i tarp mine too, the fluid dont like water, and all kinds of expensive things to destroy in the engine
Log splitter will only split at low engine RPM
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brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
TSC has reasonable prices on oil...but if you ever get down to Wooster, RKO has better prices on tractor hydraulic fluid...especially on sale...IIRC I gave a lil over $20 for 5 gallons...been working just fine in my Champion 23 ton splitter...probably the same oil it had from new since I bought it there and it was already assembled and running.
Edit: Heck, I guess it was less than $20! https://www.ruralking.com/super-s-super-trac-303-tractor-hydraulic-fluid-5-gallons-tdh.html
Edit: Heck, I guess it was less than $20! https://www.ruralking.com/super-s-super-trac-303-tractor-hydraulic-fluid-5-gallons-tdh.html
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ATF will work fine with hydraulic fluid.Basically the same thing.I add atf to my 950 loader every once in a while because the site glass on the hydraulic tank ha been sand blasted and is hard to see the level of clear hydraulic fluid.It gets used commercially.I have worked it myself on a 2 week long job loading dump trucks 10 hrs a day.It has absolutely no issues working hard.
My splitter that is stored outside will start up to -20C without warming it up.It has 100% well maybe 98% ATF in it.The ATF stays a liquid longer than 32W hydraulic oil.
really atf has a bunch of cleaners though, I use it to clean muddy quad diffs. and its been a bunch more than just tractor diff stuff when I have compared. I doubt it would be bad for it though if the manuals call for it
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
Sorry, I did not see your pictures. I think that unit was used on a dairy farm where the answer to every question was milk, wink.
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
I believe this is one for the record books. That is the milkiest oil I have ever seen. I wonder what an analysis would generate?
I definitely recommend one immediate and possibly two short term changes and one longer term, monitor, then regular intervals.
I definitely recommend one immediate and possibly two short term changes and one longer term, monitor, then regular intervals.
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
Judging by the size of the mobile home tire and tank behind it, I'd say your pushing about 15 or 20 gallons. If the thank is 20, 75% or 80% might be right, so 15 gallons.
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
Alright, time to get caught up with all the posts.
We get down to Wooster once a month maybe, and wow that is a good deal on that oil! I've been past the Rural King on the Lincoln Highway a few times and always wanted to stop and browse but never have. Now I have an excuse.
I decided against using ATF because of the detergents. Who knows what might break loose, or what leaks might start once everything gets cleaned out. I also decided not to disconnect any of the hoses, etc. because I'm not ready to deal with that "can of worms" project.
I did, however, complete the first round of fluid changeouts today. First, drained all the nasty fluid, removed and cleaned the filter in a bucket of parts washer solvent (it was pretty clogged), wiped all the sludge, debris, and water out of the tank, made a new gasket for the sump cover on the side, and refilled. It took every drop of 15 gallons. Yep - $100 worth of hydraulic oil just to run through and drain back out after a few hours. I got whatever hydraulic oil was cheapest at NAPA. Don't even remember what it was - had a forklift picture on the side. Also took the opportunity to change the engine oil. The big old Wisconsin takes 3.5 quarts, almost as much as my Kia!
So I drug it back out to the woodpile and cycled it a bunch of times back and forth. Immediately noticed a difference in the speed of the cylinder as well as the sound of the pump. Ended up splitting about 1/3 cord, including some real knotty chunks and butt pieces, and man does it work great now. It will build pressure through the whole range of engine RPM. It seems like my problem is solved, or nearly so. I know I'll need at least one more fluid change but I kept an eye on the site gauge today and it stayed pretty translucent. I'll keep an eye on it and do another exchange after a few more hours of work.
Virginairon, with 15 gallons there is about 2" of head space. I think you're exactly right with your estimation. The overall tank is split into two compartments, one for the hydraulic oil and one for the gasoline. Looks like it would hold over 5 gallons of gasoline.
I do like the 2N. It's not pretty but it's a hard worker. It has the rare Howard gear reduction that allows me to drive at a crawl and still have full PTO speed (the Sherman halves the PTO speed). Needed this feature for brush hogging, and because I may get a rototiller one day. The one major shortcoming is the lack of 3 point position control like the 8N and newer have. Makes pulling trailers and dragging a back blade a little more challenging than it should be.
We get down to Wooster once a month maybe, and wow that is a good deal on that oil! I've been past the Rural King on the Lincoln Highway a few times and always wanted to stop and browse but never have. Now I have an excuse.
I decided against using ATF because of the detergents. Who knows what might break loose, or what leaks might start once everything gets cleaned out. I also decided not to disconnect any of the hoses, etc. because I'm not ready to deal with that "can of worms" project.
I did, however, complete the first round of fluid changeouts today. First, drained all the nasty fluid, removed and cleaned the filter in a bucket of parts washer solvent (it was pretty clogged), wiped all the sludge, debris, and water out of the tank, made a new gasket for the sump cover on the side, and refilled. It took every drop of 15 gallons. Yep - $100 worth of hydraulic oil just to run through and drain back out after a few hours. I got whatever hydraulic oil was cheapest at NAPA. Don't even remember what it was - had a forklift picture on the side. Also took the opportunity to change the engine oil. The big old Wisconsin takes 3.5 quarts, almost as much as my Kia!
So I drug it back out to the woodpile and cycled it a bunch of times back and forth. Immediately noticed a difference in the speed of the cylinder as well as the sound of the pump. Ended up splitting about 1/3 cord, including some real knotty chunks and butt pieces, and man does it work great now. It will build pressure through the whole range of engine RPM. It seems like my problem is solved, or nearly so. I know I'll need at least one more fluid change but I kept an eye on the site gauge today and it stayed pretty translucent. I'll keep an eye on it and do another exchange after a few more hours of work.
Virginairon, with 15 gallons there is about 2" of head space. I think you're exactly right with your estimation. The overall tank is split into two compartments, one for the hydraulic oil and one for the gasoline. Looks like it would hold over 5 gallons of gasoline.
I do like the 2N. It's not pretty but it's a hard worker. It has the rare Howard gear reduction that allows me to drive at a crawl and still have full PTO speed (the Sherman halves the PTO speed). Needed this feature for brush hogging, and because I may get a rototiller one day. The one major shortcoming is the lack of 3 point position control like the 8N and newer have. Makes pulling trailers and dragging a back blade a little more challenging than it should be.
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
15 gallons is a fair amount of oil and might be enough to prevent over expansion of the oil when/if it gets hot. Does the tank have a breather?
In all my years working with engines, axles, transmissions, transaxles, transfer cases, and hydraulic systems, I have never seen an oil that white or milky. The milkiest oil I have ever seen was like an extra light coffee color.
Anyone..., Could that white oil be some special type of oil?
In all my years working with engines, axles, transmissions, transaxles, transfer cases, and hydraulic systems, I have never seen an oil that white or milky. The milkiest oil I have ever seen was like an extra light coffee color.
Anyone..., Could that white oil be some special type of oil?
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I've seen oil that milky before, maybe even worse...just takes lots of water, and lots of run time.
I really doubt it is anything special.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
He did say he towed it before taking the photo, so maybe it did a lot of bouncing and got the water all mixed in there. I can't say that I know whether or not the oil and water mix that much from being driven around. It looked pretty homogenous in that picture!
At any rate, it's splitting wood again!
At any rate, it's splitting wood again!
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Well it was a long, bumpy ride home, so I'm sure that stirred up a lot of the issues. I picked it up in Carroll county and towed it back to Medina behind our minivan. What a sight that must have been. I would venture a guess that the fluid had been contaminated for a very long time though. The guy subtly implied that he only did the bare minimum maintenance to it, but it did have a brand new coil and (supposedly) rebuilt starter. It's in good hands now though. We work our equipment hard, sometimes to the brink of its limits, but we take care of it.
I'll get some good detailed pictures of this thing for you guys once I get it cleaned up. It needs hit with a couple applications of degreaser.
I'll get some good detailed pictures of this thing for you guys once I get it cleaned up. It needs hit with a couple applications of degreaser.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Just be sure to keep it under cover. If that much water got into the system once before, it’s going to happen again, under the same storage conditions. A tarp and some bungees go a long way to preventing issues.
Someone may have added oil that was contaminated.
My other 950 has water in the hydrolic oil.It is a 1958 model that never dies.I loaned it to a "friend" for a while.I had to go pick it up,wasn't returned.It was low on hydrolic fluid so i added some.When the level came up to the site glass it was milky.He always has buckets of oil sitting around his yard,i am sure that is where the water came from.
Next summer i will drain the tank,fill with diesel and cycle all cylinders,drain,change filter and repeat.Then i will fill with new oil and hope that i got it clean enough.After all it isn't used for anything except yard work and it is so old i want to see how long i can keep it alive.
My other 950 has water in the hydrolic oil.It is a 1958 model that never dies.I loaned it to a "friend" for a while.I had to go pick it up,wasn't returned.It was low on hydrolic fluid so i added some.When the level came up to the site glass it was milky.He always has buckets of oil sitting around his yard,i am sure that is where the water came from.
Next summer i will drain the tank,fill with diesel and cycle all cylinders,drain,change filter and repeat.Then i will fill with new oil and hope that i got it clean enough.After all it isn't used for anything except yard work and it is so old i want to see how long i can keep it alive.
Meh... it's back to its same old behavior. Did about another 1/3 cord today. Only difference is that it was 70 degrees yesterday and is about 36 degrees today.
Oil is starting to get milky again. I guess it's time for the 2nd change. I wish there was a drain petcock in the tank so I could slowly drain out the water and trash that gets to the bottom of the tank. But there isn't, so it's all or nothing once the sump cover is removed.
My brother is a welder/fabricator, and I think one of my neighbors is too, so at some point I should be able to install a proper drain.
Oil is starting to get milky again. I guess it's time for the 2nd change. I wish there was a drain petcock in the tank so I could slowly drain out the water and trash that gets to the bottom of the tank. But there isn't, so it's all or nothing once the sump cover is removed.
My brother is a welder/fabricator, and I think one of my neighbors is too, so at some point I should be able to install a proper drain.
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jetsam
Minister of Fire
Is it foamy after you run it, or just milky?
After it sits overnight, does it clear up again? If it's got water in it, the water should separate out and float up to the top, so it'll look clear until you run it again.
Edit: and by "float up to the top" I mean "sink down to the bottom". The OIL floats up to the top.
After it sits overnight, does it clear up again? If it's got water in it, the water should separate out and float up to the top, so it'll look clear until you run it again.
Edit: and by "float up to the top" I mean "sink down to the bottom". The OIL floats up to the top.
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Just looks milky through the sight glass, but I did not unbolt the top cover to check for foam/bubbles like there were in my pictures.
At quick glance, the oil looked good when I went out to get started this morning. I'll let you know tomorrow what it looks like after sitting overnight.
It's covered under a tarp. And to answer the question that was asked up the thread a bit: no breather on the tank.
At quick glance, the oil looked good when I went out to get started this morning. I'll let you know tomorrow what it looks like after sitting overnight.
It's covered under a tarp. And to answer the question that was asked up the thread a bit: no breather on the tank.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
If it looked cloudy yesterday after use and clear this morning after sitting, that's water. It will clear up when it sits because the oil floats to the top. When you run it the pump mixes them together and it goes cloudy
To save yourself a bunch of oil changes, maybe you should park it on an hill so that the corner of the tank nearest the opening faces downhill. In the morning drop some tubing into that bottom corner and try to suck all the water out- it should all be in the downhill corner of the tank.
If you want to do a change, you could also punch a hole in that corner, drain everything, and put a petcock in the hole. Tank's not under pressure. Then you'd have a way to drain water as needed.
To save yourself a bunch of oil changes, maybe you should park it on an hill so that the corner of the tank nearest the opening faces downhill. In the morning drop some tubing into that bottom corner and try to suck all the water out- it should all be in the downhill corner of the tank.
If you want to do a change, you could also punch a hole in that corner, drain everything, and put a petcock in the hole. Tank's not under pressure. Then you'd have a way to drain water as needed.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Another vote for trying to get water out of the bottom, after it’s sat all night. A few cycles of this, topping it off with oil in-between, might save you a few hundred dollars in repeated oil changes. Water will settle to the bottom of the tank, after a period of sitting.
Yep. I'll have to have a bung welded in the corner/bottom of the tank in order to install a petcock, right? Or do they make ones that go through a 3/4" drilled hole (for example) with a nut and gasket on the inside to secure and seal it?
Good idea re: sucking out the water from the bottom without fully draining. I'll tilt it up tonight and see how much water has settled out tomorrow.
Good idea re: sucking out the water from the bottom without fully draining. I'll tilt it up tonight and see how much water has settled out tomorrow.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Given you won’t be draining this 15 gallon pig that often, I’d just settle for a suction pump or turkey baster, to get the water out this time. I’d not bother installing a bung, unless I thought it was going to get yearly use.
VirginiaIron
Minister of Fire
You could syphon that oil back into the original containers, park the unit on a steep slope, and still a hole in what would be the lowest corner if tilted the other way. The hole will be equal or less than one of the self tapping/ threaded and washed drain pan plugs
https://www.google.com/search?q=sel...d-metropcs-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?q=sel...d-metropcs-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
I am not convinced it is water yet. Might be, but I think it may be air.
Run it until it is ‘milky’, shut down, and mark sight gauge at the best guess of level. If it water emulsified, then settles, the total fluid level won’t change. If it is aerated, the level will go slightly down as a small percent of air comes out and goes upward.
When you said no tank vent, do you mean totally sealed and locked down?If so, as tghe rod extends, the tank head space will become a vacuum and draw air into pump shaft seal or suction hose joints. It needs some sort of breather, or a fairly large head space of air.
I think there are multiple issues. First was fluide contamination of some sort You are making progress.
Run it until it is ‘milky’, shut down, and mark sight gauge at the best guess of level. If it water emulsified, then settles, the total fluid level won’t change. If it is aerated, the level will go slightly down as a small percent of air comes out and goes upward.
When you said no tank vent, do you mean totally sealed and locked down?If so, as tghe rod extends, the tank head space will become a vacuum and draw air into pump shaft seal or suction hose joints. It needs some sort of breather, or a fairly large head space of air.
I think there are multiple issues. First was fluide contamination of some sort You are making progress.
