Learned big lesson on j20d hy-gard fluid

Copperhead · Nov 27, 2015

In terms of the JD motor oil, the tuffgard is made by Conoco and the Plus4 is made by Imperial. Still investigating the hygard.

The JD20D is one stout oil. It has a viscosity index of 195, which puts it squarely into Group IV PAO synthetic territory. Even the Amsoil product only comes in at a 171 viscosity index. In terms of VI, the higher the better. Since Mobil is the primary source of Group IV PAO base oil stocks in the country, I would suspect they might be the source blender for the JD20D. For my dollar, I would only use the JD20D year round, irregardless of temperature and who is blending it.

In contrast the JD20C has a viscosity index of 140. At best, it is a conventional/synthetic blend. And the JD20c has a TBN of 11 whereas the JD20D has a TBN of 13. Again, for my dollar, only JD20D is what I want.

side note: viscosity index has nothing to do with viscosity "weight". Viscosity index is the category of the base oil stock, with conventional oils down lower in number and higher end synthetic base oils up higher in number. You can have, say, a 10w30 conventional with a VI of around 140, and a 10w30 synthetic with a VI of 175. The viscosity index has some bearing on the NOACK volatility, or "cook off" of the oil.

Referencing the part numbers.... the JD20D gallons are TY22000 the quarts are TY22035

Just found out on the MSDS sheet for JD20D. It is made by Chevron. But I erred in the base oil composition. It is a very high quality Group III synthetic. Learn something new every day. But it makes sense, since Chevron was the company who pioneered Group III synthetic development and is the primary source for Group III base oil in the country.

Amvcane · Nov 27, 2015

I plow with my 318 in the winter and use Kubota super UTD 2. I find it has very good cold weather characteristics. Under $22 a gallon.

Copperhead · Nov 27, 2015

JD20D $13.60 a gallon

John Deere Hydrostatic Transmission Fluid - Quarts=TY22035 - Gallons=TY22000

Amvcane · Nov 27, 2015

I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for the -40*c viscosity value for the low vis hy guard and could not find it. The kubota super UDT 2 specs seemed to be a little better than the full synthetic Chevron. I bought 2 5gal. buckets of the super UDT2 for my Kioti Ck35 and had enough left over for the 318.

Rob50056 · Jul 6, 2017

hayman3347 said:
Hmmmm........I use Wal-Mart hydraulic oil and it clearly says J20D on it's back label.

That's interesting.
Have you used it?
I can't find any J20D or maybe they're calling it low viscosity hydro-gard transmission fluid TY22000?
I am getting fed up on paying 2-4 times the value for just because it's JD brand.

beenthere · Jul 6, 2017

I pay the piper for the real hyd. oil.. to me, not worth the risk when it comes to oil.
To me, cheap enough as one doesn't have to change oil very often.
I'd not want to "pay the piper" for any tranny parts that Walmart might not have "cheap" on their shelf. But don't mean to offend anyone who goes the cheap route.

IF hy-gard is really 2-4 times the price of WallyWorld, I will not know it..

3Ts · Jul 23, 2017

This comment does not directly address oil, but I believe the concept is the same.

Many years ago I worked at a company that made Integrated circuits. We had a published set of "standard electrical performance". Every circuit we made was tested to this standard. We also had some customers that wanted better performance than our "standard" and some that were satisfied with less. So, what we did was start with the strictest requirements and those that didn't make the cut were relegated to the next lowest tier until we got down to "standard product". We also had one customer that would accept less than standard. All these were marked with the industry standard product marking and the customer's part number. So while the standard part number is the same for all customers, they are definitely not the same performance. I believe the same applies to the oil, but can not verify that.