Fram tractor hydraulic fluid?

[Midniteoyl]

Last time I needed a battery I priced one at Advance. Literally walked across the street to O’Rielleys and saved $50. That was the last time I darkened their door.

My last Battery was from Home Depot

Cheapest around at the time for an Interstate group 34 @ $79. Dont know what they are today.

 

[RickB]

I had no idea HD sold automotive batteries.

 

[rademamj1]

I typically avoid anything with Fram on the label. IMO low quality and substandard products.

 

[arrow]

Depends how you use your machinery and how far you have to travel to get the proper oil.
If I put on 50 hrs a year, I'm doing something.
I have little compunction of going down to my dealers and buy 2 five gallon containers of Mahindra hydraulic oil.
To me, what's $180 every 5 years?
What's worse; if I buy the cheapest stuff I can find say at Tractor Supply, I'm saving $80 over 5 yrs.
Just ain't worth it to me.
Now if I have a lot of machines and putting on 50 hrs per week on them, I might think differently.

 

[5030]

Kind of like the 'Traveller' hydraulic fluid that Tractor Supply sells for 30 bucks a 5 gallon pail that meets no OEM specifications but it cheap. I'd never even consider putting the junk in one of my 50 grand tractors.

Cheap is always just that, cheap. You will never find an orange filter on any of my equipment and that includes my cars and trucks too.

Tractors (in my case Kubota M's only get Kubota (or Donaldson in the case of the air filters) and top tier fluids always. I use Chevron THC all weather synthetic hydraulic fluid, always have and for motor oil, Shell Rotella T6.

I average around 200 hours per year on each tractor, sometimes more, never less and it's all farm related so they get used hard.

 

[5030]

My last Battery was from Home Depot

Cheapest around at the time for an Interstate group 34 @ $79. Dont know what they are today.

Interstate's are usually good batteries. My rule of thumb on batteries is simply, I won't ever buy a flooded cell battery that has dust on the top. Flooded cell batteries begin their useful life when the electrolyte is added at the factory and then are constantly aging as they sit on s shelf somewhere waiting for you to buy it.

I always buy mine from a volume dealer like a heavy truck place, where they turn them over quickly and when I purchase a new battery, first thing I do is put it on my trickle charger (2 amps or less) to 'top it off' before I install it. When you buy any flooded cell battery, it will be somewhat discharged depending on how old it is.

Flooded cell batteries are constantly shedding lead sulfates inside so the older it is, the more it's shedding and lead sulfates are what ultimately destroys a battery.

 

[Number15]

So question
if fluid A (generic) is 30 bucks for five gallons and meets j20c and udt
and fluid B is name brand 80 bucks for 5 gallons and meet j20c and udt

What makes the name brand "better"? They both meet the same manufactures specs and that is what matters, right?

FWIW I am using Mobil 424

regarding batteries I agree with 5030. No old batteries and I try and buy batteries made by East Penn (Deka) as I have found them to be better especially with not venting when hot. Super Duty owners know what I am talking about (or should)

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So question
if fluid A (generic) is 30 bucks for five gallons and meets j20c and udt
and fluid B is name brand 80 bucks for 5 gallons and meet j20c and udt

What makes the name brand "better"? They both meet the same manufactures specs and that is what matters, right?

One could barely meet the specs, and the other could easily exceed it.

When conditions get tough, that just could make a difference.

SR

 

[Number15]

One could barely meet the specs, and the other could easily exceed it.

When conditions get tough, that just could make a difference.

SR

OK but how is that determined? I mean specs are for sure set as minimums, but it could be that mobil 424 meets the minimum and tsc exceeds it. We have know way of knowing so it's all just marketing at this point. I'm not making a case for either fluid, I'm just saying that proclaiming one oil is a better "j20c" oil because it's name brand is purely conjecture. All we know is both oils meet j20c and that is it, so on paper they are both equal. Without real lab data we are left to guess or form opinions based on loyalty and marketing.

 

[RickB]

All we know is what is claimed. We don't know if the claims are factual. There is no independent testing of hydraulic oils.

 

[Number15]

All we know is what is claimed. We don't know if the claims are factual. There is no independent testing of hydraulic oils.

I've sent an email to pqia to see if they would consider testing UTTO being as there are quite a few consumers with scut and cut tractors now. Would be great if they did.

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America

pqia.org

 

[Midniteoyl]

I had no idea HD sold automotive batteries.

I didnt either until the local stores started wanting $180 - $280 for a battery.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I went to AA the other day and FRAM is on the roll - grease, oil, you name it. But I still remember their flimsy filters and will never buy anything FRAM.

That said, for my old Honda motorcycles Autozone sells filters in STP boxes but the filter itself has FRAM printed on it.

 

[RickB]

Trico recently purchased Fram and seemingly is trying to diversify the brand offerings. I'd call it putting lipstick on a pig. Honeywell dumped Fram in 2011.

Trico acquires Fram Group; analysts see risks in deal - Auto Service World

Fram's filters and Autolite spark plugs brands included in deal reported to be worth US$310 million

www.autoserviceworld.com

 

[arrow]

OK but how is that determined? I mean specs are for sure set as minimums, but it could be that mobil 424 meets the minimum and tsc exceeds it. We have know way of knowing so it's all just marketing at this point. I'm not making a case for either fluid, I'm just saying that proclaiming one oil is a better "j20c" oil because it's name brand is purely conjecture. All we know is both oils meet j20c and that is it, so on paper they are both equal. Without real lab data we are left to guess or form opinions based on loyalty and marketing.

Figure it like this. Two men are armed with guns. If the spec or criteria is "come armed", then both meet the CA'd spec.
One guy is carrying a .357 mag and the other a 22 pistol.
Additives are like that too. Is there a mark up for branded oil? Absolutely.
But the difference in price for say fluid from Warren Oil (which is alleged to be used by Mahindra) and oil directly from Warren, isn't that much for me to warrant chasing down where Warren oil is. Add shipping to that to get it to your place, not much of a difference.

 

[crazyal]

Like everything, stuff is built to a budget. Also a lot of stuff is built by someone else who will put what ever name you want on it. Fram realized that more people care about the price than how well the filter was made so they came up with the cheapest way to make a filter for them. I'm sure Fram doesn't make their own oil or grease so unless it's tested trying to state how good or bad it is would be pointless. In fact I could see a company like Warren making oil for a company like Fran and just making one large batch that was better than they agreed to make for Fram simply because it was cheaper that making multiple batches of different specs for each customer. After all the oil is most likely the same and it's the additives that make the difference. If so testing would also could potentially be pointless as there could be differences between batches (most likely the contract just says must meet XYZ standard or better).

 

[Number15]

Figure it like this. Two men are armed with guns. If the spec or criteria is "come armed", then both meet the CA'd spec.
One guy is carrying a .357 mag and the other a 22 pistol.
Additives are like that too. Is there a mark up for branded oil? Absolutely.
But the difference in price for say fluid from Warren Oil (which is alleged to be used by Mahindra) and oil directly from Warren, isn't that much for me to warrant chasing down where Warren oil is. Add shipping to that to get it to your place, not much of a difference.

My point is you don't know what man came armed with the 22 and which one came armed with the 357 without looking (data) at this point you just know they both are armed (j20c)

If the Mahindra oil is truly from Warren oil I'm not sure where you can get the off label stuff. If it's from WPP (warren performance packaging) it's likely the same as Supertech, Traveller, Kirkland, Mag1, Peak. I think Warren oil is coastal. This is off the top of my head so I may have mixed them up as that is very easy to do.

World Class Lubricants | Warren Oil Company, LLC

Home - Warren Distribution

Customers Have Made UsNorth America’s Largest Manufacturerof Private Label Lubricants Products SOLUTIONS

warrendistribution.com

 

[LFP57]

Friends don't let friends use Fram.. Complete junk filters, not about to trust their fluids.

Friend of mine worked there in management, his words exactly.

 

[arrow]

My point is you don't know what man came armed with the 22 and which one came armed with the 357 without looking (data) at this point you just know they both are armed (j20c)

World Class Lubricants | Warren Oil Company, LLC

Home - Warren Distribution

Customers Have Made UsNorth America’s Largest Manufacturerof Private Label Lubricants Products SOLUTIONS

warrendistribution.com

It's the guy who asks you to pay for his lunch because he has no money left after his .357 purchase.

 

[Number15]

It's the guy who asks you to pay for his lunch because he has no money left after his .357 purchase.

Ain't that the truth