Kubota Super UDT Fluid

KV Bruce

New member

Equipment
L47TLH
Oct 5, 2019
2
0
0
Kern River Valley
Greetings to all, I have a L47TLH and was wondering the difference between Kubota UDT, Kubota Super UDT and Kubota Super UDT-2. The dealer is over 50 miles away and Car Quest sells several different grades of hyd fluid. Their best one says it is compatible with Kubota UDT, Kubota Super UDT. What do other operators use in their L47? I'll be near the dealer soon enough, just thinking that Super UDT will work in a pinch and no major harm be done. Thanks..
 

Roadworthy

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L2501 HST
Aug 17, 2019
1,649
526
113
Benton City, WA
I don't know that it's a good idea to mix fluids. I plan to stick with Kubota fluids in my tractor - cheap insurance.
 

Creature Meadow

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
2012 L4600, Disk, Brush Hog, GB60 Garden Bedder, GSS72 Grading Scraper
Sep 19, 2016
1,064
135
63
53
Central North Carolina
I have read the following here:

UDT-old blend no longer sold
SUDT-semi synthetic
SUDT2-full synthetic

I have a L4600DT and use SUDT2, it's once ever 400 hours or 8 years for me so I bite the bullet and pay the extra which is not much after you subtract the cost of what you buy from the cost of SUDT2.

My 2 cents worth.

Jay
 

North Idaho Wolfman

Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Jun 9, 2013
30,275
6,432
113
Sandpoint, ID
I have read the following here:

UDT-old blend no longer sold
SUDT-semi synthetic
SUDT2-full synthetic

I have a L4600DT and use SUDT2, it's once ever 400 hours or 8 years for me so I bite the bullet and pay the extra which is not much after you subtract the cost of what you buy from the cost of SUDT2.

My 2 cents worth.

Jay
You're a little off
UDT= Dino, and yes still available
SUDT = Semi synthetic, Obsolete, no longer made or sold
SUDT2 = Full synthetic and sold

In a L47TLB your best to stay with SUDT2
And there is no aftermarket SUDT2 available that I know of.
 

SMKK

Member

Equipment
B2650
Aug 22, 2019
109
4
18
Lachine, QC
The dealer is over 50 miles away and Car Quest sells several different grades of hyd fluid. Their best one says it is compatible with Kubota UDT, Kubota Super UDT.
There is a good video on the Messicks that talks about hyd fluid and how there is no standard so fluid manufacturers could say it is compatible with whatever without much consequence. I wouldn't mix fluids for this reason

https://youtu.be/OhVRDgD-OfQ

Personally I am sticking with Kubota SUDT2 for my hydraulic fluid changes. At least this way I know Kubota has tested and validated it.
 

200mph

Well-known member

Equipment
L4740-3 Cab, FEL, Fnt Snow Blower L2185, LP Finish Mower, LP Rotary Mower
Mar 3, 2017
1,228
61
48
PA
Using Messick's as a reference:

5 Gal UDT: $84.22

5 Gal UDT2: $103.12

Difference works out to be approximately $4/Gal.
 

Creature Meadow

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
2012 L4600, Disk, Brush Hog, GB60 Garden Bedder, GSS72 Grading Scraper
Sep 19, 2016
1,064
135
63
53
Central North Carolina
You're a little off
UDT= Dino, and yes still available
SUDT = Semi synthetic, Obsolete, no longer made or sold
SUDT2 = Full synthetic and sold

In a L47TLB your best to stay with SUDT2
And there is no aftermarket SUDT2 available that I know of.
Not a little a lot, thanks for keeping me straight NIW.
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
13,837
5,594
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
It was raining today and I needed to go North, so after that stop I kept going up to Coleman Equipment. Needed to get an oil sight gauge for my neighbors MX5000, so decided to get filters and sudt2 for my L4240. At $103.12 a bucket it's real easy to spend a few hundred.

One can get anxious about spending money on hyd fluids and wanting to spend less, but you install something that doesn't do the same job and you have to discard that. Then you still buy what you should have in the first place. You end up wasting time, money and maybe even a parts failure. Why chance it?
 

torch

Well-known member

Equipment
B7100HSD, B2789, B2550, B4672, 48" cultivator, homemade FEL and Cab
Jun 10, 2016
2,621
869
113
Muskoka, Ont.
And if you are in Canada, then there's Premium UDT, which appears to be a low-viscosity conventional product made for Kubota by Shell.

Just to confuse the issue :p
 

ItBmine

Well-known member

Equipment
B2620, RTV-X1100C
Jan 21, 2014
1,378
384
83
Canada
Ever notice that every one of these UDT threads there are claims that all of Kubota's UDT's are made by "this" manufacturer......and they are all different. LOL.
 

ItBmine

Well-known member

Equipment
B2620, RTV-X1100C
Jan 21, 2014
1,378
384
83
Canada
So somebody here is wrong. LOL But if you read it on the internet, it's gotta be true. LOL
 

Chad D.

Active member
Sep 21, 2019
243
115
43
Eugene
Is it ok if I just substitute Super UDT-whatevs Kubota’s oil for the specified oil?

Don’t mean to be a smart ass, but the specified oil is t really that much more expansive, and you know it’s the approved stuff...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Rglossip

New member

Equipment
L3560 with FEL.
Oct 15, 2019
5
0
0
Kansas
How come you didn't just stop at Romans in Louisburg or The Kubota dealer in Harrisonville on 71?
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
13,837
5,594
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
Rglossip, I take it your question is directed to me.

The first sentence tells I was going north for something else. But I did call Romans three days earlier for the part. They did not have it but could order it the next week on Wed or Thur. When I call the next Tue to get them to order it they didn't have an order big enough to not charge freight, which is a $500 lower limit. I wasn't about to pay freight for a sight glass which weighs a couple of ounces.

That same day I called Romans I also called KanEquip in Ottawa and Colemans. Guess which one had it in stock? So the answers is I was going to Olathe, and it was raining so it inhibited my project at home, so I kept driving!! They are a complete dealer with good service, good inventory, good help from techs...so I enjoy supporting them.

One time I drove up there to get a 98 cent '0' ring. Since it's 40 miles, I bought two. They had 10 in stock, had them lay them on the counter and told them I would be there in an hour. Needed to get the project done, no one else had them in stock, and it was metric, so didn't want to get it "almost" right.

I do buy quite a lot of things from Romans. In fact last year I purchased, and then had them install, the 3rd function valve on my L4340. They did the job just as they said cost wise and time wise.
 

dlundblad

Member

Equipment
G5200, L2501, ZD1211
May 16, 2009
503
10
18
IN
I’ve read Kubota Super UDT2 in the US is brewed by Ashland. Could be different in Canada. Same conglomerate that owns Valvoline and Zerex antifreeze. I asked the same question about the statement being fact and was given the SDS. I imagine UDT is made by the same people, but I’m not certain.

OP, I would just buy some Kubota fluid online since the dealer is 50 miles away. You can’t go wrong with the correct fluid.
 

torch

Well-known member

Equipment
B7100HSD, B2789, B2550, B4672, 48" cultivator, homemade FEL and Cab
Jun 10, 2016
2,621
869
113
Muskoka, Ont.
IÂ’ve read Kubota Super UDT2 in the US is brewed by Ashland...

... I asked the same question about the statement being fact and was given the SDS.
Are you saying you read that Ashland makes S-UDT2 in the SDS? Or did you read it somewhere else?

The MSDS provided by Kubota Canada clearly states that "Premium UDT" (Canada only -- not available in the US) is made by Shell Canada.

However, that does not mean it is simply re-badged. I compared the specs (viscosity, pour point, etc.) with all of Shell's own brands and there is no match. As far as I can tell, it is a unique formulation.

And that may be true of the various Kubota US lubricants as well. Even if the actual manufacturer can be confirmed, it does not mean the same stuff is available under the manufacturer's own label. They may be unique formulations, exclusive to Kubota.

Kubota seems to confirm that their fluid formulations differ by market in this paper presented to SAE:

"Taking a worldwide look at the agricultural tractor market, the conditions fall roughly into two categories: damp regions (humid regions) such as what is found in Southeast Asia and dry and irrigated farming (semiarid regions) such as America and Europe. The problem in the high humid regions is that the moisture entering through the air breather is condensed, when the tractor is not used for a long period of time. With repeated changes in temperature, water enters the transmission case of the tractor. The tractor generally has a life-span of 10 or more years. There is a limited usage within a given year depending on the regions where the tractor is used. It may be left unused for several months at a time. Under these conditions, lubricating oil is required to prevent the performance of the tractor from deteriorating.

While maintaining and improving the performance of the lubricating oil on the basis of specific operating conditions, Kubota has established its own required performance of and the method for test evaluation of the lubricating oil. It has developed a new dual-purpose transmission and hydraulic lubricating oil, Kubota Super UDT (Universal Dynamic Tractor Oil). It replaces conventional lubricating oil (Kubota UDT). Kubota, in cooperation with lubricating oil manufacturers has developed “Bio-Super” UDT with an additional feature of Biodegradability to Super UDT (only in Japan). "
This passage included in some Kubota owner's manuals (M5660, B2650, B3350 and possibly others) also aludes to it:

The product name of KUBOTA genuine UDT fluid may be different from that in the Operator’s Manual depending on countries or territory:
BTW: apparently there has been at least one instance of counterfeiting SUDT: http://www.nettractortalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=82817&postcount=1 .
 

torch

Well-known member

Equipment
B7100HSD, B2789, B2550, B4672, 48" cultivator, homemade FEL and Cab
Jun 10, 2016
2,621
869
113
Muskoka, Ont.
Ashland is listed as the manufacture. Yet, Ashland also owns Valvoline or at least they did until 2017
That (almost) settles that question then, doesn't it? ;) Either Ashland is the manufacturer, or (more likely), production of Kubota SUDT-2 went with the Valvoline division along with all the other tractor hydraulic fluid products, but nobody has updated the SDS yet.