Front axel fluid

[ferguson]

OK servising my L3130 front axel U D T oil or gear oil / My thinkig U D T is kinda light in Viscisity ??

 

[GreensvilleJay]

the manual should say what is/was in it from the factory,however if you're not the original owner it may have been changed.....
if you're in Alaska (really cold) ,you need a 'thin' oil that'll floooow when it's bone chilling cold.

 

[mcfarmall]

The manual for my M5660 says UDT "OR" SAE80w90

 

[85Hokie]

AS both have said - either or, but in a colder winter the S-UDT2 works well, where as summer would be fine with the more viscous 80w90 or 85w90. Your pick. Personally, I use this

 

[GreensvilleJay]

so.... 64K$ question...
What happens when SUDT and 80W90 get mixed ??
Is it possible to really tell WHAT oil is in the axle, especially after 100s of hours, years of use ??

 

[jyoutz]

so.... 64K$ question...
What happens when SUDT and 80W90 get mixed ??
Is it possible to really tell WHAT oil is in the axle, especially after 100s of hours, years of use ??

I talked to my dealer service tech. He said that tractors come with SUDT, but 80W-90 is acceptable, but don’t mix them. So, if you’re topping off the original fluid, use SUDT, but if you’re draining and changing fluid you can use either.

 

[edritchey]

 

[Dieseldonato]

I talked to my dealer service tech. He said that tractors come with SUDT, but 80W-90 is acceptable, but don’t mix them. So, if you’re topping off the original fluid, use SUDT, but if you’re draining and changing fluid you can use either.

Ditto, same thing messicks told me few months ago when I inquired. I run a synthetic 80-90 wt. In mine. I keep it on hand for other stuff so I didn't have to buy extra SUDT.

 

[GeoHorn]

the manual should say what is/was in it from the factory,however if you're not the original owner it may have been changed.....
if you're in Alaska (really cold) ,you need a 'thin' oil that'll floooow when it's bone chilling cold.

That’s because ALL vehicle rear-axle/differentials fail so regularly in Alaska because they use gear oil… right?

One way to determine what is in there is to drain a little out for a sample. Gear oil will usually have a strong “garlic” smell and appear quite dark, while SUDT is amber after it’s been used awhile. My manual states it came from the factory with SUDT and to replace it with either that OR gear oil.
When I drained the front axle I only got about a quart out of each side, and I re-filled it with 80/90 gear oil… 8.5 qts per the capacity spec. (Yes, it was clearly under-serviced)
That’s when the left bevel-case oil seal was discovered to be leaking. (Perhaps the axle had leaked-out the original clear SUDT and it went unnoticed if the tractor was stored on the ground by previous owner..who knows… Anyway, it may have once-been properly serviced and my adding gear oil made it obvious over-night that the oil seal leaked.)

I replaced the seal (wrote about it elsewhere in these forums) and serviced the axle again with 8 qts of gear oil. It and me are both happy.

 

[RalphVa]

I used M1 GL5 in the JD before trading it. Probably what I'll use in the B2601. The M1 stuff is clear.

What I used in the Miata's rear LSD, too.