B3030 - Non-OEM Hyd filter causes noise

[madslick]

Hello Folks
Here is some news for some:
At my 300 Hr fluid change, I replaced the 2 Hydraulic filters on my B3030 with the Napa equivalents (2 different part numbers). The Napa filters were actually higher $ than the Kubota ones, but were purchased due to convenience.

At that time, all seemed well.
I than operated the tractor for roughly 30 hours and noticed that the hydraulics whined. I never made a connection to it whining more than before.

After talking to a friend, he was worried about his machine making more noise than usual after replacing the filters with the NAPA ones. He suggested replacing the filters with Kubota filters.

At first, I wasn't too worried, but after doing some reading I learned that too much filtration/restrictive flow can cause the Hydraulic pump to possibly cavitate and start whining.

I then became worried and purchased the OEM filters.
I did the following to establish a baseline:
I raised the throttle till I started hearing whining from the pump -@ 1200 RPM.
I raised the loader and the noise subdued. released.
I raised the throttle further and I could still hear the whine.

I replaced the NAPA filters with the OEM.

Result:
The whine was GONE!
I could only hear the engine idling at 1200 RPM.
No noticeable pump whine all the way up to 2000 rpm.


Moral of the Story:
DON'T CHEAP OUT ON THE FILTERS!

In case if you were wondering, the hydraulic fluid was and still is the "Traveler Brand" carried by TSC.

Take care,
Rick

 

[madslick]

Has anyone else witnessed similar results?

 

[Ductape]

Thanks for the info. I've only used Kubota filters, mostly because the dealer is right down the street.

 

[art]

Could be a result of both the filters as well as the oil!

 

[MarkLeininger]

I order everything online, saves time and gas. There was big drama a few years ago about a guy who did his own little experiments on a bunch of filter brands. One of them really took some lumps in the test, can't remember which one. He had a pretty convincing setup that showed their filters were very poor. The manufacturer sued the guy and he took his information down. I've always been nervous about aftermarket filters after looking at his tests. He measured pressure drops when the filter was new, how easily the bypass was triggered, sawed them apart to see how they were made, etc. Some were just plain junk, others were very good. Who knows which ones to buy...

 

[Volfandt]

Good info. It's also good to know that the easily accessable Traveler Brand HST oil can be used and not produce a whine.
Theres been many a debate concerning types of filters and your's will fall into the pro-OEM camp
My personal opinion (and it's just that), is to use OEM filters (oil, HST, fuel and air). I've found that they aren't the cheapest nor the most expensive but are rated to provide the needed protection and function as per those that designed and built the machine.

Course the OEM filters and fluids are in all actuality re-badged products made by an approved manufacturer other than the machine manufacturer, so if one knows "who" the manufacture(s) are and the price is lower to purchase these exact same parts alittle cheaper directly, then to me thats a win-win.
Course I don't mind to pay a buck or two more for quality replacement parts for a service I've done no more than once a calender yr and it gives me the excuse to stop by the dealer and check out the new offerings

 

[madslick]

Thanks folks,
I never thought that the NAPA Gold filters (made by Wix) would ever result in such erratic behavior.
I just ran the machine for 2 hours and all I could hear was the purring of the Diesel...

Go figure. You win some and you lose some...