SUDT2 versus Universal Hydraulic Fluid

ovrszd · May 21, 2014

When my M9540 had 50hrs on it I changed hydraulic/trans fluid and put in Universal Hydraulic Fluid. $6 per gallon.

The most noticeable thing was slow movement when cranked cold (30 degrees F). Also got some whining if engine was revved before warming. A little hard to shift gears unless the foot clutch was depressed as well as hydraulic shuttle shifted to neutral.

At 600hrs I changed hydraulic/trans fluid again and put in SUDT2. $21 per gallon. Only having operated the tractor in warm weather I can't address the cold issues yet. I do notice it's easier to shift gears. Also changes direction a little smoother when using the hydraulic shuttle without foot clutch. I didn't notice any difference in hydraulic functions such as FEL or TnT.

Can't make a totally fair assessment until I operate the tractor in cold weather. I've read all the "fluid war" threads and thought I'd get some first hand experience.

Today, not worth the cost difference. Might feel better about it next Winter

murphy1244 · May 21, 2014

Fluid is better than NO fluid...

vulcancowboy · May 21, 2014

I have heard that SUDT2 makes the HST much quieter, I would switch if that is true. Can anyone confirm?

k0ua · May 21, 2014

vulcancowboy said:
I have heard that SUDT2 makes the HST much quieter, I would switch if that is true. Can anyone confirm?

Several members have reported it when SUDT2 came out.. Can I confirm it?.. No, I can't. I will be looking for your post though

mmorisoli · May 21, 2014

I can my L3940 is a whole new tractor with SUDT2 in it.

Much quieter HST operation, smoother direction changes, better loader control and best of all it help reduce the sticking third function. Not healed but a thousand times better.

Very worth while investment.

mmorisoli · May 21, 2014

Oh and that was at the 400 hour point, I have 500 or so now still loving the sudt2

k0ua · May 21, 2014

Well there you go, another happy SUDT2 user. It makes sense that it would have benefits, or they would not have come out with it.

C4Ranch · May 21, 2014

I'm 80 hrs from my 400 hr service. Planning on giving the sudt2 a whirl. I'll say this, when it comes to the next filter change after, I'm sure gonna plan on the vacuum trick so I don't lose that liquid gold.... Spendy stuff, thinking about starting to accumulate the 12gal or so that I need early so I don't take such a hit on my pocketbook....

xring100 · May 21, 2014

I have SUDT2 in my M8540 paid $89 plus tax per 5 gallons. I experience the same cold cold issues you describe when temps are below ~15°F. Pump Whine above 1400 - 1500 rpm when cold. only way to shift easily is to move the shuttle lever to neutral pushing the clutch does not allow for smooth gear changes. Might as well forget range changes for the first 20 minutes the lever freezes in place most of the time. I might try full synthetic AMSOIL tractor hydraulic fluid next time.

fluxed · May 21, 2014

The SUDT2 has less zinc than the older fluids. Zinc is a great anti wear additive, but with it comes phosphorous.

SUDT2 contains alkyl borate. An ester. This lowers friction and wear by large margins. Less noise, wear and tear, and better cold flow ability with SUDT2.

vulcancowboy · May 22, 2014

mmorisoli said:
I can my L3940 is a whole new tractor with SUDT2 in it.

Much quieter HST operation, smoother direction changes, better loader control and best of all it help reduce the sticking third function. Not healed but a thousand times better.

Very worth while investment.

Probably a dumb question, but what is the "sticking third function"?

Onemoreokie · May 22, 2014

MX4700. Recently switched to SUDT hoping to quiet the whine. Spent the big money even against the advice of dealer.
No difference at all for me. Cha-Ching, live and learn.

k0ua · May 22, 2014

vulcancowboy said:
Probably a dumb question, but what is the "sticking third function"?

There have been some problems with the Kubota factory 3rd function valve option.

gwdixon · May 22, 2014

I'm among the quality oil fans.

Little HST tractors, like a BX, balk at cheap fluid. I know. Changed out the cheap stuff after only 25 hours on it. That doesn't make it very cheap. Kubota SUDT made everything hum again.

Older gear drive tractors don't seem to care about the quality. The FEL and 3PH of my old L3650 functioned just fine.

Larger new tractors that have a lot of hydraulics involved (hydraulic clutch like on the M-series) really are sensitive, almost like a HST. The hydraulics in the clutch was noisy and stiff with cheap fluid in the M7040. Once again, changed it out after only a few hours.

My L48 TLB hydraulics would shake and shudder when the hydraulics got hot. Changed it out to Amsoil ($$$$$) and haven't had a problem since.

Oh, and to you folks that change the filter and leave in the old hydraulic fluid...good luck.

"It is the cheapest person that ends up paying the most" is a good canard for this situation.

C4Ranch · May 22, 2014

Onemoreokie said:
MX4700. Recently switched to SUDT hoping to quiet the whine. Spent the big money even against the advice of dealer.
No difference at all for me. Cha-Ching, live and learn.

So you put in sudt and not sudt2? I've read the biggest improvement when using sudt2....

rayclar · May 22, 2014

I can confirm that my tractor is much quiter now with super udt2, runs smoother and is worth every penny for the oil.

TripleR · May 22, 2014

I've tried a variety of oils over the years and as long as it was good quality, I really couldn't tell any difference. I have not tried SUDT2, so I may put some in when I change the fluid in my 5740. Dealers down here only stock UDT, so I'll have to order it.

ovrszd · May 22, 2014

vulcancowboy said:
I have heard that SUDT2 makes the HST much quieter, I would switch if that is true. Can anyone confirm?

Though I'm not HST, I noticed no difference in gear noise. Roaded my tractor 10 miles couple days ago right after changing.

ovrszd · May 22, 2014

xring100 said:
I have SUDT2 in my M8540 paid $89 plus tax per 5 gallons. I experience the same cold cold issues you describe when temps are below ~15ｰF. Pump Whine above 1400 - 1500 rpm when cold. only way to shift easily is to move the shuttle lever to neutral pushing the clutch does not allow for smooth gear changes. Might as well forget range changes for the first 20 minutes the lever freezes in place most of the time. I might try full synthetic AMSOIL tractor hydraulic fluid next time.

Bummer Dave. I was hoping to improve the cold operations a little. Once it gets below freezing my happy butt stays in the heated shop along with the tractor. I've gotten used to starting the tractor, leave trans in neutral, shuttle lever in forward and let it circulate for a few minutes to warm up.

ovrszd · May 22, 2014

TripleR said:
I've tried a variety of oils over the years and as long as it was good quality, I really couldn't tell any difference. I have not tried SUDT2, so I may put some in when I change the fluid in my 5740. Dealers down here only stock UDT, so I'll have to order it.

I was considering AMSOIL synthetic. Would have only cost a couple dollars a gallon more. Maybe next time.