Cheap hydro fluid (vs UDT/SUDT)- any problems? Really?

[TripleR]

The counter man at my local Kubota dealer (also a new holland dealer) suggested I use the Ambra (NH brand hydro fluid) for my L3400 HST. I dont think they even stock the udt in 5 gallon size because they also feel it is a rip off. It has been flawless in my machine, even in cold new england winter mornings. May be different for a bx, but I will save my money for other things again next time. I know loggers around here that use any hydro fluid they can get in all of their machines and have for decades with no problems caused by the fluid.

I used Ambra almost exclusively in my BX2200 and never had any issues or excessive whine.

 

[Ken45101]

I'm sure most of the old farmers just used standard hydraulic fluid. HOWEVER, don't forget that they are typically using gear transmissions. No fancy hydraulic fluid required.

The other issue is what was the particular machine designed to run on? John Deere skid steers are totally hydraulic. Deere specifies their engine oil for the hydraulic fluid. Is that to say that engine oil and hydraulic fluid are the same? Of course not. But that's what the machine is designed for.

The other issue I believe is cold weather performance. My big tractor (M9540) sits all winter. It doesn't need cold weather hydro fluid. My RTV900 gets used every winter morning to feed hay, so it needs a better cold performing hydraulic fluid (besides, having the hydro transmission whereas the M9540 is a gear transmission.)

Ken

 

[beemerphile]

... I replaced the fluid in my B21 with Mystik JT-5 and it works great...

I had the same results and used Mystic grease without issue on my tractor and excavator until I learned that I was inadvertently funding the Hugo Chavez regime through Venezuelan ownership of Citgo. There are two schools of thought about whether you are making a difference by not buying their products. One side says yes, the other takes the position that petroleum resources are fungible and that they can easily sell the petroleum elsewhere and that you are only hurting the US employees of Citgo by doing so.

I am not saying I have an answer to this moral dilemma, or even that there is one. But I have since avoided Citgo and Mystic products.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Just stay away from the really cheap stuff. This is kinda comparing apples to oranges, but a few years back we had to change the hydraulic fluid in our JD 2550 (which is 65hp, syncro trans). Instead of buying the JD Hy-Gard fluid as we normally do, we got some cheap Warren or some other brand from the local farm store. Within a few weeks it had destroyed most of the seals in the hydraulic system and 3pt rockshaft. After replacing the lower link seals, rebuilding the rockshaft assy, and a return line for the power steering, we switched back over to Hy-Gard. Put about 1500hrs on it since then with nary a leak.

Take it for what it's worth, but I always buy name brand fluid now. For gear tractors I use whatever is cheapest (JD Hy-Gard, NH Ambra, Case Hy-Tran, Kubota UDT, etc), but for the hydro's I stick to what the mfg sells.

 

[art]

As a dealer we do get to see a lot of things that a user might not. We had sold IH hydro's for years and they are about the same as todays with a few exceptions. I always recommended the hytran especially for here in the northeast do to the cold.

Hytran can absorb a lot of moisture compared to other oils!

Every now and then we'd get a call from a custoemr that they needed to start the tractor in the shed and it took an hour or so beofre it would move! Not good!

With the Case compacts we have cross used the Super UDT for an experiment. These are the same as the New Hollands and the good New Holland oil is Hytran! The transmission did not have any known issues to begin with and the owner stated that after about fifty hours he thought it was breaking in as it was more reponsive as well as quieter! Just to get your attention!

When people come in with a hyraulic or drive problem the first thing we do is to change the filter and oil. This often will solve the problem. Different fluid weights give us different pressure readings so to check pressures we have to get to a constant.

We can talk oils all day and my response will be the same they do make a difference!
I don't recommend beating a dead horse or trying to make something that it might not ever be.

Use the cheap oil, after all you might just be taking a few hundred hours of life out of it and if you are trading often let the next owner or dealer deal with it. Go for it! Run what you want!