if i have posted this before forgive me. my dad bought a new 446 in 1975, he had hyd trouble in the winter i was working at Case experimental shop. in the winter some hyd fluids didnt do well. the Case engineers came out and said to use type "F" trans fluid, in the hyd systems. my dad changed his tractor right then, it worked good. that fluid is still in the tractor, i know i know i should have changed it at lest 4 or 5 times by now.
Yes... you have posted that information before.
I don't doubt what you are reporting but let's look at the FACTS.
First of all, where you worked at the Case Racine plant has nothing to do with which oil is the best choice for these tractors. All of the tractors were manufactured in Winneconne, a branch plant that is 123 miles and 2 1/2 hours away from Case headquarters. The engineering was done in Winneconne as was the research and development work. Racine had zero to do with what happened in Winneconne, other than to look at their profit and loss statements quarterly.
Since the day that the Johnson brothers began cranking out Colt 7's and Colt 9's, MOTOR OIL was specified for the hydraulic system in the form of 20W40 grade. Case continued to specify motor oil from 1965 to 1983 when they sold the OPE division to John Ingersoll. Today, Eastman/Ingersoll continues to specify 20W40 motor oil for the hydraulic systems of their tractors and goes so far to have 20W40 bottled for them with their own logo on it.
As I see it, there is a 49 year, continuous history of using the exact same oil. Presumably, this oil choice was made for several important reasons.
1. IT WORKS
2. It's easily found, almost everywhere but not in 20W40 grade...instead, 15W40 or 20W50 are approved. Both are still motor oils.
3. It's inexpensive and that's important. I'll cover that shortly.
Will Type F ATF work? Yes.
Is it a good choice? Not particularly.
If it was superior to 20W40, then Case or Ingersoll would have specified it years ago, when Type F was developed for use in Ford automatic transmissions and power steering units.
I notice that you do not even state what sort of trouble your father was allegedly having with his tractor. Is that not an important piece of information?
Why you feel compelled to go against 49 years of oil choice is baffling to me. What exactly are you trying to prove? If you believe that you have a better idea about oil choice, I suggest that you take a drive to Maine and talk to Nick Nikazmerad at Eastman and see if you can convince him and all the hydraulic engineers he employs to go with Type F auto fluid.
The purpose behind forums is to give out ACCURATE information to those who are in search of answers. If you don't even know enough about your Case tractor to maintain it properly, then are you actually qualified to give out any advice? Since you either do not own an Operator's Manual or you have neglected to read it, I'll tell you that the hydraulic system is supposed to be drained and refilled EVERY YEAR.
So, how many decades has it been since your dad put Type F into that Case he entrusted you with? Perhaps when the pump or the drive motor pukes, you'll get around to it. Then you can have the fun of flushing the complete system a few times to get out all the metal shrapnel that has been created by your neglect. In the meantime, I urge you to just stop giving out erroneous and misleading information to people on the various forums you belong to.
Instead, spend some serious time learning about how to take care of your own tractor. When you get that down pat, maybe then you will be in a position to actually help others.
