Oil & Fuel Changing Hydro oil filter

[pearlmanz]

on new GT2542 CC.

Why does this need to be done so soon?

My guess is because of new parts working against each other in the first hours of use but it seems kind of soon.

I understand the break in oil and filter change after 25 hours, but the tranny?

What is the best way to change the filter without a lot of loss of oil, or should I just drain the tranny oil first. I would appreciate some help from you guys who have been there and done that. Thank you, The PMZ

 

[JTKub]

I changed mine after 5-10hrs. IMO- it doesn't make much sense to do so. I didn't cut open the filter, but the oil that came out was like new, and of course I lost a gallon of it out of inexperience. Looking back, I'd wait until after the first season. Drop the deck and lift the front end WAY off the ground to prevent oil loss once the filter is removed. Be sure to clean around the old filter before you remove it to prevent dirt from getting into the sump. It cost me a new filter and ~$32 for a gallon of CC Drive System Fluid Plus back in May/June 2005. I havent touched it since. I may do a filter change this year. I used a Carquest/WIX hydraulic filter last time (direct x-ref from the CC filter), but it may have been more expensive than a CC dealer filter. IIRC, the filter was like $12. It is a heavy duty sucker though. I will take it apart & post pics when I replace it. As far as the spec'd hyrdo oil goes, I'm sure you've seen by now, no direct aftermarket equivelents exist. It is made by Shell and called Shell TTF-SB. Like I've said before, it looks, smells and pours just like the Shell Rotella-T 5w-40 I use in the engine, but the specs don't look the same. I gave up & just stick with the CC stuff.

Joel

 

[pearlmanz]

Drop the deck as in lower it all the way down. I really am a little uneasy about having to completely remove the deck. It would be my luck, I won't be able to get it back on or the belt straight when I remove it. How would you lift the front of this almost 800 lb sucker. I have thought about buying a set of car ramps to do this? Thank you friend, The PMZ

 

[tonybada]

removing the deck on these units is real easy, and since you have the 42 inch deck it isn't that heavy. I have the same deck and I can remove it and re-install it in less than 30 minutes. It will make it a lot easier to remove that hydro filter, and like jtkub said you want to get the front end up high with some ramps. I lost very little fluid this way.

 

[JTKub]

Yes, you will want to aquaint yourself with the deck removal and replacement. You need to do this for cleaning, etc. It is very easy and requires no tools. I can fully remove and replace the deck on my 2544 in a few minutes. I shove a ~3ft strip of wood (1"x2") under the nose roller to allow for a super easy r/r of the nose bracket. The board gives you leverage to raise/lower the deck to set or release the nose bracket.

Joel

 

[peavs]

The HydroGear service manual for BDU 10/21 hydros states this:

Now, I have not substituted fluids on my 3225 yet but if I ever have to do anything major to it, I might.

Use at your own risk.

 

[wojnaroski]

Peavs,

Last year I became frustrated with the differing opinions on the cc oil and what should and should not be used in the cc tractors.

After a phone conversation with a senior person at hydro-gear I posted info similar to yours in this forum.

Currently I am using Mobile-1 15w50 full synthetic in my 5254. This was after a phone conversation with hydro-gear and their recomendation to use this oil. Wal-Mart was remodeling and I purchased my oil for only a couple of dollars a quart!

Alan

 

[JTKub]

..
After a phone conversation with a senior person at hydro-gear I posted info similar to yours in this forum..

As did I some time ago, but specifically in regards to the 2005+ 2500 series machines, not the 5000. The fellow I was in contact with at HG was very friendly and helpful, but his hands were tied in recommending an alternative. All HG does is ship the hydrostatic drive to CC. CC then supplies thier own differential gearing, housing, axles, etc... and bolts the Hydro-Gear drive unit to it. The HG guy agreed that a 40wt or 50wt is typical spec for the drive, but he had no idea what Cub wants for their differential portion since they are a shared sump. Again, it's just a slow speed differenial, not rocket science, it would probably run a long time on any oil, the HG guy just didn't want to implicate himself with a bad recommendation.

Joel

 

[pearlmanz]

But if I buy a set of car ramps to run the tractor up on, can I get to the filter without having to drop the deck for now?

I really don't want to do it unless I have to. I would think with a set of car ramps, I could drive it up on those and get to the filter without having to remove the deck.

What do you guys think?

I know I will eventually have to remove the deck, but I would like to wait till the end of the mowing season so if I have a problem, I will have time to fix it and won't have to worry about mowing. Thanks guys, PMZ

 

[LBrown59]

But if I buy a set of car ramps to run the tractor up on, can I get to the filter without having to drop the deck for now?

I really don't want to do it unless I have to. I would think with a set of car ramps, I could drive it up on those and get to the filter without having to remove the deck.

What do you guys think?

I know I will eventually have to remove the deck, but I would like to wait till the end of the mowing season so if I have a problem, I will have time to fix it and won't have to worry about mowing. Thanks guys, PMZ

No reason to take the deck off to change the filter.
Did you read the other thread about this ?
I just changed the filter on my 2554.
No running up on anything or lifting the front end.
Not taking the mower off either.

 

[JTKub]

Real men drop their decks. (kidding!) Sure, you can do it with the deck on & all the wheels on the ground. Just need quick hands or a cap for the threaded stub on the filter base (to keep the diff from emptying a full gallon of expensive oil) and a lot of rags. Good luck trying to balance a catch pan on the mowing deck. Lots of us have done write-ups on this.

Joel

 

[peavs]

Peavs,

Last year I became frustrated with the differing opinions on the cc oil and what should and should not be used in the cc tractors.

After a phone conversation with a senior person at hydro-gear I posted info similar to yours in this forum.

Currently I am using Mobile-1 15w50 full synthetic in my 5254. This was after a phone conversation with hydro-gear and their recomendation to use this oil. Wal-Mart was remodeling and I purchased my oil for only a couple of dollars a quart!

Alan

As did I some time ago, but specifically in regards to the 2005+ 2500 series machines, not the 5000. The fellow I was in contact with at HG was very friendly and helpful, but his hands were tied in recommending an alternative. All HG does is ship the hydrostatic drive to CC. CC then supplies thier own differential gearing, housing, axles, etc... and bolts the Hydro-Gear drive unit to it. The HG guy agreed that a 40wt or 50wt is typical spec for the drive, but he had no idea what Cub wants for their differential portion since they are a shared sump. Again, it's just a slow speed differenial, not rocket science, it would probably run a long time on any oil, the HG guy just didn't want to implicate himself with a bad recommendation.

Joel

I agree. I'm more concerned with the hydro than the rear-end. The only other concern that I have is the remote hydraulics. Since the hydraulics are "open" for contamination (at least on the 3000 series with front hitch and probably also on the 5000 too), does the oil matter? Is the CC stuff better for contaminates? Better for the hydraulic cylinders?

I defiantly would only run the synthetic 15W-50 recommend by HydroGear. I would not run either of the others no matter what the temperature.

 

[TractorLarry]

I changed the Hydro Fluid in my 1864 at the end of last season because I didn't know if it had ever been done. There were only 135 hours on the machine.

Luckily, it has the older heavy-duty Sustrand, which uses the inexpensive Hydro-Plus fluid, not this new expensive funky synthetic stuff

If yours is anything like mine, you need a BIG drain pan! Mine holds seven quarts.

Also, if your filter is positioned anything like mine, it is NOT easy to work with. Make sure you have a couple of filter wrenches, including a strap wrench, handy as you may have to try different one's.

Again, if yours is like mine, re-filling will be painful as the tube is VERY small (a funnel won't even fit into it). You almost have to dribble the fluid back in and it takes forever.

Don't overfill. I stopped at 6.5 quarts and started it up and ran it around the street until everything was nice and toasty, and then checked it. It was right on the full mark.

If your drain pan is one of the enclosed one's, don't forget to remove the vent plug when you drain the hydro. At the rate that fluid comes out it will air-pocket up on you in a heartbeat and overflow over the edges of the drain pan instead of going down into the hole in the middle!

-Larry

on new GT2542 CC.

Why does this need to be done so soon?

My guess is because of new parts working against each other in the first hours of use but it seems kind of soon.

I understand the break in oil and filter change after 25 hours, but the tranny?

What is the best way to change the filter without a lot of loss of oil, or should I just drain the tranny oil first. I would appreciate some help from you guys who have been there and done that. Thank you, The PMZ

 

[wojnaroski]

Pearlmanz,

Yes, you can change the filter with the deck on. However, it would be a whole lot easier without the deck in the way.

When I bought my first tractor I was also leary of removing the deck if I could get away without doing so. However, it is easier to work with the deck removed. Also, it gives you a good oportunity to check everything out, underside of deck, blades, etc.

Alan

 

[wojnaroski]

Joel,

As usual, your posts are right on target. My personal belief is that if a person can afford the recomended oil/oil filers , by all means do so. Personally, I can't always afford the recommended. I have found the CC filters to perform the best for me in my application.

Please keep up the great posts.

Alan

 

[JTKub]

Thanks Alan. I'm with you on the cost issue! A month without much overtime can get kind of lean for my family of 5. I may run a CC trans filter this time around. Havent decided yet. I just checked my records. The Carquest hydraulic filter #85410 I put on back in May 2005 ran me $7.31+ tax. A lot less than I thought! The receipt shows a "List Price" of $13.71 for that filter which is why I had it in my head it cost me more than a dealer filter. I'll see what my dealer wants for a filter when I pick up a replacement quart of CC Drive System Fluid Plus. That WIX is so nicely constructed, it's difficult not to go back to it.

Joel

 

[LBrown59]

I changed the Hydro Fluid in my 1864 at the end of last season because I didn't know if it had ever been done. There were only 135 hours on the machine.

Luckily, it has the older heavy-duty Sustrand, which uses the inexpensive Hydro-Plus fluid, not this new expensive funky synthetic stuff

If yours is anything like mine, you need a BIG drain pan! Mine holds seven quarts.

Also, if your filter is positioned anything like mine, it is NOT easy to work with. Make sure you have a couple of filter wrenches, including a strap wrench, handy as you may have to try different one's.

Again, if yours is like mine, re-filling will be painful as the tube is VERY small (a funnel won't even fit into it). You almost have to dribble the fluid back in and it takes forever.

Don't overfill. I stopped at 6.5 quarts and started it up and ran it around the street until everything was nice and toasty, and then checked it. It was right on the full mark.

If your drain pan is one of the enclosed one's, don't forget to remove the vent plug when you drain the hydro. At the rate that fluid comes out it will air-pocket up on you in a heartbeat and overflow over the edges of the drain pan instead of going down into the hole in the middle!

-Larry

I used a funnel with a long flexible steel spout. The tip will easily fit into the fill tube.
__________________I have 3 of these funnels and use them for adding tranny fluids to my trucks and the BX23 and now the CC 2554.

The funnels with the long plastic tube for a spout won't work because the plastic tubing won't support the weight of the funnel especially when filled with oil or other fluid.

 

[LBrown59]

Real men drop their decks. (kidding!) Sure, you can do it with the deck on & all the wheels on the ground. Just need quick hands or a cap for the threaded stub on the filter base (to keep the diff from emptying a full gallon of expensive oil) and a lot of rags. Good luck trying to balance a catch pan on the mowing deck. Lots of us have done write-ups on this.

Joel

It took 3 quarts to refill the tranny after I changed the filter on the CC 2554.
I guess i could have put a flat 1 gallon drain pan under the drainplug and drained off 3 or 4 quarts there instead of just removing the filter and letting the 3 quarts run out there.

 

[OhioGuy]

Back to Pearlmans original post, I think it's important to develop a comfort level with taking the deck off and on. To me, it's the absolute best way to service the deck and as others have said, it gives much better access to the rest of the tractor.

But,everybody has there own comfort level with their mechanical skills, in the ideal world, Pearlmans might have someone close by that can bail him out if he gets stuck.

He's a long way from Ohio though!

Curt