Oil & Fuel Oil Analysis of Traveller Premium Universal Hyd/Trans fluid

[xcgreene]

At my dk45se 50 hr service, I used Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Trans/Hydraulic Fluid. Lots of opinions on oils out there, so I thought I could add to the conversation my oil sample analysis from my 400hr service.

Oil filters used during this time:
* Kioti T5710-38031 hydraulic oil filter with filter magnet (Magnet info thread, if interested https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...dk45se-hydraulic-filter-magnet-installed.html)
* Donaldson P573481 HST filter. (My Donaldson filter analysis, if interested https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/404034-kioti-hst-filter-vs-donaldson.html)

 

[jeff9366]

Very interesting. Thank you for posting.

 

[Storm56]

Very interesting. Thank you for posting.

Nothing like a lab report to confirm that Travelers Premium is a fine oil that does not hammer the pocketbook. Have used it with complete satisfaction for years.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Bigfish50]

Ditto! Thanks much for the official analysis! I will continue to use this oil as I've had good success with it.


Bob

 

[SirMaxwell]

Thank you for your post. Always interesting to read some facts. Would be cool with 2 identical machines under similar circumstances to have 2 different oils. Always so hard to get long term studies like that (for obvious reasons). btw - Whats an oil analysis cost?

Thanks again,

At my dk45se 50 hr service, I used Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Trans/Hydraulic Fluid. Lots of opinions on oils out there, so I thought I could add to the conversation my oil sample analysis from my 400hr service.

Oil filters used during this time:
* Kioti T5710-38031 hydraulic oil filter with filter magnet (Magnet info thread, if interested https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...dk45se-hydraulic-filter-magnet-installed.html)
* Donaldson P573481 HST filter. (My Donaldson filter analysis, if interested https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/404034-kioti-hst-filter-vs-donaldson.html)

 

[xcgreene]

Thank you for your post. Always interesting to read some facts. Would be cool with 2 identical machines under similar circumstances to have 2 different oils. Always so hard to get long term studies like that (for obvious reasons). btw - Whats an oil analysis cost?

Thanks again,

$28 for their typical run of the mill oil sample. The report you see in this thread is just that, but with the addition of the TAN number you see at the bottom of the report, which is an extra $10. You can request the sample kits and they'll be sent to you, with a prepaid return label. You don't pay until its time to send in the sample itself. So the kits are sent to you for "free" until its time to send the sample in. Their website could use some streamlining I think, as the options for paying for each sample are a bit confusing. But their product is the best I've used, even noting trends from previous samples of the same oil.

It's certainly not that I feel everyone must do an oil sample analysis on every, or any, oil change. For me, it's more for reference when dredging through the parade of often unfounded internet opinions about what oils to use, when and if they should be changed, and why.

Having just one sample to reference like this isn't good enough either, the more there are to reference, the more accurate a conclusion can be. This helps minimize wild accusations like being able to run an oil without ever changing it as long as its filtered, or that one must always buy the most expensive oil on the market and change it often, without sighting any study or have any datapoints to justify the claim.

 

[bruceha2000]

Those numbers are great. In almost all cases well inside the average or expected. I had Blackstone run tests on my car's oil when it went out of warranty. First upped it from 5K miles to 7.5K. No problems. Then to 10K, oops, waited too long it was 11K. They said I could run to 14K. I stick with 10K though and I always use Mobil-1.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I agree with the others: Thanks for posting this! Travelers Premium Hydraulic Fluid is what I've been using in my Kioti, so it's good to know that it performed well in your tractor. I'm due for a hydraulic oil change this winter, and that's what I'll use.

 

[DieselBound]

Good site for oils testing results (some ATF, but, sadly, not for hydraulic fluid):

http://www.pqiamerica.com/

It helped me pick a replacement oil for my "fleet" (my regular, Rotella T6 went CK-4 and UP went the price- I don't need CK-4, only CJ-4, so I wanted a new oil that would meet my needs).

 

[xcgreene]

Good site for oils testing results (some ATF, but, sadly, not for hydraulic fluid):

http://www.pqiamerica.com/

It helped me pick a replacement oil for my "fleet" (my regular, Rotella T6 went CK-4 and UP went the price- I don't need CK-4, only CJ-4, so I wanted a new oil that would meet my needs).

Interesting. Not to drift off topic too much, I know Delo and Valvoline both also make a good 5w40 diesel oil, what did you land on?

 

[xcgreene]

I think it's also interesting to note that any one particular label brand of oil can, and will change their ingredients over the years. Check out this thread from Bob is the oil guy in regards to Traveller fluid from 2010, VOA- THF Comparison, Traveller, HyTran, SuperTrav - Bob Is The Oil Guy

Back the, it was almost void of all anti wear elements, in my analysis here in this thread, the numbers are much better.

What to take away from this? I would say that one can never settle on any specific product without checking its quality from time to time.

 

[DieselBound]

I went with Ford Heavy Duty10w-30 as it most closely matched (as a CJ-4 oil) the older Rotella T6 formula/content. Again, this is for me. All my equipment is OK to run CJ-4 oils, and I really liked the T6. But the price difference is like $10/gallon now.

 

[xcgreene]

I went with Ford Heavy Duty10w-30 as it most closely matched (as a CJ-4 oil) the older Rotella T6 formula/content. Again, this is for me. All my equipment is OK to run CJ-4 oils, and I really liked the T6. But the price difference is like $10/gallon now.

for a 10w, it does quite well at -25C in the cold cranking viscosity test. 1069Mpa better than a 10W spec max limit. Good looking additive pack too, specifically the antiwear elements Phosphorus and Zinc

Good find for an alternative to an expensive 5w-40

I really like how competitive the oil market has become, and that testing oil is becoming a bit more mainstream, really cuts back on silly misleading slogans. There are a lot of great oil options these days that just were not around even 10 years ago.

 

[Threepoint]

for a 10w, it does quite well at -25C in the cold cranking viscosity test. 1069Mpa better than a 10W spec max limit. Good looking additive pack too, specifically the antiwear elements Phosphorus and Zinc

Good find for an alternative to an expensive 5w-40

I really like how competitive the oil market has become, and that testing oil is becoming a bit more mainstream, really cuts back on silly misleading slogans. There are a lot of great oil options these days that just were not around even 10 years ago.

A bit off topic, I recall when not too long ago the oil companies advertised the heck out of how their brand of gasoline performed so much better and cleaner than the others. E.g., "Grrr...put a Tiger in your tank!"

Don't see that anymore, unless I'm not watching enough t.v.

 

[shooterdon]

Thank you for posting this.

 

[Diggin It]

So, is it good stuff or not?

 

[xcgreene]

So, is it good stuff or not?

I wanted the data to speak for itself and try to reserve my own opinion, but I suppose there is no harm in saying that it looks like a fine oil for this application. Average amounts of antiwear additives like phosphorus and zinc, and a fair amount of calcium to fend of oxidation, and the Total Acid Number is low at this sample point. Viscosity is also on point, showing 51.2SUS, which is middle ground for SAE 20

All things considered here, I believe you could find a better additive package in some other oils such as SUDT2 that could withstand abuse beyond interval if the situation demanded so. It's always an interesting situation, those who would abuse their tractor and neglect many hours beyond the correct service interval out of ignorance, are the ones who benefit the most from using the high dollar, $100 a pail oil. Yet they are the ones often using the cheapest they can find.

From the data give, Traveller is fine for average duty use up to the correct service interval change.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Nice to hear you guys use my oil... *grin* I work in a plant that blends and bottles lubricants, using our stuff keeps me employed. Thank you!

I see many brands go down the line and out the door, and, no, it doesnt all come out of the same tank. We custom blend the recipe the customers provide.

 

[Gopher Baroque]

As thanks for providing your oil analysis, note this Lubrizol presentation, Yellow Bucket Oils Competitive Analysis and Benchmarking. It also puts Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Transhydraulic Fluid in a not disfavorable light.

 

[Rebeldad1]

I went with Ford Heavy Duty10w-30 as it most closely matched (as a CJ-4 oil) the older Rotella T6 formula/content. Again, this is for me. All my equipment is OK to run CJ-4 oils, and I really liked the T6. But the price difference is like $10/gallon now.

so you have been running c-4 10w30 motor oil in your hydraulics?