MF GC1720 4WD Front Axle Hydraulic Oil

[Texasmark]

To counter the don't worries, my 2007 65 hp says the same TDH fluid, but 24 hp 2016, both Bransons, says 90w gear oil and it's even molded into the fill port plug/dip stick so you won't forget what's required. Read between the lines. On front axle having an easy life, quite the contrary! Story after story of broken axles on here and other places, pictures you wouldn't believe if you didn't see them, a "supplemental drive system" used for the main traction element over and over again.

last time I changed the front end oil in my 6530, 85w-140 went in and haven't worried about it since. Had I lived up North it would have been 90w due to the colder ambient temps.

 

[Snobdds]

To counter the don't worries, my 2007 65 hp says the same TDH fluid, but 24 hp 2016, both Bransons, says 90w gear oil and it's even molded into the fill port plug/dip stick so you won't forget what's required. Read between the lines. On front axle having an easy life, quite the contrary! Story after story of broken axles on here and other places, pictures you wouldn't believe if you didn't see them, a "supplemental drive system" used for the main traction element over and over again.

last time I changed the front end oil in my 6530, 85w-140 went in and haven't worried about it since. Had I lived up North it would have been 90w due to the colder ambient temps.

Most if not all front end failures are because of overloading or using the front end as a bulldozer. None of the front end failures are due to lubrication.

Correlation does not mean causation.

 

[ray66v]

Hydraulic transmission oil, is modified gear oil.

Both the hydraulic transmission oil, and 90w gear oil are lightweight gear oil. They start out as the same basic stock.

Hydraulic transmission oil has additives in it your differential doesn't need, (like for wet brakes). But, the transmission oil, has been proven to work fine in there.

Since hypoid gears can create very high pressures, I use synthetic EP 80-90w gear lube in mine. It has additives that can protect differential gears better. Whether or not it makes any difference is debatable.

 

[cdaigle430]

Never changed mine and there is a reason for it. I used to be the type of person to change oil regularly and even exceed manufacture recomendations but I found I had more issues when I did.

As long as you have the oil in it, the vent is not blocked and you dont allow water in it (like driving though a stream) then your ok. This is just my opinion of course...dont allow foreign matter in and dont let it get to pressurized (keep vents clean) and cause seal leaks and your ok for a long time.

These axles arent high speed, high RPM and should last longer than the engine.

 

[RNeumann]

To counter the don't worries, my 2007 65 hp says the same TDH fluid, but 24 hp 2016, both Bransons, says 90w gear oil and it's even molded into the fill port plug/dip stick so you won't forget what's required. Read between the lines. On front axle having an easy life, quite the contrary! Story after story of broken axles on here and other places, pictures you wouldn't believe if you didn't see them, a "supplemental drive system" used for the main traction element over and over again.

last time I changed the front end oil in my 6530, 85w-140 went in and haven't worried about it since. Had I lived up North it would have been 90w due to the colder ambient temps.

Gear oil is used to lubricate and cool. The low speeds and light loads (compared to bearing sizes) keep things cool and don’t create the friction. Now if you take your pickup truck, attach a heavy trailer to it and drive at 65mph for hours on end you are making heat with a lot of friction- get a good gear oil!

But a front end that sees maybe 5mph for short bursts simply isn’t making the heat or friction. Gear oil or hydraulic oil etc would keep those bearings and gears happy for years. The only thing that ruin that would be lots of water.

Thinking that a higher priced gear oil is somehow going to buy you out of broken parts isn’t exactly how it works.

 

[ray66v]

The front end lives an easy life from a lubrication stand point. If you are in a cold climate lean toward the hydraulic oil and in warmer climates the gear oil is probably fine. The oil in the front end of a tractor is a non issue.

There isn't an advantage between those two products, due to cold, or warm temperatures.

If your statement is based on the popular belief that the gear oil is heavier, it's incorrect.

Gear oil is not measured on the same scale as other oils. This leads to the misconception that since transmission oil, generally runs about 30w, and the gear oil is 80-90w, the gear oil is thicker. The reality is, the difference is negligible, at normal temperatures.

How much difference, depends on exact product you use. The actual viscosity of a given product also varies widely by brand. So, if you compare two quarts of 30w from two different companies, they can have a completely different viscosity.

There are some products like Kubota SUDT transmission oil, that actually are slightly thinner than most brands of transmission oil. But, even it is not enough to matter very much in this application.

For those who are concerned about temperatures, synthetic oils are where you can get an advantage. But, it still has to get really hot, or really cold, for that to come into play. Most of us are not getting into that range.

For the vast majority of owners, as you said, it's not an issue what you use here. We now have many hours, over many years, with people using lots of different products to support that.

 

[ray66v]

Never changed mine and there is a reason for it. I used to be the type of person to change oil regularly and even exceed manufacture recomendations but I found I had more issues when I did.

As long as you have the oil in it, the vent is not blocked and you dont allow water in it (like driving though a stream) then your ok. This is just my opinion of course...dont allow foreign matter in and dont let it get to pressurized (keep vents clean) and cause seal leaks and your ok for a long time.

These axles arent high speed, high RPM and should last longer than the engine.

This type of hypoid gear does wear down with normal use. And, since there is a limited amount of space for that material to settle down into, it's a good idea to change the fluid at some point to remove those accumulated debris.

So, I'm not losing any sleep over changing mine either, but it eventually does need to be done.

 

[Texasmark]

Most if not all front end failures are because of overloading or using the front end as a bulldozer. None of the front end failures are due to lubrication.

Correlation does not mean causation.

I have been trying to figure that out (somewhat) since I've encountered tractors using hydraulic fluid (with additives) in gear oil applications. So far, I am still with my old school habits of using a thick oil if I can, usually. In the front axles I can and do. If the lube can remain between two metallic stress points, it's done it's job. Question is, how and when does that not happen with the selected lubricant!

 

[LouNY]

There is a considerable difference in gear lube and hytran type fluids.
Many front axles will spec either lube some just one or the other.
As far as I am concerned my front axles will be getting gear lube and usually synthetic.
The planetary gear set front axles will work better then the hypoid drive type found on most of
the smaller tractors with hytran. Those hypoid drive gears have a much greater shear then planetarys due.
You can run anything you care to in your front axles, mine will get high quality synthetic gear lubes.
This is from what I have seen while doing repairs to different equipment over many years.
And for those that wish to never change the lube in theirs go for it, my father was that way for many years,it finally caught up with his equipment.

 

[WranglerX]

Manual says hydraulic fluid same as hydrostatic drive, why is that not good enough...

Dale