6 year old tractor with 175 hrs, should 300 hour hydraulic fluid change be done now?

[haroldy]

I believe your just wasting your money and time
I have 25 year old tractor
Only change engine oil on regular basis
other fluids have never been changed
I dont want the tractor to last longer than me

 

[5030]

That is what many/most of us have been led to believe.
The reality is that oil company sales droids come up with magic numbers designed to maximize their profits (-:

Sounds like Internet hype to me. The easiest and least expensive method is spectroscopic analysis, something I do anyway. My tractors aren't for a hobby or cutting grass, they are for farming and I need a reliable unit. dependable, clean lubricants are a part of the equation.

 

[5030]

I believe your just wasting your money and time
I have 25 year old tractor
Only change engine oil on regular basis
other fluids have never been changed
I dont want the tractor to last longer than me

.................and if it does, I pitty the next owner. He'll probably pull the drain plug and nothing but crud will come out........:laughing:

 

[tcreeley]

You can't go wrong changing it.

 

[ModMech]

That is what many/most of us have been led to believe.
The reality is that oil company sales droids come up with magic numbers designed to maximize their profits (-:

That depends on who you are listening to.....

If you are following the MANUFACTURER's suggested service intervals, your statement is false, the manufacturer of your tractor (car, van or jeep) has a vested interest in INFREQUENT service requireents - low operating costs and hassle.

If you are refering to the "fast lube" types then you are 100% correct, those wankers want you to service everything each visit if they can fool you into it. They even go to extremes like claiming "most people" should use the severe service schedlue.... nothing could be further from the truth and even when they are correct, the intervals they suggest are WAY too short from my experiences.

At the end of the day, service intervals are determined by careful review of the data and suggested by the OEM based on extensive testing with the goal of minimizing costs without negatively impacting reliability. Remember, all lubricants and fuels absorb moisture from the atmosphere even if you never start it. That moisture causes degridation of the oil/fuel (sludge), which over time can render it unsuitable for the intended use.

My suggestion would be to follow the maintenance guidelines as established by the OEM in the Operator's Manual.

 

[sweep]

I spoke with the mechanic I've known for 30 years at my local NH dealership. He recomended changing the oil even though there is low hours due to what others have said. Water and acid/contaminate build up.

He also pointed out my power steering fluid is in the same circuit as my gear and hydraulic fluid as my tractor system does not have a separate PS reservoir which makes it even more imperative to keep clean and fresh oil-three systems on my tractor use the same oil.

 

[crazyal]

If it helps you sleep at night, change it. It doesn't matter if it's needed or not, that can be debated all day long. The simple fact is if you're thinking of doing it and don't then you will still be thinking that maybe you should tomorrow, next week, next year, etc. Change it for the peace of mind.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

Every time you get it up to operating temperature, the moisture is cooked out of the oil. Its not staying there. Otherwise your dipstick results would steadily increase.

 

[sweep]

I changed the front end oil last night. With 183 hrs it was dirtier than I thought it would be. It looks nice and clear on the dipstick but when it came out it was pretty dark. The center section was the cleanest but the 2 side differentials while not black were very dark.

I did open up the main transmission dran plug and drained maybe half qt out. Fairly dark and again way darker than what appears on the dipstick. Did not see any water.

Plan to drain it in the next day or two and will take a pic of the oil if anyone is interested.

 

[Reg]

That depends on who you are listening to.....

If you are following the MANUFACTURER's suggested service intervals, your statement is false, the manufacturer of your tractor (car, van or jeep) has a vested interest in INFREQUENT service requireents - low operating costs and hassle.

If you are refering to the "fast lube" types then you are 100% correct, those wankers want you to service everything each visit if they can fool you into it. They even go to extremes like claiming "most people" should use the severe service schedlue.... nothing could be further from the truth and even when they are correct, the intervals they suggest are WAY too short from my experiences.

At the end of the day, service intervals are determined by careful review of the data and suggested by the OEM based on extensive testing with the goal of minimizing costs without negatively impacting reliability. Remember, all lubricants and fuels absorb moisture from the atmosphere even if you never start it. That moisture causes degridation of the oil/fuel (sludge), which over time can render it unsuitable for the intended use.

My suggestion would be to follow the maintenance guidelines as established by the OEM in the Operator's Manual.

It is difficult to take seriously any claim that "Engineers" perform extensive load/wear testing on all the parts and MAGICALLY all come up with the same recommended oil change interval of... pick a number;
3,000 miles, 7,500 miles, 50 hours, 100 hours, 300 hours, etc.
As with autos/trucks the arbitrary number shifts, typically upwards, but always a round number and very similar (usually SAME) as the competitors.

IOW, I don't believe it is test lab derived.
There is little/no evidence that tractors fail as a consequence of trace quantities of water (condensation) in oils (engine or hydraulic).
There is substantial evidence that tractors that don't get oil changes of ANY kind - and are essentially "fix it only when it breaks" maintained last for many decades.

STP ?
No thanks, I gave THAT up a long time ago (-:
Leaded gas ?
What a hoax THAT was (-: