boustany
Platinum Member
So, I spent the weekend in the cold doing my 50 hour service. It went pretty well, and I spent much more time waiting for the juices to drain than actually working.
If you are thinking of doing the service yourself, I have some tips:
1) Warm up the fluids by making the tractor work for about an hour. If you do, drain the UDT first, and be carefull because it may be hot. I didn't and the stuff took a while to drain out because it was so thick.
2) Get a bunch of drain pans and drain a few things at a time. There are usually 2 or more drain plags for each section and it goes twice as fast if you are draining both at the same time.
3) Watch the UDT drainpans - most pans have only a couple of gallons capacity, and there are about 10 gallons of HST to come out!
4) Make sure you have at least 10 gallons worth of empties to store the old oil and UDT in before your dispose of it in and environmentally sound manner.
5) When you want to remove the suction strainer (or whatever its called) for the HST, you can't unless you disconnect the return spring on the sliding lever for the HST peddle. Disconnect the spring, slide the lever back, remove the strainer, clean it, and replace it, remembering to reconnect the spring.
6) Make sure you have a big, strong, oil filter wrench. The HST and Hydraulic filters were on really tight and I actually ruined my filter wrench trying to remove one. It wasn't a very good wrench, though.
7) You will ned a variety of funnels to fill it back up again. Make sure the funnels for the UDT have a big spout, otherwise it will take forever to pour the fluid it. I believe you should never use the same funnel for oil and any other fluid like UDT, so I skeep them apart. Also, I use an old funnel for old oil/UDT, never a clean one.
Other than those little nuggets, its a pretty easy job. It would have been easier if it wasn't so darned cold out, but at least I was sheltered.
In any event, I figure anybody who can do an oil change can probably to the 50 hour service. It just goes easier if you are well prepared.
Have fun!
If you are thinking of doing the service yourself, I have some tips:
1) Warm up the fluids by making the tractor work for about an hour. If you do, drain the UDT first, and be carefull because it may be hot. I didn't and the stuff took a while to drain out because it was so thick.
2) Get a bunch of drain pans and drain a few things at a time. There are usually 2 or more drain plags for each section and it goes twice as fast if you are draining both at the same time.
3) Watch the UDT drainpans - most pans have only a couple of gallons capacity, and there are about 10 gallons of HST to come out!
4) Make sure you have at least 10 gallons worth of empties to store the old oil and UDT in before your dispose of it in and environmentally sound manner.
5) When you want to remove the suction strainer (or whatever its called) for the HST, you can't unless you disconnect the return spring on the sliding lever for the HST peddle. Disconnect the spring, slide the lever back, remove the strainer, clean it, and replace it, remembering to reconnect the spring.
6) Make sure you have a big, strong, oil filter wrench. The HST and Hydraulic filters were on really tight and I actually ruined my filter wrench trying to remove one. It wasn't a very good wrench, though.
7) You will ned a variety of funnels to fill it back up again. Make sure the funnels for the UDT have a big spout, otherwise it will take forever to pour the fluid it. I believe you should never use the same funnel for oil and any other fluid like UDT, so I skeep them apart. Also, I use an old funnel for old oil/UDT, never a clean one.
Other than those little nuggets, its a pretty easy job. It would have been easier if it wasn't so darned cold out, but at least I was sheltered.
In any event, I figure anybody who can do an oil change can probably to the 50 hour service. It just goes easier if you are well prepared.
Have fun!
