ASV RC60 Hydraulic Fluid type cold weather

[Hampy123]

What type of hydraulic fluid does everyone use in these machines?

Manual calls for ASV Posi-Lube premium all season "MV Hydraulic Oil" or Chevron Rykon MV, both of which you can't seem to get anymore.

Previous owner had replaced a blown line to one of the drive motors and left the machine a couple gallons low when I picked it up this spring. Napa guys didn't have/know about a MV oil and insisted I needed a universal tractor fluid. Topped it off with that and changed the filter this spring and everything worked fine (minus a hard push issue I have in another thread).

Yesterday was my first time trying to plow with it. Temps were less than 20 degree outside and the drive system was extremely sluggish. It pushed the snow fine but probably a good 2-3 second delay when pulling back on the stick to back up. In warm weather I don't have that issue and the machine is very responsive. So I am thinking, in part, I might need a lower visc oil.

I'm sure I have a secondary issue going on as well that perhaps the cold weather is amplifying. In warm weather just a few times it has stopped moving if I push something too hard, which shutting the machine off/on fixes.

 

[Midriffbeef04]

I'm in the same boat with our pt110, new engine/hydralic tank after a fire. Trying to decide on what viscosity/rating to go with. Leaning towards an iso46/aw46. A iso32/aw32 would suffice in colder temps but less so during summer operation. I definitely want to stick with a fluid that is easily obtained.

 

[Midriffbeef04]

I'm in the same boat with our pt110, new engine/hydralic tank after a fire. Trying to decide on what viscosity/rating to go with. Leaning towards an iso46/aw46. A iso32/aw32 would suffice in colder temps but less so during summer operation. I definitely want to stick with a fluid that is easily obtained.

I'm up by Fargo, ND for reference. Machine will be used well below freezing in the winter and well above 90° in the summer

 

[Midriffbeef04]

To clarify, ASV lists the
Mobile DTE 10 Excel Series 46
Hydraulic Oil what is recommended in our pt110, but at $155/5gal I opted to go for a readily available iso46 at $56/5gal from our local supply store.

 

[Andy FitzGibbon]

What type of hydraulic fluid does everyone use in these machines?

Manual calls for ASV Posi-Lube premium all season "MV Hydraulic Oil" or Chevron Rykon MV, both of which you can't seem to get anymore.

Previous owner had replaced a blown line to one of the drive motors and left the machine a couple gallons low when I picked it up this spring. Napa guys didn't have/know about a MV oil and insisted I needed a universal tractor fluid. Topped it off with that and changed the filter this spring and everything worked fine (minus a hard push issue I have in another thread).

Yesterday was my first time trying to plow with it. Temps were less than 20 degree outside and the drive system was extremely sluggish. It pushed the snow fine but probably a good 2-3 second delay when pulling back on the stick to back up. In warm weather I don't have that issue and the machine is very responsive. So I am thinking, in part, I might need a lower visc oil.

I'm sure I have a secondary issue going on as well that perhaps the cold weather is amplifying. In warm weather just a few times it has stopped moving if I push something too hard, which shutting the machine off/on fixes.

I've been researching this same topic for my ASV SR80. My controls also get very sluggish in cold weather, which makes me think that a previous owner may have put an incorrect/too-heavy oil in.

According to ASV tech support, the no-longer-available ASV Posi Lube was a multi-viscosity 5W-30 hydraulic oil (roughly ISO 32). So any current multi-viscosity hydraulic oil that confirms to that spec should be all right, including Chevron Rando HD Premium MV, which has replaced the Rykon MV that you mentioned. Options for multi-viscosity hydraulic oils are a bit thin on the ground when compared to straight viscosity, but there are a few available. I plan to go the MV route, as I use my machine to move snow in the winter and sometimes we are below zero here in West Virginia. For climates with less temperature swing, a straight weight ISO 32 would probably work fine.