Tank Oil Change

[Barryh]

I'm sure there are already some threads floating around but for a quick reference / tips.

Thinking about changing out I believe it's 10 gallons in my tank. Placed magnets in the tank a few months ago after examining them I see a lot of grey metal sludge on the magnets.

Thought about replacing the Dino with synthetic but with the cleaning action of synthetic don't want to create more problems with old seals etc.

Any procedural tips for replacing the oil for those who have done this.. What is the most efficient and safe way / do's and don'ts to get out any contaminants ..

Thanks

 

[MossRoad]

You might want to look into building a filter cart, too, and filter the oil with an electric pump and see if it yields results.

 

[MossRoad]

Also, might consider sending in a sample of your oil to a testing lab, just to see what's in it.

 

[SpringHollow]

Links to my filter cart and filter magnets: USA Discount Generators - Standby and Portable Gillette Generators

Ken

 

[woodlandfarms]

Both my mechanic and PT said to me that unless there is visible contamination, or 15 years have passed, you do not need to change out the oil. likewise, if you are like me, you just wait, very soon a major hose will let go, depositing that gold back to the earth it came from, and you can put in new stuff. I cycle my oil once every 5 years through broken hoses.

As for what oil to choose, how deep is your pocket? I do believe that Full Synth runs cooler, but I have begun to hear people saying that on not tightly designed equipment (IE modern 2018 pumps and engines) synthetic tends to find its way through the poor machining, either causing more oil burn or less pressure. I have not seen evidence of this (altough I do burn oil a bit more than I used to, but that is marred cylinder issue). But the people saying this around me ("We are going back to Dino as we find we are burning synth quicker"). I also believe that if you have normal PT luck your expensive oil will be back on the ground in a couple of years.

 

[Barryh]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone .. Really liking the filter cart idea thanks Moss / Ken nice job on the cart .. I'll give that one some thought..

 

[ponytug]

I would suggest putting 8x8s under the tires opposite to the drain plug to help drain things. I used an old dishwasher drain hose (nicenuilt in rubber sleeve to go over the drain and an electric pump, mostly to meter the oil into 1 gallon recycling containers. I didn稚 have any sludge, so just getting the oil out was all that was necessary.

I replaced with full synthetic and I didn稚 see any difference to speak of. YMMV...

All the best,

Peter

 

[Barryh]

I would suggest putting 8x8s under the tires opposite to the drain plug to help drain things. I used an old dishwasher drain hose (nicenuilt in rubber sleeve to go over the drain and an electric pump, mostly to meter the oil into 1 gallon recycling containers. I didn稚 have any sludge, so just getting the oil out was all that was necessary.

I replaced with full synthetic and I didn稚 see any difference to speak of. YMMV...

All the best,

Peter

Thanks Peter may be what I end up doing... Love the filter cart idea but will probably end up just changing out flushing out with a fresh oil synthetic mix...

 

[menchhofer]

Thanks Peter may be what I end up doing... Love the filter cart idea but will probably end up just changing out flushing out with a fresh oil synthetic mix...

I thought the original hydraulic oil from Powertrac was just regular motor oil or something like that...

 

[MossRoad]

It is. Mine says 10W40.

 

[Barryh]

I know this has been discussed many times but only finding a few threads on type's of oil.
Mine says 10w30 was thinking I would change to a non synthetic 10w40 harder on the pumps ?

Your experience and thoughts anyone ....

 

[ponytug]

It should be about the same. The 10 is the low temperature viscosity, and the 30/40 is the high temperature viscosity. Going from 10W30 to 10W40 should have no impact on the pumps, though you may have marginally better performance when the oil is hot.

Because of the extra additives need to thicken the base oil at higher temperature, it is said that oils with a broader range, e.g. 10w50 5w50, etc, will lose their upper viscosity faster than one with a smaller range, e.g. 10W30. Personally, I doubt that your 10W40 oil will decay noticeably before the next time you change it. We are all using engine oil as a hydraulic fluid, which is much "easier" on the oil, since there aren't the noxious combustion by products, there isn't extreme piston/valve heat, and the shear forces are lower.

Hydraulic oils tend to be a single weight, because most hydraulic systems operate at a steady temperature, or at least a limited temperature range. Since we expect our tractors to start and run when the oil is cold, a multi weight oil is a better solution for the PTs.

FWIW: I have 10W50 in mine, and I can't tell the difference from the 10w40 that was in it originally.

All the best,

Peter

 

[MossRoad]

I have the original 10W40 in mine but it's been diluted over the years with Mobil1 10w40. Or 5W40. Or 0w40.... I CAN'T REMEMBER!!! :laughing:

Every 50 hours I do a filter change and I add a quart of Mobil1 xW40 to top off the tank. I'm thinking about going up to xW50 from now on, though.

 

[Barryh]

It should be about the same. The 10 is the low temperature viscosity, and the 30/40 is the high temperature viscosity. Going from 10W30 to 10W40 should have no impact on the pumps, though you may have marginally better performance when the oil is hot.

Because of the extra additives need to thicken the base oil at higher temperature, it is said that oils with a broader range, e.g. 10w50 5w50, etc, will lose their upper viscosity faster than one with a smaller range, e.g. 10W30. Personally, I doubt that your 10W40 oil will decay noticeably before the next time you change it. We are all using engine oil as a hydraulic fluid, which is much "easier" on the oil, since there aren't the noxious combustion by products, there isn't extreme piston/valve heat, and the shear forces are lower.

Hydraulic oils tend to be a single weight, because most hydraulic systems operate at a steady temperature, or at least a limited temperature range. Since we expect our tractors to start and run when the oil is cold, a multi weight oil is a better solution for the PTs.

FWIW: I have 10W50 in mine, and I can't tell the difference from the 10w40 that was in it originally.

All the best,

Peter

I understand viscosity values in relation to cars have owned and worked on many muscle cars.

Like you said, a little different on a non combustible hydraulic system. I was just concerned about the upper 40 rating with my old 1425. It's a 95 with low hours but still all the seals are older. From what you and MR said guessing 10w40 is fine and may even perform better with the thicker 40 rating.

Thanks for the input .

 

[Barryh]

I have the original 10W40 in mine but it's been diluted over the years with Mobil1 10w40. Or 5W40. Or 0w40.... I CAN'T REMEMBER!!! :laughing:

Every 50 hours I do a filter change and I add a quart of Mobil1 xW40 to top off the tank. I'm thinking about going up to xW50 from now on, though.

So you feel confident the 50 rating may be better and would not cause any unforeseen problems.. Be curius to see how that performs after you make the change over. Guess for now I will go with the 10w40 works for you and others on here should be fine thanks ..

 

[MossRoad]

My change is going to be gradual, as I'm going to add a quart of the 10w50 at each 50hr filter change. Any changes won't be noticeable by me, I'm quite sure, as that's about once per year.

 

[MossRoad]

I suppose I could be pre-emptive, inspect the oil, and do an oil change if neccessary, but my guess is if I do that, I'll soon thereafter bust a hose and lose my oil investment. So, I'm thinking about just maintaining the course, doing better hose inspections, change any damaged ones ASAP, etc... and wait until a catastrophic failure to do a total pump/hose/wheel motor, and oil change if needed.

I hate to fix something that's not broken yet. I'll just keep up with the PM (preventative maintenance) program and see how it goes.

 

[ponytug]

YMMV, of course, but...When it comes to older seals, I wouldn't worry about a viscosity change. Changing all of the oil to all synthetic, or adding some huge amount of additives might give me pause, but even then, I wouldn't worry about it. Most of the stories of synthetic oil leaks from cars that I have read have been from very old cars, which were made with much higher tolerances, long miles (and therefore deposits and wear), and thus very, very, old seals.

All the best, Peter

 

[BobRip]

I changed the original 5w30 to Mobil 1 15w50 and there was a big difference. I was always getting stuck without spinning the wheels, now I rarely have a problem. I do keep the PT in a garage which rarely gets below 60.

 

[MossRoad]

I had a friend of a friend of a friend's father that used to collect British sports cars. He said the synthetic oil would just disappear from the dipstick. He never saw smoke, but it would drop in level noticeably.... good think our machines aren't 60 year old British sports cars! :laughing: