Hydraulic oil drain pans

[RVbeemer]

I need to change my hydraulic oil which holds 8.2 gallons. Anyone have a favorite bucket or pan to catch the oil?

 

[AaronD81]

Get two of these in the 5 gallon size and put one on some wood blocks under the drain plug, and aim the spout into the second pan. Still low profile and doubles capacity.

A cheaper option is to get a plastic barrel and cut it down to fit under the drain plug, should fit 10 gallons easily.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I have cut a couple inches off two 5 gallon pail for them to fit under the tractor, that's what I use.

 

[BlueKnife]

I need to change my hydraulic oil which holds 8.2 gallons. Anyone have a favorite bucket or pan to catch the oil?

How short does the bucket need to be? I generally use 5 gallon buckets for that sort of thing. You can pull the tractor up on some ramps to get some more clearance if needed.

 

[deserteagle71]

My M7060 holds 15 gallons of hydraulic oil. To drain it I just bought a cheap plastic tote at Walmart that held 20+ gallons. Then I used a big pitcher (half gallon) to scoop the oil out of the tote and into 5 gallon buckets to take it in for recycling. Snap the lid back on the tote and it keeps the oil clean and the tote clean for future use. Something like this:

 

[ericm979]

I got a 16 gallon oil drain pan. With that I don't need to try to slide a heavy 5 gallon bucket aside and put a new one in place without making too much of a mess.

 

[RVbeemer]

All great ideas. I was hoping to use a couple of 5 gallon bucket but they are an inch or two too tall. I have several 30 gallon barrels out back I saw today, thinking the same as AaronD81 said, take one of those and cut it enough to fit under. That should hold what I need to drain. I hate to cut one up but that's probably the cheapest way to go no more than I have to do this. I might cut it enough to set it up on a creeper so I can roll it out easier. Thanks everyone for the ideas!

 

[deserteagle71]

All great ideas. I was hoping to use a couple of 5 gallon bucket but they are an inch or two too tall.

So raise the tractor! When I change oil in my Kubota I put both front and rear wheels up on ramps. For an inch or two, put down some pieces of board - anything that would work as a stout spacer - in front of each wheel and drive the tractor up on them.

 

[rScotty]

Our tractor holds 15 gallons. Our modern drainpan looks like Aaron's up in message #2, and his solution of having one pan feed another sounds reasonable - much better than the old steel drain pans of a generation ago.
My problem is being basically lazy, even a 5 gallon pan is more of a mess than I want to risk.
The reward isn't worth the suspense......there has got to be a better way.

Next time I'm going to try pumping most of the trans/hydraulic fluid out through the filler port and directly into 5 gallon jugs. Seems like it might work, but I haven't tried it.

rScotty

 

[dstig1]

I grabbed a tote like Deserteagle did. Just measure clearance and then find a tub short enough with enough capacity. Or cut down one of those drums would work too.

You also need a plan to get it out of the pan and into something for disposal. I used a hand pump and pumped it back into the jugs my new oil came in, after I refilled the tractor. Brought those to recycling.

 

[Wagtail]

I'm in the cheap 'tote'/storage bin camp. Most of them, these days, even have wheels on the bottom for ease of sliding then in & out from under the tractor.

I've used them a couple of times, then I duct-tape the lid on for either the short trip, in the back of my ute, to my local tip for disposal OR to a neighbour who uses the old oil on his wood fence posts.

 

[oosik]

So...... I got ready for my first hydraulic oil change on my M6040. It holds about 16 gallons. Five gallon buckets slide under with adequate clearance.

Then it hit me. How in hell will I slip an almost full five gallon bucket out from under the tractor. This AND then get an empty back under without making a real mess. AND do this four times.

I had a brain fart. My wife's Tupper Ware quilt storage tubs are 20 gallon and have a tight sealing lid. This all went well with little to no screaming or hotly thrown accusations.

I DID purchase a new tub for the wife.

 

[Paystar]

I use a big rectangular plastic pail that came from an old large size dehumidifier.

 

[5030]

I used a plasma cut aluminum big truck fuel tank cut in 3rd's and I use one end (with the closed off end) and I TIG welded aluminum bar stock handles on it so I can slide it out from under the tractors as both mine hold 15 Plus gallons of fluid and I use a cut off one gallon spring water bottle to scoop the fluid out and put it in an empty 5 gallon pail (which are the pails the fluid came out of and then it goes in the tank for my waste oil burner or off to the auto parts store's tank to be disposed of. Our local auto parts store takes 5 gallons a day and there are 2 stores here plus a TSC so I can do 15 gallons at a crack (3, 5 gallon pails across 3 stores) if my waste oil tank is full. Only thing I don't keep for burning is the anti freeze, which gets changed every 2 years and that goes to one of the stores to be recycled as well.

I like using the repurposed truck fuel tank because it slides easily on the concrete and no spillage so no mess.

 

[big bubba]

sometimes the challenge is not in hyd draining, but how to fill up a large hyd capacity sump. a 5 gallon pail pump reduces headache & a mess

Amazon.com

 

[5030]

I just transfer the fluid to a gallon jug and fill it with the jug and a funnel of course. Guess I could use one of my Harbor Freight 6 buck on sale pumps. Only have to do it every 2 years.

 

[big bubba]

I just transfer the fluid to a gallon jug and fill it with the jug and a funnel of course. Guess I could use one of my Harbor Freight 6 buck on sale pumps. Only have to do it every 2 years.

@ what hr intervals? we have similar models. 600 hr or so w/filters is what i go with.
tried the hand gal hyd filling, much prefer the pail pump. oem usd fluid is what i stick with. disposal is much easier now than yrs ago.

 

[masscity]

I screwed 2x6 together and drove up on the ramps. Gave me plenty of clearance for 5 gal pails, which are easy to handle.

I've used them many times now. Just did my 850 hour hydraulic fluid, plus front axle.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Draining the oil into a large pan is the easy part. Getting it into a container to recycle is another issue. My Kubotas both hold 15 gal of oil. A pan with that much oil is too heavy to lift and must be pumped into containers.

I use rScottys idea and evacuate as much oil as possible through the fill port. This oil extractor makes the job much easier:

Amazon.com

It removes 2.5 gal at a time and can then be used to pump the oil directly into smaller containers.

There is usually 3 or 4 gal left that must be drained into a pan but that amount is more easily handled. I use a plastic dish pan for that, and use the extractor to put it into a jug.