L775 Questions

[Rustypig]

Just bought an L775 with the 3 cyl diesel. Its my first skid steer so i've got a ton of questions. First question being hydraulic fluid. Service manual says Pennzoil automatic transmission fluid, but I've read a lot of others say it's 10w30. I popped the cap and dipped the tank, which seems super low on fluid, but it's definitely an oil, not red trans fluid. Any other recommendations ie., ISO 46, 68 etc., would be welcome since I read it holds 48 quarts...holy cow that'll be spendy. What is everyone using? I'll have a pile more questions I'm sure...like how to stop it from creeping, how to adjust foot pedals correctly etc. I did pick up the service manual but advice/knowledge is golden vs reading any manual.

 

[mrbb]

first off welcome to the site
next, one of the issues many find when buying older equipment like this is, that many folks over the yrs, DON"T follow what the OEM"S recommend on fluids,
everyone seems to KNOW what they feel is as good, better or will just be fine, and in doing so, they can have almost anything in your machine, over what it actually calls for(by OEM designers)
that being said, one of the potential issues is, well, mixing different types of fluids can possibly have side effect, as in different types of fluids don't play nice mixed with each other, to seals and gaskets not liking different fluids and so on.

I am NOT saying they always cause issues, just there is a potential they can !

me personally I try to use the same brand type for life of machine when adding/replacing fluids!

BUT at this point with your machine, and who knows how many different types of fluid were used?

I would maybe suggest trying to do as much of a complete drain, (as you never get it al;l out, hoses hold a LOT of fluid as do pumps and so on) I THINK would go back to what OEM called for,( and as far as I know it should be 10w30) on this series of NH skid steers, but NOT 100% positive), you can always try calling your local NH dealer and asking them to verify things)
and roll the dice on things being happy,(maybe even a second change of fluid in a shorter time span, to help remove the rest of what ever mixed in, to get a more pure 10w30 or?? if you follow!

but at this point there is NO sure thing here!

I am sure many will tell you use what ever you want at this point too, and they may be just as right!


its going to come down to what you want to do and use here, IMO!

you can also go to this link, go to skid steer loaders, and to page 5 and find your machine and it will give you correct OEM fluids types amounts and other good info

https://www.newhollandrochester.com/parts/new-holland/resources/oil-capacities-and-filters/

 

[Rustypig]

Thank you for that link mrbb! Been surfing around for exactly that info. The point you make about swapping fluids over the years is pretty much why I started asking questions. I used to work on aircraft hydraulic systems so I can get picky on what gets used. These don't fall out of the sky and can pull over, but the thought of having to repair damage done because of a real fluid mistake makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. Was interesting to see a straight 40 weight for the diesel oil, which is what we use on our locomotive fleet (Galco). My next little dive will be into which filter is used that is sitting on top of the hydraulic reservior. It has a painted over spin-on baldwin on it that I can't get the numbers on, but when I pulled it off there is an un-godly amount of rust on the threads and assembly it screws onto. Also need to figure out what that item is and find a replacment. Cant tell if it's an internal return that go through the filter, but i didn't see it on the parts breakdown unless i'm overlooking it.

 

[mrbb]

you might want to try and find a old service manual, they normally have all the part numbers, but again if not, a good NH dealer should be able to get you the part number(messicks is a great NH dealer)


and all the rust on the threads and such, tell me, water is in the system or has been ,
which is also a good reason to try and flush the system as free of all fluids as you can before adding new fluid! and or doing a second change soon after this first one, to help remove as much old fluid/debris as possible!
as yrs pass older equipment can get a lot less care and PM's by many owners,and as such, water sits and rust things is systems,

so once you add new fluid, and run a while, a second fluid change is never a BAD thing to remove anything the NEW fluids cleaning side effect have that broke stuff loose (cleaning agents in fluids can loosen dirt and such from sitting) or just to be less deluded from any old fluids same goes for at least replacing filter soon after a change in older things that sat a lot!
BUT this also comes down to ones budget and willingness to do so or not!

 

[Rustypig]

Roger that on the flush!. Got the gear case's done today. Left side was milky, right side had a lot of water but the fluid was very brown almost like liquid brownie mix. Can't say that I've ever seen that before so I'm not sure what they put in that side. I can tell they had all the panels were off fairly recently too. Tomorrow is motor oil and hydraulic system fluid swap out, so I'll find out pretty quick what kind of water is in the hydro system.