No Kubota UDT or Super UDT for me

bgott · Sep 18, 2002

Thanks! I was just curious. All the manufacturers recommend their branded fluids and accessories. I went to a seminar my New Holland dealership put on after I bought my TN. Free eats, you see. They had an oil presentation where one of the guys spent an hour trying to convince everybody that NH oil is specially formulated for tractors. He did one he11 of a tapdance trying to leave the impression that, while Wal-Mart Rotella or Delo was formulated for diesel engines and was good oil, it wasn't really formulated for a constant load under tractor conditions. I got a little upset that the guy was trying to insult my intelligence but then I took it for the entertainment value. He also gave us the lecture on hydraulic oil. This dealership also handles Kubota and I've never seen the first quart or five gallon bucket of Kubota branded lubricant of any type in the shop or showroom. If I get bored I might go to the next owners meeting and get a free meal and ask a few pointed questions, just to watch him wiggle.

If I have to work on a Kubota I'll use 134D and know I'm not doing something stupid to somebodies tractor, at least as far as the hydraulic fluid is concerned!

ronjhall · Sep 18, 2002

<font color=blue>When a fellow buys a brand new Kubota tractor from this guy, it will NOT come with SuperUDT in it?</font color=blue>
Ben
<font color=orange>KUBOTA</font color=orange> tractors are shipped to the dealer with Super UDT in them.

BobinCols · Sep 18, 2002

I agree with Ron. My 3010 came factory filled out of the crate. Dealer only topped off fluids if needed after running.
I used super at the 50 hour service and will probably continue to do so at the next hydraulic scheduled service.

neilw · Sep 18, 2002

PT

I to have tried to determine what so special about a factory hydro oil. The source of my quest is John Deere's Low Viscosity Hy Tran specification J20D.

My research also found some JD dealers who used and recommended non-JD petro products. Being an ex-retailer it occured to me that maybe a dealer may stock other than the manufactures stuff has more to do with profit margin than anything else.

While reading this post I pulled the Schaeffer #115 Simplex Supreme and #315 Simplex Supreme. Neither even mentions Kubota UDT or SUDT compatability. Both seem to list every other tractor manufacture and requirment known to man.

Maybe Kubota hydro oil really is diffrent than the others.

What about it Bob. Are Kubota hydrulic oils really different than what seems to be the rest of the pack?

BHarrison · Sep 19, 2002

OK. That answers my question.
Thanks

JeffRey30747 · Sep 20, 2002

If my L3710 was shipped to the dealer with Super UDT, they probably topped it off with regular UDT after installing the loader.
BTW, does anyone know how much fluid capacity the loader would add to the amount I need to have on hand to change the fluid?

bgott · Sep 21, 2002

Not much, you change the fluid with the cylinders retracted and what's left in the cylinders and the hoses doesn't drain.

Anonymous Poster · Sep 24, 2002

Thanks for this very informative post!!! I am taking delivery in a few days on a new B2910. The dealer I am buying it from sells a different brand of fluid. I checked with two others, and they also sell non-Kubota fluid. They all sing the same song about Kubota oil being too expensive. Interestingly enough, the only off-brand I've found that states on the label that it is a replacement for UDT is the brand sold by Wal-mart...however, that is this year--who knows what they will get next year. I tend to agree with the gentleman who posted in this discussion that he thinks that the dealers are stocking whatever they can make the most profit from. I wonder how much hydraulic repair work they get as a result of using brand X oil??
I have found a web-site (tractorsmart) that sells UDT/super UDT for a fair price, and I think I will try to protect my investment in this tractor by spending a few extra dollars for the proper lube. Its been my experience that whenever I try to buy a cheaper product, I usually get what I've paid for. I am hoping to get several years use from this Kubota, and I think that if I use the proper stuff, and meet or exceed the recommended maintainance, Kubota and I should stay on friendly terms.

ronjhall · Sep 24, 2002

Deminin
Welcome to TBN. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Congrat’s on the new tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
The B2910 is a great compact tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
Now comes the hard part, waiting for delivery. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

MarkHunstiger · Oct 1, 2002

Here's the deal on UDT and Super UDT. Most any major manufacturers hydro-fluid will cross with UDT; there is nothing really special about it. It is a common practice in my area to mix and match Case, Deere, Wally World or what ever with UDT.
Super UDT is a Semi-synthetic with two specialized applications: Kubota's Glide Shift tranny, which requires a super slick fluid to shift properly and the BX series hydro trans. The BX engines run at 3200+ rpm's and apparently this creates a heat problem in the HST. Kubota addresses the problem by mounting a fan on the drive shaft that blows on the cooling fins on the HST and by installing a hydro-fluid that will handle the high temps, hence the Super UDT.
In one of the other forums there is an account of a guy who got a stick jammed up in the BX/HST and broke off the fan blades. Then he went out and did a lot of hard, hot loader work and found the hydraulic fluid was boiling out of the transmission. It is not clear which type of fluid he was using, but it illustrates the need for specialized fluid for certain transmissions.
The only possible Super UDT compatible fluid out there that I have found is Amsoil's full synthetic Hydraulic oil. I didn't get into the specs because the price makes Super UDT look cheap, so that is where I stopped.
Also note, Deere announced with great fanfare, the new 2210, a BX knock-off with a 3200 rpm diesel engine, and then pulled it off the website and off the market. Wanna bet that when it reappears it will have a special high temp Hydraulic fluid to go with it?
Bottom line: If you manual sez you can use UDT, you can probably mix and match fluids safely. If it sez use ONLY Super UDT better think about the mix and match thing before you do it. MH