L4600 geared transmission hydraulic fluid question

[Sid Post]

Reading various posts, a sight glass is mentioned near the left side of the PTO or by the clutch pedal. I don't see a sight glass or dipstick to check the hydraulic oil level. Am I looking in the right places for the sight glass to check the oil level?

Secondly, what sort of hydraulic oil should I get besides Kubota UDT or Super UDT? Is Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Trans/Hydraulic Fluid or Super S SuperTrac 303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid from Tractor Supply a good choice?

TIA,
Sid

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

On that model it on the left side of the seat, just under the seat.

I would personally avoid both of the fluids that you pointed out.
neither of them have a good record with Kubotas.

Caution Opinion: If you want economical but good fluid, look for Mystik JT5 it's a Kubota UDT compliant fluid and it's very good quality.

 

[Sid Post]

On that model it on the left side of the seat, just under the seat.

I would personally avoid both of the fluids that you pointed out.
neither of them have a good record with Kubotas.

Caution Opinion: If you want economical but good fluid, look for Mystik JT5 it's a Kubota UDT compliant fluid and it's very good quality.

THANKS! What sort of issues do those two oils have with Kubota's?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

THANKS! What sort of issues do those two oils have with Kubota's?

They foam up, stink, cavitate and gum up the works.

 

[Creature Meadow]

For me the savings is so little even if you pick a lesser fluid than JT5 it is not worth it.

The peace of mind and only needing to change it every 400hrs I go with SUDT2, I too have an L4600 but mine is a DT so only difference is 4WD.

SUDT2= $103.00-5 gallons=10 gals needed-$206.00-Messicks

JT5=$37.00-2 Gallons=10 gallons needed-$185.00-Tractor Supply

Mine is approaching 300 hrs and this winter I intend to service the hydro system and SUDT2 will be used with an OEM filter.

At 50hrs a year it will be 6 to 8 years before it will need it again.

Cheap insurance for my 20K valued machine which I rely on to make life easier on the farm.

I'm sure the non OEM fluids will do fine but is it worth the chance?

Just my $02 cents worth.

Good luck deciding and others will weigh in some prompting OEM fluids and others non OEM.

Best of luck in your decision.

Jay

 

[Bulldog]

Cheap fluid is cheap for a reason. It doesn't perform or protect like the OEM fluid. If you want to use something other than SUDT2 go up in quality, not down.

I thought this was interesting reading and applies to this post. https://agriculture.mo.gov/weights/fuel/consumeralert.php

 

[Sid Post]

How about Shell Rotella Universal Hydraulic Fluid? Mystik isn't available anywhere close to me.

 

[Bulldog]

How about Shell Rotella Universal Hydraulic Fluid? Mystik isn't available anywhere close to me.

Do you have a reason not to use Kubota fluid?

Just curious why you're looking for a replacement.

 

[Sid Post]

Do you have a reason not to use Kubota fluid?

Just curious why you're looking for a replacement.

I don't want to spend the time or money driving to a Kubota dealer about an hour away (each way) who has a terrible service and parts counter only to pay a high price for oil I should be able to buy locally, supporting a local business, that will treat me well and appreciate my hard earned money. My 'local' dealer in Oklahoma is pretty good but, the tractor is now in Texas and nowhere near a 'good' dealer.

Mystik JT-5 is also nowhere close to me so, shipping 10 gallons is outrageously expensive.

Shell "Rotella" tractor fluid is in stock locally.

I'm done driving an hour or more each way for items that should be fairly common and available locally. I get that UDT/SUDT/SUDT2 are not as common as 15W-40 motor oil but, still driving an hour each way so I can spend ~$200 on hydraulic oil seems a bit much. Maybe Amazon needs to add JT-5 to PRIME so I can speed the demise of the local supplier.

Finally, if I don't support the local suppliers, my only option will be Amazon Prime (if I can wait) or driving an hour+ when I need something.

 

[lugbolt]

Just get the cheapest oil you can find. In a few years, you can call that dealer that is inconvenient to get to and that you don't like to come get your tractor when it's broken and/or leaking out of the bell housing weep hole. And...usually when a problem occurs, it's almost never during off-season, adding insult to injury.

I've been in this business for almost 3 decades. Over those years, the tractors that I see with transmission problems and/or leaking propeller shaft have 100% had cheap hydraulic oil in them. Can I say with positivity that the oil caused it? No..I'm not a fluid engineer, nor do I really care. All I can say is what I've seen.

It's your tractor, do as you wish. We're trying to help you.

You want to support a local business? Tractor supply is not a local business...it's a huge chain...as are most auto parts stores nowadays...and they all carry about the same imported cheap garbage that will "work" (for a while?) but may or may not be a suitable long term replacement. Do you think they know if their stuff is 'comparable' to UDT or SUDT? Most of the time they don't even know what a 5 gallon bucket looks like, nor will they help you carry it out to your vehicle...they're big businesses and could care less about the little guy, IMO. TSC is horrible. Auto parts stores....gosh...majority of them don't even know what hydraulic fluid is.

Local small businesses are going away, slowly, to be replaced by larger companies. I know. Place I owned was bought out, and the place I am currently working at was also bought up by a bigger company....and I am not liking it from a consumer relations perspective.

 

[Sid Post]

I totally get the anti-TSC point of view. Most employees there are similar to the ones at Walmart/Target/McDonalds/etc with a few gems in the 'herd'. Add managers that are powerless to do anything that isn't 'pre-blessed' by corporate at a distant location with no appreciation for what is needed locally. I don't generally support TSC. I grew up going to the original Atwoods location in Enid, Oklahoma and generally prefer them over other 'chains'. O'reilly's, Autozone, etc. are the last resort for me.

Getting back to quality oils that won't damage my tractor. Kubota is unlikely to self-refine and produce the oils in those orange labeled bottles. Well respected companies like Shell and others are capable of making good lubricants. What I find hard to figure out, is how to cross-reference compatible lubricants with often out-dated specs. Granted, the newer oils I need are more well established with modern specs.

Surely, Mystik JT-5 and Kubota bottled oil are not the only two options I have that won't damage my tractor.

Finally, I am in total agreement that it is foolish to buy an expensive tractor or automobile and put the cheapest poor quality oils in it you can find. It might work out (saving ~$20/year) if you sell your vehicles every two years but, I currently own tractors older than I am (think pre-WW2) and rarely sell a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles on it so, preventative maintenance is something I believe in.

 

[Sid Post]

I just got off the phone with Shell 'corporate' lubricants:
Shell Rotella "Tractor Fluid" is a UDT spec fluid. It is not SUDT/SUDT2.

 

[Bulldog]

There's a big difference between standard udt and the sudt2 that came in your machine.

It's not the fact that udt spec fluid won't work. It's the fact that it doesn't protect your machine as good or even perform the same.

If you want a fluid that will work as good if not better than SUDT2 and they'll ship it to you, try Amsoil. I'll warn you though, it's expensive but it does have up to 3x the service life of other fluids. So looking at it that way the price is not as bad as it seems.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

There's a big difference between standard udt and the sudt2 that came in your machine.

That tractor did not come with SUDT2 It came with SUDT, and SUDT had the same specs as UDT it was just a semi synthetic version of UDT and it's now obsolete.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I will stop everyone, this will not turn into another OIL WAR!

It's a simple case of Yes it will work, and No, it will not do specific harm to your tractor.

I would say The Shell Rotella tractor fluid sounds like it might be a good choice.

I would have to get some of it to do my own tests on it to say anything positive or negative about it.

But by the numbers it's better then Kubota UDT and well within range of being acceptable.

No it's not as perfect as SUDT2 but you have a gear drive not a hydro, so you will never notice the difference.

I think you will have good luck with it.
Shells quality of the Rotella product line is an industry leader, their diesel motor oil is rated the best across the board.

While I think that with any Kubota you need good quality fluid, I personally have done the testing on my own equipment under very harsh working and temperature conditions and can say that I know Mystik JT5 performs perfectly, I've had no fluid related failures.

 

[Creature Meadow]

I would suspect that Kubota bases the change intervals for fluids on using Kubota fluids and filters.

Not knowing "if" the fluid you end up with meets the Kubota fluid specs how do you intend to determine the change interval?

Still use the 400 hr interval for the hydro oil that was based on Kubota fluids?

Less than 400 to be safe? If so, it may just cost your more in the end.

You bought a Kubota tractor for some reason. You liked the look, good deal, quality reputation, or some other reason. You felt it was the best choice at that time to spend your hard earned money on.

Why not use the fluids of the company that you choose to buy their tractor?

 

[Sid Post]

The Kubota L4600 was the right size, right price, and fuel efficient for what I originally bought it for. At the time, I lived in Oklahoma with good dealer support. Today I live in East Texas with poor dealer support and sandy soil. Would I buy the same tractor today? Probably not. However it is a good tractor of reasonable size and capacity and a real fuel miser so, it is staying with me.

UDT oil seems to be the correct oil for a geared Kubota. If I had a hydrostatic transmission, I would be more inclined to go with SUDT2 but, so far have found no reason to think a geared transmission needs it.

In terms of cost, Shell Rotella is ~50% the cost of any SUDT hydraulic oil I can reasonably source. Will I change it every 200hrs? Very unlikely. Why? Again I can't see any reason to today. This oil is listed for Kubota tractors so, again without specifying special models, I suspect Hydrostatic tractors are best served with a different oil but, apparently geared tractors are fine using this oil. I guess I'll figure it out in a decade or two if my tractor develops a leak ...

 

[Sid Post]

Mystik update for Tractor Supply customers:
Here in East Texas, TSC has cleared out Mystik JT-5. Apparently, they don't sell much of it (or any at some stores).

Yes, I can mail order Amsoil (which I have used in the past for other things) or Mystik but, it is very costly to ship to where I live today. When I make my once or twice yearly trip to Dallas or Texarkana or, find myself in Oklahoma City during business hours, I might get some JT-5 but, until then ... I'll put my tractor back in service with what I can get "locally today".

 

[TexasBoy]

I have a L4600 DT 4x4 and always used the Kubota fluids because the savings just wasnt that big and you can easily get Kubota fluids at a dealer or online. In 5 years the machine has performed flawlessly and never had a single issue.

 

[Gizzard Gulch]

Speaking of HST fluids, neighbor borrowed my tractor and put regular hydraulic fluid in the HST (thinking OLD CASE BACKHOE and cheap oil due to leaks) about 1-1/2 gallons.

Started using my tractor L3800HST and could barely get back to the yard as it was bogging down bigtime. Like brakes were locked, but I can rock the tractor back and forth, backhoe on tractor still works great.

ideas please-