Higher Viscosity Hydraulic Oil ?

[Stocker Steve]

Having some pump issues and want to keep things going till fall... Looked at putting heavier oil into my Hesston baler. Local farm store stocks up to ISO 68 hydraulic oil. What is the heaviest oil you have found and used?

 

[jltrent]

Having some pump issues and want to keep things going till fall... Looked at putting heavier oil into my Hesston baler. Local farm store stocks up to ISO 68 hydraulic oil. What is the heaviest oil you have found and used?

For summer time use maybe. What tractor and does it have wet brakes/clutch? If I was putting hydraulic oil in a tractor I would get about the best I could find just like the tractor engine and make sure it is for wet brakes/clutch. Hydraulic problems can be as bad or worse than engine problems. Change the hydraulic filter on the tractor, new hydro oil and some have a pickup screen you can clean also (My JD does).

I use NAPA 85-405 Premium Hydraulic oil for years except in the JD and Hy-gard in it.

No tractor company makes their oil and the Napa is an all season oil as good as you can get and want hurt your brakes. It is not cheap either.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/FNJ85405

 

[Stocker Steve]

Internet says baler hyd capacity is very marginal and they usually gets hot from cylinder bypass. I have changed the filer already, and will try using a laser thermometer on each cylinder, but still want to go to heavier oil.

Anyone use heavier than ISO 68 in summer?

 

[cfpinz]

I've got a NH LX885 skid loader that uses SAE 30 instead of hydraulic oil. Friend of mine that worked for Ford/NH for years as a mechanic told me it was because the hydraulic oil would get too thin at high temps and lose power. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Internet says baler hyd capacity is very marginal and they usually gets hot from cylinder bypass. I have changed the filer already, and will try using a laser thermometer on each cylinder, but still want to go to heavier oil.

Anyone use heavier than ISO 68 in summer?

Just went through that with my neighbor. He really ended up doing some costly damage to the bailer.
The hydraulic fluid wasn't the problem the pump on the tractor was. Tractor fluid get hot efficiency went down.
His tractor didn't have a transmission cooler.

As mentioned above have heard go to 30 or 40 wt oil as well.
I have no experience with that.

After he got his bailer out of the shop borrowed my tractor that had a much higher gpm hydraulic pump. Bailed with no problems.

 

[jltrent]

Wife's brother put this in his NH tractor as that was what they handed him when he went to NAPA to get Hydraulic oil and it was not long before his brakes starting squawking. I gave him the NAPA # Hydro oil above and that has been at least five years ago and no more problems after he put that in.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/FHQ85305

 

[Stocker Steve]

I've got a NH LX885 skid loader that uses SAE 30 instead of hydraulic oil. Friend of mine that worked for Ford/NH for years as a mechanic told me it was because the hydraulic oil would get too thin at high temps

Does hydraulic oil have some anti foam or other property that SAE 30 does not?

 

[cfpinz]

I've got a NH LX885 skid loader that uses SAE 30 instead of hydraulic oil. Friend of mine that worked for Ford/NH for years as a mechanic told me it was because the hydraulic oil would get too thin at high temps

Does hydraulic oil have some anti foam or other property that SAE 30 does not?

I honestly have no idea. The skid steer was designed around using the SAE 30 from what I gather, differentiating from a fluid that a machine was designed for would bother me.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Hydraulic oil has more additives than engine oil, but some equipment is designed to use engine oil in all compartments. Others just do it for simplicity. Sounds like 15W-40 is very popular, with SAE 30 in second, and some hot locations going to 40 or even 50 weight.

 

[Texasmark]

Not the answer you are looking for but food for thought. I noticed that JD 303 vs J20c seemed to be of a higher viscosity. I like the 303 for that reason but is questionable in wet brake and hydro steering applications for which the 20c is blended.

In looking around and reading about pumps and oils and all, I found that you have to be careful with hydraulic pumps and the types of oil being used. Seems that under extreme conditions, like hard winters for example, the oil can get too thick and the pump goes into a starvation mode and self destructs. Don't take my word for it, www the subject yourself if interested and read about hydraulic pump, types and physics and no-nos.

I have a new small tractor that is all old school mechanical except for hydro steering. I'd love to use a gear oil to make shifting quieter and smoother but don't feel that I can't due to the pump and the steering requirement. Not worth the convenience to experiment with the oil type.

 

[Texasmark]

I've got a NH LX885 skid loader that uses SAE 30 instead of hydraulic oil. Friend of mine that worked for Ford/NH for years as a mechanic told me it was because the hydraulic oil would get too thin at high temps

Does hydraulic oil have some anti foam or other property that SAE 30 does not?

I honestly have no idea. The skid steer was designed around using the SAE 30 from what I gather, differentiating from a fluid that a machine was designed for would bother me.

Yes. Read the container, some containers spell it out..seems to be a basic requirement.

On the question, does engine oil have such? Probably. Adequate? Dunno!

 

[Stocker Steve]

Mine says hydraulic oil only... So sucked out the old and put in ISO 68. This worked better, but still got hot by end of the day. Now time to do some rebuilding.

 

[Texasmark]

Mine says hydraulic oil only... So sucked out the old and put in ISO 68. This worked better, but still got hot by end of the day. Now time to do some rebuilding.

If you don't have a cooler it will get hotter than with a cooler. If you have any cavitating valves in the circuit you will increase the fluid temp by the introduction of turbulent flow vs laminar......squealing hydraulics is cavitation. Every time you go thru a QD coupling (especially) or through any fitting/transition mechanism from the smooth pipe/hose used in the majority of the system you are setting yourself up for cavitation.

There was a hydraulics guy on another forum said that sometimes it helps to put ¾" couplers on ½" hoses (adapters obviously required) to keep the flow through the valve laminar. Makes sense.