Bobcat hydraulic oil contaminated

[homereye]

My 843 Bobcat got a significant amount of water in the hydraulic oil. I am 250 miles from a Bobcat dealer so I am not going to be able to use their oil. NAPA sells a hydraulic oil called AW32, and they say others use it in Bobcat hydraulic systems. If forced to choose, should I use motor oil (recommended in the owners manual) or this AW32? Also, any advice on a process to get the contaminated oil out of the system would be appreciated.

 

[Fishfiles]

The only thing thats going to get all the water out the system is changing the oil several times and/ or time it'self , I would take a hose off an attachment or make up a hose to couple to the machine's quick couple , have someone hold the hose in a contain , start the machine and turn on the aux till the oil flow stops , shut the motor off , refill with oil and run machine thru all the functions for an hour or a days work , then drain and refill again , after that it will probally still be milky but it you work it for a few days it should evaporate the water out and clear up , if not flush and refill again -------there are some hydraulic filters sold that will remove some of the water , they are expensive and don't take out mass quanities , ---------as afar as what oil to use in your hydraulic system , that is a can of worms to open , I'd say use the hydraulic oil and you will fine , I have read Bobcat bullutins about three years back saying to use thier hydraulic oil in place of motor oil , personally I have always , and still do use hydraulic oil in a fleet of rental and contractors Bobcats for the last 25 years and have never had a problem from it , personally I feel it was a mistake in the beginning for the manufactures to use motor oil , I think it was more of the covenence of having one oil for the whole machine than it was really better for the moving parts , today the motor oil isn't the same as when those guidelines were thought up and I think with todays engine oil additives that using motor oil could be more bad than good , just my .02 cents

 

[SnowCat]

The only thing thats going to get all the water out the system is changing the oil several times and/ or time it'self , I would take a hose off an attachment or make up a hose to couple to the machine's quick couple , have someone hold the hose in a contain , start the machine and turn on the aux till the oil flow stops , shut the motor off , refill with oil and run machine thru all the functions for an hour or a days work , then drain and refill again , after that it will probally still be milky but it you work it for a few days it should evaporate the water out and clear up , if not flush and refill again -------there are some hydraulic filters sold that will remove some of the water , they are expensive and don't take out mass quanities , ---------as afar as what oil to use in your hydraulic system , that is a can of worms to open , I'd say use the hydraulic oil and you will fine , I have read Bobcat bullutins about three years back saying to use thier hydraulic oil in place of motor oil , personally I have always , and still do use hydraulic oil in a fleet of rental and contractors Bobcats for the last 25 years and have never had a problem from it , personally I feel it was a mistake in the beginning for the manufactures to use motor oil , I think it was more of the covenence of having one oil for the whole machine than it was really better for the moving parts , today the motor oil isn't the same as when those guidelines were thought up and I think with todays engine oil additives that using motor oil could be more bad than good , just my .02 cents

Well back inthe day when i had a 743 i always have used motor oil 10w30 always worked great the told you to use it now they say use thier hydraulic oil not 10w30. LOL well since the have their own lable on it you must use theirs well i have 5 bobcats right now 553 s130,s and 753 also 320 mini and i always put in 10/30 cheaper easier to find when your in a jam at midnight thats my 2 cents worth.

 

[jklingel]

Well back inthe day when i had a 743 i always have used motor oil 10w30 always worked great the told you to use it now they say use thier hydraulic oil not 10w30. LOL well since the have their own lable on it you must use theirs well i have 5 bobcats right now 553 s130,s and 753 also 320 mini and i always put in 10/30 cheaper easier to find when your in a jam at midnight thats my 2 cents worth.

Rather interesting; never knew about using engine oil instead of hydraulic. At least it sounds like one could use that (cheaper) to do the flushing out. I'll keep that in mind. j

 

[Tazza]

Rather interesting; never knew about using engine oil instead of hydraulic. At least it sounds like one could use that (cheaper) to do the flushing out. I'll keep that in mind. j

The hydraulics and hydrostatics are linked together, they share the same fluid. Standard hydraulic oil is too thin and will cause damage if used, thats why they run engine oil. Some people still think hydraulic oil is best, but my manual tells me to use 10W30-20W50 engine oil, i have never had a problem.
Its best to talk to your dealer first just to be sure you are adding the correct fluid, hydraulic/hydrostatic parts are NOT cheap to fix, make sure its rite, you don't want the repair costs if something was wrong.