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paulmo
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 75 livermore colorado
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2014-04-07          189968


Question for anyone regarding hydraulic fluid changes on your tractor,
I have a Cub 7360,without a manual,( am working on one!)
I've changed all the fluids recently and the hydraulic fluid looked clean and clear and the tractors use is moderate!
How often are fluid changes necessary, and are there any indicators of when changes might need to be more frequent?

Thanks!

Paul




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46bugs
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 163 Tennessee
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2014-04-07          189969


On most equipment change hydraulic fluid ever 1000 Hours unless it looks milky and if so then it has water in it and should be change soon. ....


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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2014-04-11          190022


Paul,

It would be very helpful to have an owner's manual for your tractor, as it will provide you with some very important servicing information.

I've owned several smaller tractors. The maintenance charts for all of them were very similar.

If you have a loader on your tractor, the pivot pins at every joint should be greased every 10 hours of loader use.

Engine oil should be changed every 100 hours. The oil filter should be changed every 200 hours........but I change mine with every oil change.

Transmission / hydraulic / (front axle if 4x4) fluid and filter changes should take place every 500 hours.

Engine coolant should be replaced yearly, or at least checked for proper freeze protection.

Air filters should be blown out every 50 hours, or more often in dirty / dusty conditions.

Battery terminals should be checked every 100 hours, or every few months. Clean and reinstall battery cable terminals as needed.

Air pressures in your tires should be checked quite often. With every ten degree drop in temperature, your tires will lose about 1 pound of air pressure. The opposite is true when the weather warms up. In Hawaii this won't be an issue, but here in North Dakota we can have temperature swings of up to 180 degrees from winter to summer. That's a difference of up to 18 psi over a 6 month period. We check tire pressures constantly up here.

Fuel tanks need to be kept clean and free of moisture. If your tractor is being used on a regular basis, water problems generally won't show up. However, on tractors that receive very little use, you'll soon find water problems and even algae growing in the tank. Use biocides to kill and / or prevent algae growth. Use fuel additives to reduce water problems. Most importantly, never put the tractor away with an empty fuel tank. Reducing the air space in the tank, by keeping it filled with fuel, will prevent most condensation problems. Always top off the fuel tank at the end of each day's use.

Hope this helps.

Joel

....


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paulmo
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 75 livermore colorado
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2014-04-11          190038


Joel,

Thanks for the check list, it does help to stay on top of things in order to prevent larger issues later.

I did order a service manual for the tractor (Cub 7360SS)
In came as a disc, which I got reprinted in paper form, so now I can keep better track of all the service related stuff online or in the shop.

One thing I was wondering about however,... When topping off the fuel tank, how long can diesel remain fresh?
I do use a good additive to keep things clean, and to help cold weather starting, and in summer as well, but don't always use the tractor on a daily basis.

I should also mention that when it's realy cold I plug it in for at least an hour before attempting to start it.
So far no problems, but was unsure about the life of the fuel overall.

Thanks,

Paul
....


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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2014-04-11          190039


Paul,

It would be impossible for me to give you any specific time frames for your particular fuel storage situation.

The U.S. military has a load of experience with these fuel issues. It's for this reason that the U.S. Army's major vehicle depots are located in the southwest part of the country. One of the nation's largest is in south-central Utah. This is because the daily humidity levels are extremely low in the desert southwest, and the daily temperature swings are minor.

If you live in a very humid area, your fuel storage issues can become a headache and a chore. Moisture from the air will condense on the cold metal interior walls of your storage tanks. This moisture will form into droplets, then run down to the bottom of your fuel tank......because water is heavier than oil. This problem is multiplied if your daily temperatures swing greatly from morning to night. Over time, the accumulated water will actually displace your fuel, to the point that the tank will actually fill itself to the brim with water.

Even worse, today's diesel fuels are formulated to satisfy the federal government's demands to reduce air pollution. These new formulations actually attract water. Today's diesel fuels are very difficult to manage.

The best way to handle these problems is to reduce the amount of air space in the holding tank. (keep your fuel storage tanks full) This will keep most of the moisture-laden air out. Another way to avoid problems is to use the fuel quickly. This isn't always possible.... Additionally, never keep more fuel on hand than you're able to use up in a reasonable amount of time.

Additives, such as Power Service Clean Diesel will prevent minor amounts of water problems, due to condensation taking place in the tank. Power Service makes several products, all of which I use from time to time. It's great stuff........but none of those products will do much good if the larger fuel storage issues are neglected.

This is always a great topic for discussion. It's one of the most common problems we encounter on the farm.

Hope this helps.

Joel ....


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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2014-04-12          190046


Paul,

I forgot to mention that the U.S. military now uses bags for fuel storage.

These bags collapse as the fuel is removed. This prevents any air from entering, as well as preventing condensation problems.

Joel ....


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paulmo
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 75 livermore colorado
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2014-04-12          190049


Joel,

I too use the Power Service Diesel products, in both the tractor and my truck, winter and summer, good stuff!

I was intrested to hear that the military is using bags for fuel storage, Great idea! I wonder why such a thing could not also be applied to say, liners in tractor or automotive fuel tanks?
Seems it would also reduce sloshing around and weight distribution problems, anyway I like the idea!

My particular fuel storage is limited, to about 10 gallons at any given time for the tractor, largely because I only buy what I feel I'll use in order to keep it retlitavly fresh. It's also in plastic diesel containers, but articals I've read mention diesel breaking down rather quickly.

You mentioned the EPA regulations perhaps making it even more prone to degrading.

The truck I fuel up when in town, and I keep it topped off all the time.
Our climate is fairley dry most of the time, low humidty, but some broad fluxuations in temps, not as dramatic as you folks have in your area, but up and down none the less.

I'm going to be thinking about thoes bags, and looking into maybe finding something similar I might use for limited storage myself, food for thought!

Thanks,

Paul ....


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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2014-04-13          190052


Paul,

As the fuel chemical compositions constantly change, we're going to need to a way to prevent these unintended consequences.

I believe internal collapsible tank bags will soon become standard equipment on all diesel powered equipment. I'm not sure how soon the manufacturers will adapt, but they'll have to at some point.

The U.S. Army's refueling stations are something to be seen. Please visit the link below.

Joel ....


Link:   Military Bladder Tanks

 

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2014-04-13          190057


All of the above is great advice.

In my case I put low hours on the tractor so on the Engine Oil I change the Oil and Filter every year not based on hours. It is cheap insurance and after a year of use even the synthetic oil I use looks pretty dirty and new engine oil Filters are cheap (I use a cross reference on the engine oil filter, OEM on all the hydraulic ones). ....


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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2014-04-13          190058


On antifreeze since my tractor is stored in a garage where it never goes below 50 degrees, I have never changed antifreeze on it in the 10 years I have owned it.

Same thing on my cars I never touch the antifreeze but I usually buy new and sell within 7 years under 100000 miles. If I lived in North Dakota I think I would have to modify my thinking.

When I was a kid in the old days of the automobile some years after the Model T Ford ;-) I changed the antifreeze every year or so and flushed it etc.. Seemed that I had more coolant problems then.

Then I read how aluminum engines were particular about coolants and the water and deposits blah blah blah...And purportedly how coolants were now longer lasting ...

Then what to do with the coolant since even a couple spoons can kill a dog ....

I have not changed coolant on a vehicle in a long long time. In 30 years I have only had to add coolant once and it was only a quart.



....


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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2014-04-13          190059


Dennis,

If your tractor is stored inside, the problems associated with moisture accumulation will be greatly reduced, due to the much smaller range of temperature fluctuations. A heated garage provides even more protection.

We recently changed all of the lubricants in the many gearboxes and chain drive cases around the place. I encountered many gearboxes which had a large amount of milky-white oil/water mix. This is a very common problem. Gearbox lubrication changes are necessary at least once each year.

I have one gearbox that drives me nuts. It's a worm drive gearbox with a 50:1 reduction. It requires 600 weight cylinder oil. Believe me when I tell you this........it takes several hours to drain a single quart of oil from that gearbox. That stuff is so thick that a spoon will stand up in it. (cylinder oil was originally developed for use in steam locomotives, and was used to lubricate the piston in the steam drive cylinder. It contains 8% beef tallow) I hate draining that case. Heating the gearbox with a kerosene torpedo heater just prior to draining the oil is partially helpful. I've tried filling the case with kerosene to help make things faster, but nothing seems to mix with cylinder oil.

Joel ....


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paulmo
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 75 livermore colorado
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2014-04-13          190062


Joel,

I was checking out sources for thoes fuel bags and was surprised to discover a number of manufactures of such bags ranging in sizes from 25 gallon to unlimited larger quanties.
I agree with all the changes in our modern fuels, and the cost of newer diesel equipment, something like what you've described will begin showing up.

I like the idea of being able to store even small amounts of fuel in this manner to avoid the air and moisture problems, and hopefully keeping it fresher.

On another note, I've never heard of a 600 weight gear oil before, " WOW " thoes oil changes would be a challange!

Thanks,

Paul ....


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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2014-04-14          190071


Paul,

I see a day when all of our steel fuel tanks become a thing of the past. At some point, we'll all be using these bags for fuel storage.

A number of issues will have to be addressed. Fuel theft will become a concern, as will re-filling. Fuel suppliers will need special fittings on the delivery hoses that will allow them to mate up with the fuel bags.

Like you, I'd love to have one of these bags. This would allow me to keep a few hundred gallons on hand. I shy away from keeping too much fuel around, due to the concerns we discussed earlier. It would be nice to be able buy a year's supply of fuel when the prices drop.

Joel ....


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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2014-06-15          190465


"Additives, such as Power Service Clean Diesel will prevent minor amounts of water problems...." I wonder how additives for water control are supposed to work. A fail-safe protector is a fuel bowl that lets any water separate out at the bottom.

As for hyd fluid, some makes say every 1000 hrs, Yanmar wants the fluid and external filter replaced and internal filter cleaned every 300. ....


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46bugs
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 163 Tennessee
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2014-06-15          190466


Depends on the use,If you don't use it a lot ,every two years ,or if the fluid looks milky it needs to be change.best to store inside and not outside.That oil is like motor oil it does wear out. ....


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46bugs
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 163 Tennessee
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2014-06-15          190467


I change my anti freeze every 2 years also flush the radiator at that time. They are not made as the old radiator was.

Oil change ,filters ,anti -freeze is cheaper then an overhaul or a bad radiator.I believe in maintenance. Grease is cheaper then a joint or a new front end.or a u-joint. ....


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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2014-06-17          190473



Lets talk on the anti-freeze! The temperature rating on anti freeze will not change from what I've seen but what does happen is the other additives wear out! Yes it will still be good in color but the anti rust, bearing lubricant and the ability of the anti cavitation additive to work all loose there effectiveness over time.
This does not mean that you have to change your antifreeze but at least add additives to restore the additives!
Years ago on the tractor trailer that I drove the filter that was supposed to restore or maintain the proper levels of the additives was EXPENSIVE but I found that Cummins also used the same stuff so I went to that at less then a tenth the cost to keep the wet sleeve engine in good shape.
....


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