SC2400 Hydrostatic Fluid

[erasmussen]

At risk of opening a volatile subject, what are SC2400 and SC2450 owners putting in their HydroStatic Transmissions when they service them? What are the results? Good/Bad/Better/Worse? What are you absolutely not servicing it with (please don't be ridiculous)?

I'm coming up on my 50 hour and have scoured the forum, but have not been able to find a definitive answer to this.:confused2:

 

[msb1766]

Cub Cadet Hydro fluid is what you need, Get it at your dealer. I have not heard of anyone who used a different brand.

 

[erasmussen]

That sounds good, but just curious if any others out there have been able to find an equitable substitute for the Cub Cadet fluid without any loss in performance.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Gods Country]

I don't think you will find too many people using anything other than Cub oil.
I'm sure most people are still within their 3 or 5 year tranny warranty. For as often as I need to change it (about 300hr after first 50) I'll suck up the cost.
I think i paid around $80 for a 5 gallons a couple yrs ago, which is good for 2 changes.

 

[erasmussen]

Great - thanks a bunch. Of course, as a responsible family man, I'm always looking for a more economical alternative.

Apparently I will have to go with the CC brand hydrostatic fluid.

thanks again to those that replied.

 

[gtrippleb]

I'll double check but my dealer didn't give me cub cadet fluid. I can't remember the brand off hand but the parts guy said as long as it has one of the John Deere specs, it can be used. He told me I didn't need to drive 45 miles one way to pick up the stuff from them. I'll run out to the shed and see what it is.

My dealer gave me Warren Tractor Transmission Hydraulic Fluid. If I remember correctly, the parts guy told me as long as it met the JDM J-20C specification, then it would be fine to use. The Warren brand was $11.99 a gallon. He told me that's what they put in all of their tractors.

Here's the specs on the Warren Tractor Transmission Hydraulic Fluid
http://www.warrenoil.com/msds/spec/spec_warren_tractor_trans_hyd_fluid.pdf

 

[erasmussen]

you da MAN!! My local CC dealer is selling HydroStatic Tranny fluid for ~$10.00 per QUART! At about 2 gallons capacity - it's an $80 service. Well worth it, considering my investment in the tractor itself, but as I stated earlier - I'm a working father of 3 who is duty bound to seek out the better deal.

Thanks much - I'll make sure to cross the JD specs with the stuff my CC dealer is trying to sell me.

 

[gtrippleb]

Not a Problem. To me it makes since that if it met JD specs then it should be ok as Yanmar built these for John Deere. Granted they aren't the exact same tractor but they are close.

I thought maybe I could find some specs on the Cub Cadet Hydraulic/Transmission Fluid but haven't had any luck.

RF Houtz and Sons has front and back pictures but I don't see anything about specifications.
R.F. Houtz & Son, Inc. - Catalog

Here is a link to the MSDS for the Cub Cadet Hydraulic/Transmission Fluid. It's dated 1992 though from MTD.
http://service.mtdproducts.com/faqdoclinks/Lubricants/hydraulictransmissionfluid.pdf

Here's a more updated one from Viscosity Oil.
http://www.viscosityoil.com/pdf/msds3/CUB-CADET-HYDRAULIC-TRANSMISSION-FLUID.pdf

 

[msb1766]

I paid $18.53 per gallon for the CubCadet hydro fluid from my dealer.

 

[gordyy]

I tore off a hydraulic hose last week, it had worked loose from the lil hanger thingy anyway I dumped a lot of fluid just like that and was down, out in the country 200 miles from the nearest CC dealer stopped at a tsc they were out! called into Cub-cadet talked to a factory service tech he told me if it meets the JD spec and was a 10 -20 weight ttranny and hydraulic oil it would be just fine put it in no problems I believe it has to be close as there is no real difference in lift capability or anything like that.
Also was told that the only reason to use the synthetic blend other than trying to space out the oil change interval is extreme cold weather. I have a lot of that but sitting in the heated shop its not really an issue

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

I paid $18.53 per gallon for the CubCadet hydro fluid from my dealer.

That sounds like Hy-Tran non-synthetic oil. The last Drive System Plus I bought was over $41/gal.

Bob B.

 

[erasmussen]

First, thanks to all who have replied to the original question AND keeping it on topic.

Next, those that supplied the MSDS documents provided the key to gaining some meaningful answers. So, an especially meaningful thanks to those who posted docs.

Finally, the resolution...what I was able to do with the docs were forward them to a local petro supplier and allow them to crossref the spec sheets with a more affordable, non-manuf specific brand. They gave me a couple of equivalents and assured me the price is much more reasonable.

I'll make sure to post brand, type, $price, and if I can get it, the MSDS for your use.

Thanks again.

 

[erasmussen]

I am finally getting around to following up on the original post, the outcome to my search, and the results of using a non manufacturer specific brand oil.

As you can see its' been approx 5 months since the question of a less expensive alternative to the CC hydrostat oil was brought up. I did find an equitable oil for less than $20/gal and have since run the tractor for another 40 hours with no incident or loss of performance.

Though I was unable to gain the MSDS sheet I will post the manufacturer in the near future (when I get home from work