Best Way to Get Hydraulic Fluid into Tractor?

[Suburban Plowboy]

My tractor is back from the dealership. Now I have to change the hydraulic oil. It's around 13 gallons, and 10 of those gallons are in 5-gallon pails, so not easy to pour from. Maybe I should have asked the dealer to do it, but based on what they charged for the repair, it probably would have cost me $250 in labor. Plus another hundred or so for imaginative fees.

How do most people put fluid in their tractors? The only opening I know of is a tiny threaded hole on the rear of the tractor, and it will not be easy pouring 5 gallons of oil into it using a funnel.

 

[Roadworthy]

Consider getting one of those battery powered pumps from Amazon or Harbor Freight.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Thanks for the tip.

Let's see. The manual pump does 2 ounces per stroke, so 320 strokes per pail. The battery pump does 10 gpm, but it costs 10 times as much. The battery pump is looking pretty good at this moment.

 

[5030]

I use a cut in half (plasma cut) aluminum truck fuel tank as a drain pan and fill plastic disposable water jugs with fluid from 5's using a funnel. Once the 5's are empty, the used fluid goes in them and gets recycled as in a waste oil burner. I tip up the aluminum drain pan (tank) and bucket it out with a 2 gallon pail and fill the empty 5's like that. My tractors each hold 16 gallons.

 

[5030]

Consider getting one of those battery powered pumps from Amazon or Harbor Freight.

HF is cheaper and the same Chinese pump.

 

[ericm979]

Filling too fast can cause problems. Many tractor oil fill ports will overflow if you try to fill them too fast. Unless your oil has dye in it, it's easy to overshoot the level visible in the sight glass.

I change the oil every 3-4 years. The manual bucket pump works fine for that. It won't fill too fast and it does not need to have fresh batteries installed every time I use it. Yes it takes a little longer and I get a bit of exercise but neither of those are major problems.

 

[IndyIan]

I guess in FL it shouldn't be an issue, but I bring the fluid inside and put it in front of the woodstove, if its heating season, or leave it out in the sun in the summer.
I've used the 2 oz pump and its not terrible with warm fluid, but after 10 years it broke, so now I just dump the 5 gal pail into a 1L or 4L bottle if I can fit it well over the funnel in the piece of machinery.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I think I'll just set some time aside and do it the slow way. Thanks for the help.

 

[ljjhouser]

If you need empty buckets for the old oil, try your dealer. I asked my dealer - he gave me 2 buckets and told me to bring the old back they would recycle it.

 

[RjCorazza]

I take the low tech approach by refilling 1 gallon at time with a flexible neck oil can.