How are the hydro drive tractors doing in the bitter cold ?

[john_bud]

John, are you using SUDT or equivlent?

RaT, when I first got the tractor in 00 it was filled with UDT. First winter at -20F it blew out the HST filter and dumped fluid while warming up. I wasn't even on it at the time. Came back to a large and expanding puddle.

Dealer came and got it, put on a new filter of the same PN and topped with JD low temperature fluid (from memory). Dealer told me to warm it with the clutch down.

I think next season it blew again at -10 or -15F after 20 minutes of warming when I drove it out of the shop and to the street to pull a stuck truck. Nice oil trail on the lawn... I bought a new PN filter and filled with Amsoil. Changed to partially warming with clutch down and then with clutch up.

Changed fluids to SUDT in the fall a year or two ago and the dealer gave me an old PN filter. Went to haul trees out of some woods and when I started the tractor at -5 or so to back it off the trailer it blew the filter. It blew the second I lifted the clutch. Went to the dealer and got a 3rd PN filter and a couple gallons of SUDT.

The latest PN filter has a machined aluminum base and is about 2-3 x heavier than the old one. I think the old filter bases were distorting under load and allowing the leak. I was never able to take off one that blew and get it to seal. But (happy day) the latest version of filter has never failed.

jb

 

[MossRoad]

Our little Power Trac with the Kohler 25HP gas engine starts just fine at -5 with a good battery. It has 3 hydraulic pumps connected directly to the engine and no bybass valve, so the starter has to turn the engine plus the thick hydraulic fluid on start up. You can really tell the difference in the force that it takes that starter to turn the juice when the temps drop. But it does fine. We let it run at 1/3 throttle for about 10 minutes while I hand shovel the walks and porch steps and brush off the car. That's enough to get the hydraulics warmed up. Then I cycle the FEL full up and down a few times as well as angle the plow back and forth a few times. The first one or two times the things move slowly, but then on the third of fourth stroke, you can see the speed pick up rapidly as the warm fluid makes it out of the reservoir and into the cylinders. Then it's off to the races plowing snow.

 

[slowrev]

Thanks for the replies, I was just wondering how a hydrostatic tranny would do with very cold oil . For the most part, not too bad it would seem.
Ben

 

[hagman]

I'm on central IL and my B7610 has worked fine as long as I let it warm up first. I have been plowing mine and some of the neighbors drives with my FEL and other than freezing my posterior off the tractor has been great in the cold weather. I'll probably look into how much a cab would cost me for the tractor and the ease of taking it off but other than that the cold doesn't seem to be much of a factor. I must admit I'm a little surprised as I don't even have a block heater for the tractor and it's stored in an unheated shelter.

Hagman
B7610 w/FEL, MMM & Box Scraper

 

[Mighty Dodge]

Mine's been fine. I just let it "warm" up for 5 min around 1300 rpm's.

 

[_RaT_]

RaT, when I first got the tractor in 00 it was filled with UDT. First winter at -20F it blew out the HST filter and dumped fluid while warming up. I wasn't even on it at the time. Came back to a large and expanding puddle.

Dealer came and got it, put on a new filter of the same PN and topped with JD low temperature fluid (from memory). Dealer told me to warm it with the clutch down.

I think next season it blew again at -10 or -15F after 20 minutes of warming when I drove it out of the shop and to the street to pull a stuck truck. Nice oil trail on the lawn... I bought a new PN filter and filled with Amsoil. Changed to partially warming with clutch down and then with clutch up.

Changed fluids to SUDT in the fall a year or two ago and the dealer gave me an old PN filter. Went to haul trees out of some woods and when I started the tractor at -5 or so to back it off the trailer it blew the filter. It blew the second I lifted the clutch. Went to the dealer and got a 3rd PN filter and a couple gallons of SUDT.

The latest PN filter has a machined aluminum base and is about 2-3 x heavier than the old one. I think the old filter bases were distorting under load and allowing the leak. I was never able to take off one that blew and get it to seal. But (happy day) the latest version of filter has never failed.

jb

-10, -15, -20 degrees, whats that? Even when the temp is warm, if you put your hand on the filter you can feel the filter expand when the clutch is let out.

 

[john_bud]

-10, -15, -20 degrees, whats that? Even when the temp is warm, if you put your hand on the filter you can feel the filter expand when the clutch is let out.

And if you lick your palm and try that in the winter around here, well you're there till spring!!

 

[Egon]

No No John; It's the pump handle!

 

[_RaT_]

And if you lick your palm and try that in the winter around here, well you're there till spring!!

I saw a Christmas movie that relates to that. Something about putting your eye out and sticking your tongue to a pole when its real cold out.

 

[MossRoad]

I saw a Christmas movie that relates to that. Something about putting your eye out and sticking your tongue to a pole when its real cold out.

"In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."