Hydro fluid change

[Firemedic]

I am getting ready to drain the 16 gallons of hydro fluid my M8540 holds. Does anyone have a method to collect this volume of fluid that works well? I am thinking of a plastic kids pool (Dollar General style) and pumping it out of that with a drill pump. Looking for other ideas that have worked for others. My oil drain pans only hold 16 quarts and trying to switch them out while it is draining sounds like a mess waiting to happen.
Thank you

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I use 5 gallon buckets and hot swap them while draining.

 

[85Hokie]

I use 5 gallon buckets and hot swap them while draining.

If I tried that - my wife would NOT let me in the house for a week!!! I know for sure I would be wearing some of that oil!

The baby pool idea sounds good!

 

[Showmedata]

ouch. And here I thought the 4 gallons in my LX3310 was a lot...

My vacuum extractor holds 10-11 quarts. I'd think about using that. Even though it'll take 6-7 cycles, you can pour neatly from the extractor into whatever container you want.

 

[Firemedic]

ouch. And here I thought the 4 gallons in my LX3310 was a lot...

My vacuum extractor holds 10-11 quarts. I'd think about using that. Even though it'll take 6-7 cycles, you can pour neatly from the extractor into whatever container you want.

Good idea. I guess as long as I get the fluid nice and warm it should pull it out pretty easily.
Thanks for the idea, I even have a pneumatic extractor and it didn't cross my mind.

 

[Russell King]

I don’t have that much volume (4 times 5 gallon bucket) but here is my process…

Go get a large plastic pan used to mix cement/mortar from the local hardware store.
Collect enough 5 gallon buckets up to catch the amount you want to drain.
In my case I have enough room in the pan to sit two buckets in the pan.
Situate the pan under the tractor with a bucket under the drain, try to situate the pan and buckets so you can move the full bucket out and the empty bucket into the drain path. In my case I can get the full bucket out of the pan and another empty bucket in place before the next bucket is full. Hopefully your drain is fairly small.
Repeat until the tractor case is empty.

Also on my tractor you have to drain from the rear wheel axles so that reduces how much drains from the case. I have to use a short drain pan for those drains.

The pan is slick enough that the buckets move easily and catches any minor spills that occur. Start swapping buckets as it reaches the 4 gallon full range.

Having a helper makes it much less stressful.

 

[GeoHorn]

TSC sells large “muck buckets” which are rated at 20 gals cheap, sold in pairs. That’s what I used for the 11 gals my M holds.

Wife has now confiscated them for her gardening…. to stand pond plants in water during winter storage in the greenhouse.

 

[D2Cat]

I use protein tubs with the top cut down, if need be, to fit under the tractor. Anyone with cattle will have some laying around. They will hold 20 gallons.

 

[Thunder chicken]

I found a rubbermaid container big enough. It fit under the machine too. Then use a pump to put it into buckets till the rubbermaid is light enough to pick up and tip, and spill etc!

 

[GrizBota]

I used a shallow (1’ish) large diameter (2.5’ish) plastic tub that had contained a salt lick of some sort originally. Kind of like the ones D2Cat pictured above. I did some math first to make sure it would hold the dozen gallons or so my L takes, it did by a wide margin. Then just drained it from the four drain plugs.

On the B, it barely fit between the tires, but I could have used a smaller container on that one. Or maybe I used a smaller Rubbermaid Roughneck tote on that one.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I like the fluid extractor idea. Haven't changed mine yet. Was thinking of an electric oil pump. I have one for changing the oil in boat engines. I figure a good amount of the hydro oil can be pulled out through the fill port. Maybe?

 

[GeoHorn]

I like the fluid extractor idea. Haven't changed mine yet. Was thinking of an electric oil pump. I have one for changing the oil in boat engines. I figure a good amount of the hydro oil can be pulled out through the fill port. Maybe?

I doubt many tractor’s fill ports are not blocked by internal machinery making it difficult to get a tube past and into the sump.

 

[Firemedic]

Well, I hadn't planned on doing the drain and refill today but it just kinda happened.. LOL. I was able to use the extractor which pulled about 9 gallons out through the fill. I had to use a small tube for the last 4 gallons, which took forever. I then drained from the bottom plug which I didn't realize I had, I had only seen the drain on the side. The bottom drain was much easier,
Thanks for your ideas, my baby pool idea wasn't possible as the retailers around here have not started selling them yet.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I doubt many tractor’s fill ports are not blocked by internal machinery making it difficult to get a tube past and into the sump.

That's kinda what I was wondering. Looks like the OP got over half of it out with an extractor. If I can do that, it'll be manageable for the rest.

 

[mikester]

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[fried1765]

Well, I hadn't planned on doing the drain and refill today but it just kinda happened.. LOL. I was able to use the extractor which pulled about 9 gallons out through the fill. I had to use a small tube for the last 4 gallons, which took forever. I then drained from the bottom plug which I didn't realize I had, I had only seen the drain on the side. The bottom drain was much easier,
Thanks for your ideas, my baby pool idea wasn't possible as the retailers around here have not started selling them yet.

I have been told that the simple way to drain, is to connect a short piece of hose to one of the hyd. output hoses, and run tractor until hyd. system/pump just begins to whine.
Then remove bottom plug, to drain the final few gallons.

Is this a reasonable idea?
Or a horrible idea?

 

[mikester]

I have been told that the simple way to drain, is to connect a short piece of hose to one of the hyd. output hoses, and run tractor until hyd. system/pump just begins to whine.
Then remove bottom plug, to drain the final few gallons.

Is this a reasonable idea?
Or a horrible idea?

I've been trained to never let a high pressure hydraulic pump run dry. Cheaper and easier to buy a big wheeled oil pan than to replace/rebuild pumps IMHO. It's your machine and your money to do whatever.

 

[fried1765]

I've been trained to never let a high pressure hydraulic pump run dry. Cheaper and easier to buy a big wheeled oil pan than to replace/rebuild pumps IMHO. It's your machine and your money to do whatever.

Not suggesting to even come close to letting the hyd. "pump run dry".
My system apparently has 15 gal. capacity.
Why not let it self drain (pump) out 9 gal, and then bottom drain the remainder?