Transmission Hydraulic Fluid Recommendation

[MajMac392]

I'm getting ready to do the 200 hour service on my 7234 Cub. What type/brand of Hydraulic Transmission fluid do any of you recommend? There is a brand available locally, "Cling Tuff" that I've used before that is very reasonable, $18 for a 5 gal pail. HyTran by Case is about $37-38 a bucket, the NAPA brand was $20 something a bucket. I just called a new Cub dealer in Portland, ME and he only carries OEM Cub Synthetic @$33.73 a GALLON. Somebody get the paddles, I think my heart stopped!

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Who is the new Cub dealer?

I bought Case-IH Hy-TRAN for mine. You are only changing it every 200 hours, so why not use the good stuff? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

I always used the IH Hytran in my 1450 but my new 3235 has the synthetic fluid in it. I asked my dealer and he said Hytran could probably be used to top it off but the synthetic would give much smoother operation. I would be reluctant to mix any Hytran and synthetic oilso I slurged for a gallon of the synthetic.

Bob B.

 

[MajMac392]

GreenRules,

It wasn't so much I didn't want to buy the better fluid because I do but I couldn't see why there was such a large descrepancy in price, Cling-Tuff $18, Hy-Tran $37. Is the Hy-Tran really that much better or are you just paying for the name? Maybe not and may come from the same oil manufacturer. It's kind of like why I bought a Cub in the first place as opposed to say a JD. The price was much better for the Cub and I thought it was equal to or better than a JD 770 at the time. At $33.73 a gallon the Synthetic would cost about $228 to do the service and the Hy Tran only $57 or so. Four times the cost seems to be way out of the ball park in my checkbook.

Oh yeah, the new cub dealer is Don's Power Equipment on Riverside Street, Portland. Either Cub has changed what they put in their tractors from normal Tran/Hyd fluid to Synthetic or Synthetic is the only thing that Don's stocks.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Four times the cost seems to be way out of the ball park in my checkbook.

Good point. When I think about it, the main reason I put a Deere product in my Deere and a Case or Cub product in my Cub is dealer support. They know me and I think they treat me a little better when I buy big items.

I'll have to stop in and see what they have at Don's. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

There are two other CC dealers in the area that I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole... /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[ducati996]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I always used the IH Hytran in my 1450 but my new 3235 has the synthetic fluid in it. I asked my dealer and he said Hytran could probably be used to top it off but the synthetic would give much smoother operation. I would be reluctant to mix any Hytran and synthetic oilso I slurged for a gallon of the synthetic.

Bob B. )</font>

Hi Bob,

Its unfortunate a dealer would even hint they could be mixed at all /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Cub went to the all sythetic blend because its proven to keep the tranny cooler and smoother operating. They had tranny failures using Hytran on the 3000 series when they first came out (1998 or there abouts) once the blend was used
problems related to heat went away for the most part...
No doubt its overpriced but it has benefits over Hytran...

Ducati

 

[gamble77]

Just a word of wisdom...

The difference between so called "cheap" hydro. fluid and more expensive fluid (especially the fluid made by the manufactures, ie Cub, Massey, JD, etc.) is the fact that the more espensive fluids are more "non-foaming" than others. I use Massey Ferguson Permatran III in all the tractors I service, don't care who makes them. I use Cub fluid in every ridding mower. I have seen what happens to a hydraulic system when that cheap fluid lets air in, and its not pretty. Some people can use the cheap stuff forever and never have problem one, but some use it once and they never make that mistake again.

Just my advice...use the good stuff, the stuff the factory intended to be in there from day one.

 

[DmansPadge]

Good point Gamble. I have seen this in automotive trannys. Foaming is not a good thing and can be just as bad as not having enough fluid in it.

Like Gamble said and as I've learned... use what is recommended and you can't go wrong.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

The synthetic oils have always been much more expensive than regular oil. Just compare the price on motor oil. I've never made the switch to synthetic motor oil, even though it's supposed to last longer etc.. I regularly change my car oil and filter every 3000-4000 miles because I figure the oil gets dirty and accumulates acids no matter what kind it is. The Corvette is the only auto I know of that has a manufacturer's requirement that synthetic oil must be used.

Bob B.

 

[ducati996]

This thread sounds like it is turning into another Dino vs Synthetic thread /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cub specifies the Sythetic blend because it helped them overcome some issues. Its a Hydro system not a high performance vehicle. Its your machine, use what you want to use.

Beside most of the high end automobiles come with synthetic in them already, Its not just the vette...

Ducati