How to catch 11 gallons of oil?

[monkeyboy22]

Could you find a valve that is threaded to fit the drain plug hole, put a nipple on the other end of the valve and attach a hose to the nipple? Your drain bucket won't need to be under the tractor by using the hose to a remote receptacle. Close the valve and remove the hose when it's done draining.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Would possible be suseptible to getting sheared off. Then you could really be in a world of hurt!

My Steiner has such a valve, but it's buried where it can't get hit.

My main goal when I change oil, is to keep environental contamination to a mininum and keep as few articles getting oily as possible. In the end, it's almost always a BIG MESS!

 

[Alan W.]

I get two plastic cement mixing tubs like shown below from Lowe's.


Then, I drain some of the oil so the first tub is about 3/4 full. I put the plug back in the tractor and the tub is big enough to catch any spillage. Slide it out from under the tractor and get a gallon sized plastic water jug. Cut it into a scoop to empty enough of the tub so I can pick the tub up and dump into a 5 gallon bucket with funnel.

Then I do it again with the other tub and empty same way. Or do the two tubs at once. I rarely spill even a drop.

Thats the same tub I use for large oil changes. It is a pain to empty but cheap and works.

 

[sixdogs]

Thanks, Alan. It's all I've used for maybe 20 years. One trick is to cut a strong plastic jug into a scooping funnel for the over-10 quart oil changes. I can't remember the last time I spilled more than a drop.

I have a second pan for anti freeze and that works equally well. This is the easiest and also the cheapest way to handle large amounts of liquids. Quick, easy and if it matters, cheap.

 

[fried1765]

Would possible be suseptible to getting sheared off. Then you could really be in a world of hurt!

My Steiner has such a valve, but it's buried where it can't get hit.

My main goal when I change oil, is to keep environental contamination to a mininum and keep as few articles getting oily as possible. In the end, it's almost always a BIG MESS!

Why can't you use a remote while pressurized, to drain your hydraulic fluid?

 

[groundcover]

What I use is my wife's old roasting pans.
Nice low sides and adequate volume for my CUT oil changes.
They even have handles at both ends so are very maneuverable.
I dimple one corner for easy pouring usually back into the now empty new oil container.

I actually rinse it with a solvent (usually old fuel) for storage and future use.

Plus then her roasts won't stick !

 

[tradosaurus]

I changed the oil on my gravel driveway so if there is a spill it doesn't matter.

Buy two of these and have a smaller container ready to catch the rest.

5 gal oil pan

 

[Vanniek71]

I just encountered this issue this weekend when trying to change the hardest to remove filter ever on my LS (Hydraulic filter). I broke a chain wrench trying to get it off it was stuck on so bad, and that was just the 50hr service.

Anyways I used 2 cat litter pails and then dumped those in to a 5 gallon bucket - as I have enough clearance under the tractor to slide them in and out. I thought I had plugged the air vent so the fluid loss would be minimal but turns out I had plugged the wrong spot so I got an oil bath. We live and we learn I guess =)

 

[AchingBack]

Hi all -

Sorry if this is obvious to most, but what is the best way to catch almost 11 gallons of oil during an hydraulic oil change? I really don't have good clearance under the tractor to put anything more than a 5 gallon bucket (and even that is so tight that it would be hard to get the bucket out from under the tractor once it is full).

What obvious solution am I missing here?

Any other tips for a someone during a complete oil change on a new TYM 574 for the first time? E.g. I know the hydraulic oil filter is on real, real tight, so I have assembled an assortment of oil filter wrenches to hopefully tackle that issue.

Thanks!

When I got rid of my old kitchen range, I snagged the very sturdy plastic liner from the drawer under the oven. It is roughly "8"x18"x30". Just used in yesterday. The perfect solution for low clearances.

 

[ManUpNawth]

Obvious? Trust me, there is no "obvious" that you're missing here.
Far from being "obvious", working on/with tractors is more about being "innovative".

Maybe one of the answers from other members will already meet your needs. Great!
If not, maybe this will help:

I have just enough room under my tractor for a 5 gallon bucket. I have multiple buckets, so COULD, in theory, slide one out of the way as I slide another in. But sliding buckets on gravel is hard enough, and trying to slide a full bucket on gravel is...problematic (and messy).

I innovated a solution this way:
I took a length of metal flashing I had lying around, about 6 inches wide, cupped it so that it made a "trough". I line up 3 five gallon plastic buckets just outside the tractor body. I then hang (with some wire "ears") one end of my flashing "trough" just under the oil drain plug. The other end I position so that it is resting on the top of one of the buckets, so that anything that flows down will empty into the bucket. Before actually starting to drain things, I just make sure the bucket end is a bit lower than the drain-plug end, so things will flow the right direction. I then undo the drain plug, and let the oil drain. It flows down the "trough" and into the bucket. As the bucket fills, I just slide the bucket end of the "trough" (quickly) over to the next bucket, and the next. No mess. No moving buckets until the draining is complete. This has worked great for me.

If you don't have a straight path from the drain plug to where you can place your buckets, then you might want to invest ($) in a "Form-a-Funnel" (Form a Funnel – No More Messy Oil Changes). They come in various lengths and sizes, and are flexible and bendable, so they let you create a channel over and around anything that may be between your drain and your bucket.

Good luck!

Edit: Oh yeah. Forgot to add this...
The flashing trough I use (or a Form-a-Funnel if you have one) also makes it so easy and CLEAN to change my oil filter. No more dripping over the frame, cables, or hoses, or leaking all over the place as I un-spin and remove the filter.