Kubota Super UDT and filters.

[PsRumors]

At work we blow mulch for erosion control. We use Vemeer bale processors powered by John Deere tractors (6190 & 7430). We also have a Kubota M6-141 we use for a shuttle tractor and a Kubota M7060 for backup, yard work and other work. We've had several tractors before these.

With that said, we have never used Kubota or Deere fluids. We keep a 55 gallon drum of Citgo Transguard at the shop but have put various, and cheap, "premium" trans & hydraulic fluid in the tractors when we've been out in the field and the need arises.

We have never had a trans or hydraulic break down on any tractor. The most hours any one tractor has accumulated is about 7k hours and current tractors have 3 to 4 thousand hours. We do use either factory filters or Napa Gold

For my L45, I used SUDT2

 

[rScotty]

Our JD310SG works its hydraulic fluid pretty hard. It's a 90HP turbo diesel with a powershifting torque converter transmission and a 36 gpm main hydraulic pump for the backhoe & loader.
JD's recommendation for a a trans/hydraulic fluid is to simply use 24 gallons (yikes!) of their standard multiweight motor oil.
rScotty

 

[RickB]

First generation CaseIH Magnum tractors used right at a barrel of HyTran.

 

[Dataway]

I was recently playing with a filter cutter I made ... cut open a used New Holland engine oil filter, and a Kubota Hydro filter that were waiting to be recycled.

I was surprised to find that the Kubota filter was not what I would call a high quality piece of work. Cheesy spring plate bypass spring, no exterior screen on the filter media .. which appeared to be paper one step above a Walmart fram filter. The NH engine oil filter was very robust, real spring for the bypass, screens on inside and outside of the filter media, mounting plate twice as thick as the Kubota part, nice thick crimped on end caps filter cage. Kubota part was not the worst filter I've ever seen, but far from being a quality industrial part. This particular unit had the filter media collapsed ... most likely from me not giving it enough warm up time in sub-zero temps.

 

[sixdogs]

Kubota and every other equipment manufacturer has a vested interest in providing filters and fluids of a quality that helps optimize and lengthen the performance of their branded equipment so that equipment gains public favor and widespread approval. Quality is more important than price point.
Aftermarket filter and fluid retailers have a vested interest in market share for their products, the big picture for them is the fluids and filters themselves, not the equipment those fluids and filters protect. The benchmark of aftermarket filters is the price point and not failing or causing an acute equipment failure while they are in use.

I absolutely agree with this and have done price comparisons and cut filters apart for decades. OEM, especially the Kubota and Deere I'm familiar with, were much better made and in most crease cheaper than the alternatives. The exceptions would be odd duck, limited proprietary use filters where there was no competition for the OEM company.

Now, for a truck filter a lot of the aftermarket oil filters would likely be OK and the higher end ones I cut apart over the years were respectable. Fleetguard comes to mind as honorable but there were others. Even so, I use Toyota oil filters in my Tundra and they are the least expensive. I use Purolater air filters if I can get them and OEM if I can't. Cabin filters are also Puro.

Equipment makers likely sell more oil filters than anything else and know everyone knows the price and will switch in a moment. So, they price them right, keep equipment in good shape and let the doubters know or think other parts are as fairly priced. It's another story but OEM paints are usually top shelf and bargain priced as well, especially for the quality they are.

 

[fried1765]

I was recently playing with a filter cutter I made ... cut open a used New Holland engine oil filter, and a Kubota Hydro filter that were waiting to be recycled.

I was surprised to find that the Kubota filter was not what I would call a high quality piece of work. Cheesy spring plate bypass spring, no exterior screen on the filter media .. which appeared to be paper one step above a Walmart fram filter. The NH engine oil filter was very robust, real spring for the bypass, screens on inside and outside of the filter media, mounting plate twice as thick as the Kubota part, nice thick crimped on end caps filter cage. Kubota part was not the worst filter I've ever seen, but far from being a quality industrial part. This particular unit had the filter media collapsed ... most likely from me not giving it enough warm up time in sub-zero temps.

So....is it logical to assume that a similar comparison might also be made between Super UDT2, and non Kubota hydraulic oils, with the same or similar spec.?
I have long suspected that suggesting/requiring Kubota Super UDT2, and particularly for an out of warranty Kubota, may just be Kubota and dealer price gouging/brain washing/fear mongering.

 

[Dataway]

These days I think it's hard to make many hard and fast conclusions. Kubota doesn't make oil, so someone makes it for them, the hard part is finding the exact same oil without "Kubota" written on it. May very well have a proprietary formula only made for Kubota. OEMs are funny, one "genuine" part might be crap, their other "genuine" parts may be very high quality ... gotta take it on a case by case basis.j

Most tractor guys spend enough seat time that they are a pretty good judge of what works in their particular machine. My BX2200 seems pretty picky about hydraulic fluid, my New Holland (manual) will take just about anything ( a bit too thick and it doesn't want to engage the rear PTO though)

Sixdogs .... I found the same thing with the paints, the OEM products are considerably more durable and a better finish than run of the mill equivalents.

 

[sixdogs]

So....is it logical to assume that a similar comparison might also be made between Super UDT2, and non Kubota hydraulic oils, with the same or similar spec.?
I have long suspected that suggesting/requiring Kubota Super UDT2, and particularly for an out of warranty Kubota, may just be Kubota and dealer price gouging/brain washing/fear mongering.

I did a thread on this and have seen others but my hydro B7800 Kubota makes less noise and shifts better with SUDT2. I actually dumped the day-old Brand X to go back to SUDT2.

Same thing with the Hydro shuttle Kubota M7040. It just works better, warms up faster and shifts better. Beats me.

 

[ovrszd]

I did a thread on this and have seen others but my hydro B7800 Kubota makes less noise and shifts better with SUDT2. I actually dumped the day-old Brand X to go back to SUDT2.

Same thing with the Hydro shuttle Kubota M7040. It just works better, warms up faster and shifts better. Beats me.

As does my M9540.