John Deere Hydraulic fluid

[kartvines]

Quick question,, just bought a JD 770 compact tractor, looking at the manual of course the book says to use only John Deere Hydraulic fluid. I would guess that any good quality fluid would serve the same purpose. Welcome feed back.

 

[beenthere]

Anyone can weigh the risk of using something else, and probably come out just fine.
I just use the Deere oil, as it isn't much more expensive (I don't know if it is at all). In 5 years I have changed the transmission oil once. Have you calculated what you would save by buying something else?

In my manual, it says Deere Hy-gard I believe, or its equivalent (and then gives the specs of the equivalent).

 

[prosperity]

My first thought....
If you just bought your 770 new, would you need fluid for adding? If so, it is not a good idea to mix different oils.
Second thought - fluids are very important - with my machines and vehicles I don't scrimp - not worth the savings of a couple bucks.
But....if I had a 30 year old machine that wasn't in the best of shape and was a real leaker, I might opt for the cheap stuff.

 

[dmp437]

Ditto the thinking of the previous posters. Service a $15k tractor with "the cheap stuff" to save maybe $20? Not worth the risk to me. Plus, I have a good dealer so I am happy to support those who support me.

 

[kartvines]

This was a used tractor with many hours logged, how do I now know what fluid is currently in the system. I installed the backhoe and had a hose leak so I want to top off the fluid.

 

[dicker]

If you do not know what fluid is currently in the tractor, then you may not know it's quality either.

If it were me, I would change it all and put in the recommended JD hydraulic fluid.

Richard