Tractor in pond--water in hydraulic oil

[IslandTractor]

It is not that easy to recover the original fluid from a mix of hyd fluid and water. If the water has been emulsified/blended, I don't think it is worth the effort. There are filter machines that can do it, but they are expensive. Most hyd fluid and motor oils have detergents in them, and that is why the oil is emulsified. If water were to get into non-detergent oil, it would go to the bottom of the container, and could be removed easily.

That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[jinman]

If you had not run the tractor at all before draining the oil, you might have gotten away with one drain, filter change, and refill. Water will tend to settle on the bottom of the reservoir and should have been the first thing to drain out.

Since you operated the tractor enough that you see milky fluid, you have to consider that you have contaminated the entire system: 3PH, FEL, filters, and HST/filter if it has one. This is a much, much more difficult task. You will certainly want to change filters, refill, operate, drain, change filters again and refill as a minimum. If you can find some cheap oil that meets JD specs, use that for the first refill. You also can probably not completely refill and be okay if the tractor is on level ground. For example, if you have an 8-gallon sump, you will probably be okay with 6 gallons, maybe even 5 for the first flush. You should not have to completely refill until the second refill and filter change.

I'm sure glad you didn't submerge your entire tractor and yourself. Everyone of us who operates around ponds has to keep in mind where we are and how narrow our safety margin is. I mow by backing my tractor down the pond dam toward the water, and I always make sure I have plenty of fuel in the tank. If my engine were to become fuel starved and die, I'd find myself in exactly the same situation as you. It can easily happen to anyone of us.

 

[DWCox]

Completed it all day today and everything worked out great! I dumped the milky fluid and changed the filter. I even went the additional step of disconnecting every major line from the FEL and blew the lines out with compressed air.

As per the John Deere tech I mixed diesel fuel 50/50 with some cheap hydro fluid for tractors, and ran the FEL through multiple cycles for a good five minutes or so. After each step I put in a new filter.

After dumping that diesel/fluid and putting in another new filter, I put in pure, but cheap hydraulic fluid. The rationale was to flush any remaining diesel. Ran it through cycles until fairly warm and then dumped it and installed a new (and final) filter.

I then put in the prescribed amount of John Deere hydraulic fluid and ran the tractor for about an hour. When I checked the fluid, it looked beautifully clear. The JD tech did recommend that since I will be using the tractor over the winter, do one more full change first thing in the spring. I also took the time to grease and lube afresh everything underneath, and tomorrow will pull electrical connectors and blow them out and goop in some dialectric grease. I am really thankful for the way it turned out, as I have had worse happen to equipment in years past.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Completed it all day today and everything worked out great! I dumped the milky fluid and changed the filter. I even went the additional step of disconnecting every major line from the FEL and blew the lines out with compressed air.

As per the John Deere tech I mixed diesel fuel 50/50 with some cheap hydro fluid for tractors, and ran the FEL through multiple cycles for a good five minutes or so. After each step I put in a new filter.

After dumping that diesel/fluid and putting in another new filter, I put in pure, but cheap hydraulic fluid. The rationale was to flush any remaining diesel. Ran it through cycles until fairly warm and then dumped it and installed a new (and final) filter.

I then put in the prescribed amount of John Deere hydraulic fluid and ran the tractor for about an hour. When I checked the fluid, it looked beautifully clear. The JD tech did recommend that since I will be using the tractor over the winter, do one more full change first thing in the spring. I also took the time to grease and lube afresh everything underneath, and tomorrow will pull electrical connectors and blow them out and goop in some dialectric grease. I am really thankful for the way it turned out, as I have had worse happen to equipment in years past.

Excessive, but effective far beyond necessity.
larry

 

[Diamondpilot]

Excessive, but effective far beyond necessity.
larry

I do not think so. He has a big investment in that tractor and a few hundred dollars in fluid, filters, and his time is well worth it.

You did right by listing to the JD tech and the guys on here.


Chris

 

[EddieWalker]

Since you didn't post any pictures, you're just gonna have to take it swimming again!!!!!

Eddie

 

[DWCox]

Since you didn't post any pictures, you're just gonna have to take it swimming again!!!!!

Eddie

Heheh! It was an a weird experience. I was trying to drag a large boulder up closer to shore with my box-blade by backing up as close to the edge as I could and then dragging it. I thought the front wheel drive tires would keep me safe even if the rear lost traction. The picture in my mind is kind of funny in retrospect, but my young ones up on the bank were so scared at the time they both later both told me they were praying fervently and even one was crying!

I did want to teach the children the value of persistence, though, so first thing I did after getting the tractor going yesterday was take them down to the pond, back the tractor up to it, hook a chain to the box blade, and then I crawled into the water up to my neck (cold) and worked a heavy chain around that large boulder. A lot of cheering took place when the boulder came up out. I also trust the kids understood the principle that taking the perceived easy way is not really the easy way.