of tranny fluid. Not sure how much I will need to bring it back up and not sure what was in there prior. My Kubota dealer is an hour away and I would like to take care of leveling off the fluid before I make a trip to the dealer. Does anyone have a HST fluid they recommend, and is it ok to top off with a different kind than what is in there?

 

[nybirdman]

Just me be I wouldn't use anything but Kubota's.My dealer is an hour away also,but I'd make the trip.The problem with this oil is it's clear and difficult to see.

 

[gwdixon]

First - make sure the fluid is low in the sight glass. The background is very BRIGHT white. Park the tractor an angle with the sight glass higher. Check the condition of the sight glass. Most transmissions are overfilled unless there is a leak somewhere. The fluid doesn't burn up.

Second - do a search for "HST fluid" or "hydraulic oil". There are lots of options. Use a quality brand and there is no problem with topping off.

 

[Wolfy]

You can't go wrong with Valvoline. If you put a tiny bit of 15W40 in the HST, it will darken the oil enough so that it can be read much easier.

 

[kootenai]

GW you nailed it. As a new owner I am hyper-vigilant. After hooking into my wood splitter I began to worry about the level. But indeed, I am over full. Need I worry about blowing seals with over full? I had to get on a fairly steep side hill to see the bright white.....

 

[sandyc]

The only non-Kubota fluid I use is Mobil one for diesel in my engine. The HST fluid is super udt-2 and the filters are Kubota. Even though Kubota doesn't have their own refinery I think their specs may be different from the off-the-shelf stuff. With the high cost of the machine I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish, as they say!

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

HST transmission fluid does anyone use a non Kubota brand?
I don't.

 

[gwdixon]

GW you nailed it. As a new owner I am hyper-vigilant. After hooking into my wood splitter I began to worry about the level. But indeed, I am over full. Need I worry about blowing seals with over full? I had to get on a fairly steep side hill to see the bright white.....

You HST will very likely be fine just as it is. There is a lot of leeway for the amount of fluid in the reservoir.

If it bothers you in the slightest then you can do the messy job of draining a quart, or so, at a time until it is perfect. My opinion is that doing that is totally unnecessary.

 

[Steve in MT]

I researched this some time ago and found out that Ashland oil (Valvoline) makes the oil for Kubota. I lost the web address for the Kubota MSDS sheets, but thats where I found the info. Maybe do a google search on that. Funny thing, when I was pricing out oil, the Kubota dealer had it cheaper then anyone else, go figure.
Steve

 

[tomf]

If I use anything but AMSOIL, my B2400 loses power steering after about an hour of hard mowing. After switching to AMSOIL the power steering works like new. If you want the best use AMSOIL. It took me many years before I tried AMSOIL because of the expense. I must say, having working power steering it is worth it.