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Got bored, so some fluid numbers

957 views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  wingtcoach 
#1 ·
This seems to come up a ton, and is asked all the time and never fully answered, and I have wondered myself a lot on which oils to use for tranny's..

I did a pile of googling and found some numbers for Deere Hy-Gard (both summer and winter, and note they actually expect you to change it for summer and winter!).. I pulled up average numbers for Type F and for a couple of "replacement" oils.

Keep in mind, almost _all_ manufactures say fluids can be mixed safely, including dino and synthetic oils, but in almost all cases, they suggest earlier then normal for your next change.

The numbers that are critical are the viscosity (protection at various tempuratures) and pour point, below which the oil becomes too thick to be pumped. Other numbers lead to longevity, cleaning, filterablity etc. Without clutch packs our biggest concerns is, it must be thick enough to protect gears and seal well, and thin enough to flow easily and quietly under pressure.

The following are 100 degree C, 40 degree C viscosities and then pour point (how cold can it be and still flow)

Hy-Gard Summer J20C
9.5/56/-40

Hy-Gard Winter J20D (lo-vis)
7/32/-55

Type F (average of 3 brands)
7/36/-45

AMSOIL synthetic 5/30 hydraulic
10/58/-47

Petro Canada Duratran synthetic
10/47/-52

AMSOIL Universal Synthetic Transmission oil
6.8/32/-63

As you can see, not many choices if you like J20D for its thinner viscosity, Type F is almost right there and the Amsoil universal is probably an excellent alternative.

If you have a machine with clutches or any other lining (brakes etc) that are wet, more reading would be required. For most of us in this section we only have pressure, gears and bearings (something common to every transmission on earth) so "chatter" etc isn't part of the problem.

In my case the Deere dealer is 1.5 hours from here so I don't use Hy-Gard, I blow an o-ring or break a line often enough to need a local supply so I have been using F, but want something "thinner" for winter use. Clearly, F turns out to still be a decent alternative with synthetics from Amsoil being a better choice. I expect that digging deeper would find that some of the newer synthetic auto fluids (ie Chrysler ATF +4) might be usable too, which is available in all auto parts stores.

Maybe interesting to some, useless to others but I found it more then interesting to actually see the numbers laid out.

Greg
 
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#4 ·
Roy, agreed, but to clarify that number, below that temp, the oil basically becomes grease, won't flow no mater what. What that means, as it gets closer to that temp it gets very thick. Most of us have heard how loud the groan is on our machines when started in the winter, loud equals not good. Type F for example is very close to Hy-Gard winter when hot, however clearly would be much thicker at say -10 and would need more warm up time before safe to use. The Amsoil universal on the other hand could be put to work much quicker then even the Deere fluid yet maintain equal protection once hot.

Tom, that info is somewhere right on the Deere site, which isn't where I got the viscosity for the Deere fluid. No where could I find the actual numbers for either Hy-Gard, only a pdf detailing what numbers would be required to be deemed "equivalent".

Something else to keep in mind too. The Type F fluid in 1976 was not nearly as good a lubricator as it is today, same for all oils. Improvements in the industry mean no mater what we choose, it will be easier on our equipment then it was 30+ years ago. Either way, viscosity lowers with age, even more rapidly if over heated so Type F or J20D is probably safe in the summer unless you really work your tranny (ie plow) but you wouldn't want to extend the change interval at all. At the same time, you could use J20C all winter, if, you kept the machine inside or used a heater, and let the transmission warm up totally before working it.

Greg
 
#8 ·
Eric,
Against the rules of WFM to post "What's it worth" type questions, so you won't be getting any detailed answer. For comparisons, go to machinefinder.com and type in LT155 to see the different prices that the dealers are asking.

I can tell you the LT155 was made from 1998 to about 2001. The tractor's weak point would be the K46 transmission. At the time it was Deere's entry level hydrostatic lawn tractor, but they were a cut above the big box store Deeres that's being sold today.
 
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