Stupid question: Where do I check/add oil?

erkme73 · Jun 18, 2018

It's embarrassing, but I'm left scratching my head after reading the manual. There's mention of motor oil port (and dipstick), as well as transmission oil dipstick. But what about hydraulic fluid? Is it safe to assume the HST transmission uses the same hydraulic fluid as what lifts loads?

When I had my tractor serviced, it came back to me with a partial 5 gallon bucket of hydraulic fluid, and a partial 2 gallon (?) jug of 'diesel motor oil'.

When I look at the engine oil port, it looks to be a hole into some kind of pump. There is a pulley on the front of it, and hoses - which appear to go to under and away from the engine compartment.

RNeumann · Jun 18, 2018

Normally the hydraulic fluid runs the trans and the all hydraulic functions and shares the fluid in the transmission. HST is the typical fluid used.

erkme73 · Jun 18, 2018

So, then your money is on the dipstick on the tranny as being the place to check the general hydraulic fluid? Anything hydraulically operated that I've ever owned had a reservoir with either a window or a dipstick. No mention of either in the manual. Quite baffling.

RNeumann · Jun 19, 2018

I have a 1538 and the place to check tranny and hydraulic is the dipstick on the floor between my feet. That’s the only place to check or add on my machine.

TractorNH · Jun 19, 2018

erkme73 said:
It's embarrassing, but I'm left scratching my head after reading the manual. There's mention of motor oil port (and dipstick), as well as transmission oil dipstick. But what about hydraulic fluid? Is it safe to assume the HST transmission uses the same hydraulic fluid as what lifts loads?

When I had my tractor serviced, it came back to me with a partial 5 gallon bucket of hydraulic fluid, and a partial 2 gallon (?) jug of 'diesel motor oil'.

When I look at the engine oil port, it looks to be a hole into some kind of pump. There is a pulley on the front of it, and hoses - which appear to go to under and away from the engine compartment.

I have a 2655 HST Cab which is essentially the same tractor.

The engine oil dipstick is on the right hand side of the tractor (same side as the filler port which is the port you described as in the pump looking thing). The dipstick is further back almost behind the loader bracket and down low. The pump looking thing is the tractor main hydraulic pump but it has bearings that are lubricated by the engine oil. The HST has a separate pump driven from the rear shaft of the engine.

The HST transmission and the hydraulic system share the same fluid reservoir which is the rear transmission case. They do have separate filters but share the same oil. Depending on the year of your tractor you might have a sight glass instead of a dipstick for the hydraulics. The newer ones have dipsticks instead and go by the picture in your manual, the dipstick is on the left side of the rear axle housing and the filler is to the left of the rear remotes. Hydro fluid should be checked with the loader bucket flat on the ground.

Don't forget to also check the level in your front axle. There's a port on the top of the axle housing that you unscrew and there's a dipstick on it to check that level too.