New Hydraulic Fluid

Trojan6 · Jun 7, 2004

Well, I went ahead and bit the bullet to change my hydraulic oil on my 180. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and decided that today was as good a day as any. I called Terry this morning to verify I was on the right track and to resolve a couple of minor issues I was having. I switched to Mobil 1 15W-50 due to my concerns of a lack of an oil cooler, the amount of work I've been doing with it (almost 100 hours already), and the high temps. Terry explained it to me step by step, and it was pretty easy. Only bad part was the $200 I spent on oil to do the change. Hopefully this should extend the life of the tractor in the long run. I also took the opportunity while doing maintenance to install some headlights, a spinner knob, and some extensions on the controls (mine didn't come with the single joystick).
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Clarke · Jun 8, 2004

How much of the factory fluid is left in the system after draining.

sg

Trojan6 · Jun 8, 2004

About 1/4 gallon in the tank and less than a gallon in the lines/wheel motors.

Stefan

tlb · Jun 8, 2004

Hi Stefan,
Where did you get the spinner knob?
-Tim
PS I bought the used 425 for sale on TBN from the guy in Dripping Springs.

Trojan6 · Jun 8, 2004

I figured it was you based on an earlier post. I got the spinner knob at the TSC in Georgetown. They had black, green, and yellow there. Got all the light stuff there as well, and a rear light that I haven't mounted yet. Still trying to figure out a way to run a wire through the conduit with materials I've got on hand.

smartguyz · Jun 8, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I called Terry this morning to verify I was on the right track and to resolve a couple of minor issues I was having. I switched to Mobil 1 15W-50 due to my concerns of a lack of an oil cooler...
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Cool!

Would you be kind enough to write out the procedure for the rest of us? How much oil did you need to buy?

Sincerely,

Rob /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

WQB3 · Jun 8, 2004

I would be interested in your impressions of the PT-180 in general. I am considering the same model and same implements you have purchased. I would also add forks and potato digger. Can you add engine fan and oil cooler instead of replacing hydraulic fluid? It seems like a failry significant jump in price from 180 to 425. Other user comments apprecitated as well.
Thanks,

Trojan6 · Jun 8, 2004

smartguyz - I'll try and detail it for you later, but it might be just as easy to call Terry and have him run it through you like he did me.

WQB3 - I absolutely love my 180. Just when I think I maybe should have gotten something bigger, a new project comes along requiring its size/maneuverability. I also have the forks and potato digger, but for some reason got cut off of my profile. About the only thing I wish I had for mine was a mini-hoe, but I just might get around to that one of these days. I am not the most mechanically inclined person, but I can generally figure something out with enough effort. So far the issues I've had were easy to fix myself or by calling Terry at Power-trac. Keep in mind though, that what works best for my property might not be the same for yours. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Stefan

FOURTEEN · Jun 9, 2004

"" Still trying to figure out a way to run a wire through the conduit ""

I used 1/4" clear polyethelene tubing.

Slid the wire into the tubing, then fish the tubing through the conduit. It is stiff enough to push through and protects the wire well, but won't damage anything in the conduit.

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