Fram tractor hydraulic fluid?

[Midniteoyl]

Last time I needed a battery I priced one at Advance. Literally walked across the street to O’Rielleys and saved $50. That was the last time I darkened their door.

My last Battery was from Home Depot

Cheapest around at the time for an Interstate group 34 @ $79. Dont know what they are today.

 

[RickB]

I had no idea HD sold automotive batteries.

 

[rademamj1]

I typically avoid anything with Fram on the label. IMO low quality and substandard products.

 

[arrow]

Depends how you use your machinery and how far you have to travel to get the proper oil.
If I put on 50 hrs a year, I'm doing something.
I have little compunction of going down to my dealers and buy 2 five gallon containers of Mahindra hydraulic oil.
To me, what's $180 every 5 years?
What's worse; if I buy the cheapest stuff I can find say at Tractor Supply, I'm saving $80 over 5 yrs.
Just ain't worth it to me.
Now if I have a lot of machines and putting on 50 hrs per week on them, I might think differently.

 

[5030]

Kind of like the 'Traveller' hydraulic fluid that Tractor Supply sells for 30 bucks a 5 gallon pail that meets no OEM specifications but it cheap. I'd never even consider putting the junk in one of my 50 grand tractors.

Cheap is always just that, cheap. You will never find an orange filter on any of my equipment and that includes my cars and trucks too.

Tractors (in my case Kubota M's only get Kubota (or Donaldson in the case of the air filters) and top tier fluids always. I use Chevron THC all weather synthetic hydraulic fluid, always have and for motor oil, Shell Rotella T6.

I average around 200 hours per year on each tractor, sometimes more, never less and it's all farm related so they get used hard.

 

[5030]

My last Battery was from Home Depot

Cheapest around at the time for an Interstate group 34 @ $79. Dont know what they are today.

Interstate's are usually good batteries. My rule of thumb on batteries is simply, I won't ever buy a flooded cell battery that has dust on the top. Flooded cell batteries begin their useful life when the electrolyte is added at the factory and then are constantly aging as they sit on s shelf somewhere waiting for you to buy it.

I always buy mine from a volume dealer like a heavy truck place, where they turn them over quickly and when I purchase a new battery, first thing I do is put it on my trickle charger (2 amps or less) to 'top it off' before I install it. When you buy any flooded cell battery, it will be somewhat discharged depending on how old it is.

Flooded cell batteries are constantly shedding lead sulfates inside so the older it is, the more it's shedding and lead sulfates are what ultimately destroys a battery.

 

[Number15]

So question
if fluid A (generic) is 30 bucks for five gallons and meets j20c and udt
and fluid B is name brand 80 bucks for 5 gallons and meet j20c and udt

What makes the name brand "better"? They both meet the same manufactures specs and that is what matters, right?

FWIW I am using Mobil 424

regarding batteries I agree with 5030. No old batteries and I try and buy batteries made by East Penn (Deka) as I have found them to be better especially with not venting when hot. Super Duty owners know what I am talking about (or should)

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So question
if fluid A (generic) is 30 bucks for five gallons and meets j20c and udt
and fluid B is name brand 80 bucks for 5 gallons and meet j20c and udt

What makes the name brand "better"? They both meet the same manufactures specs and that is what matters, right?

One could barely meet the specs, and the other could easily exceed it.

When conditions get tough, that just could make a difference.

SR

 

[Number15]

One could barely meet the specs, and the other could easily exceed it.

When conditions get tough, that just could make a difference.

SR

OK but how is that determined? I mean specs are for sure set as minimums, but it could be that mobil 424 meets the minimum and tsc exceeds it. We have know way of knowing so it's all just marketing at this point. I'm not making a case for either fluid, I'm just saying that proclaiming one oil is a better "j20c" oil because it's name brand is purely conjecture. All we know is both oils meet j20c and that is it, so on paper they are both equal. Without real lab data we are left to guess or form opinions based on loyalty and marketing.

 

[RickB]

All we know is what is claimed. We don't know if the claims are factual. There is no independent testing of hydraulic oils.