New(ish) Kubota M62 With Filthy Hydraulic Oil

[Smokeydog]

Sorry you are having so much trouble with a new machine. This size TLB is most useful on our wooded farm too.

The insolubles may not be removed by the two hydraulic filters. The HST is much finer filter and polishes the fluid better. Lower micron rating. If the M62 is like our M59, the HST filter is above the oil reservoir so minimal oil loss and easy to change. If changing this filter doesn’t lower the insolubles level they might be too small to be caught.
Does the lab report indicate size of insolubles?

The dealer showed me two different filters for the dual hydraulic filters. One had refrigerator type circle magnet and one without. About $25 more each for the magnetic ones. That’s what I got. Haven’t changed them yet to see if they caught anything. Have you noted any metal? An old mechanic trick was to stick a strong magnetic outside on the filter can. On industrial machines running constantly.

I know you have spent considerable time and money protecting your investment already. Some people heavily rely on oil analysis. Have yet to see anyone testing new oil out of the bottle for a base line.

Making Mega pads for the M59 outriggers made a huge difference on our hillside farm. Improvements on soft ground and on slopes. Added steps to cylinder rod guards helps climbing up and down. Like them so much did the same for the B26.

 

[5030]

On my Kubota's the circular magnet in the hydraulic filter (I have 2 of them on each unit) is removeable and cleanable. Conversely, you can attach external magnets to the filter cans as well.

 

[BeezFun]

Have yet to see anyone testing new oil out of the bottle for a base line.

The youtube guy Project Farm often tests new oil to compare it to worn oil.
Here's one example where he's comparing Walmart oils.

 

[dodge man]

Just a wild guess when your original dealer prepped the tractor somebody topped off the hydraulic fluid with something that was not hydraulic fluid or was incompatible. I noticed the analysis doesn’t say water but insoluble. I’m not sure what that means.

A totally different machine but when I changed the hydraulic fluid on my JD 2025r at 50 hours I was surprised how cloudy it was. They didn’t recommend a 50 hour change but I did one anyway. I did the 200 hour change also. Same thing, it looks very clean on the dipstick but cloudy when it’s out of the machine. When I say cloudy not anywhere as bad as yours was but not as clear as the new.

I think your ok with your machine but I’d probably do another change early.

 

[5030]

All along I keep wondering if the 'cloudiness' in the fluid is actually suspended air? Something I've never encountered but then I let mine sit (and cool off) for a while before changing the fluid or filters. Dang filters can be hot and so can the drain plug(s) and I'm a puss so I let everything cool off first. Not stone cold, just cool.

 

[BeezFun]

I noticed the analysis doesn’t say water but insoluble. I’m not sure what that means.

Blackstone's site has this article on insolubles.

 

[5030]

On a side note, after I installed a coolant filter on my 7.3 diesel pickup, I got quite a bit of foundry sand in the filter over a period of time which leads me to believe that a tractor gearbox could have some sand or machining swarf left behind and not flushed out entirely.

 

[Jrasband]

Instead of a drain and fill is there a way to flush most of the hydraulic fluid out of the system?

I'm also curious where the tractor came from.

I have been told from a retired tractor mechanic that they always flushed hydraulic systems with 5 gal of diesel fuel and suggested i do that to my Case Ih 585( the fluid looked same as OP), said it works great. I had already changed the fluid and filter and it didn't do anything. So I flushed the system with diesel like he said by running it for five minutes while operating tractor.

Anybody else heard of that? Hydraulic fluid is very expensive and I would hate to change it multiple times just to leave some of it in each time..

 

[sd455dan]

I have been told from a retired tractor mechanic that they always flushed hydraulic systems with 5 gal of diesel fuel and suggested i do that to my Case Ih 585( the fluid looked same as OP), said it works great. I had already changed the fluid and filter and it didn't do anything. So I flushed the system with diesel like he said by running it for five minutes while operating tractor.

Anybody else heard of that? Hydraulic fluid is very expensive and I would hate to change it multiple times just to leave some of it in each time..

Yeah that was always standard recommended procedure with new imported China tractors.

 

[dodge man]

If I thought I had serious contamination I might flush with diesel but I don’t think I’d run the tractor.