Topping up tractor hydraulic oil

Green farmer

Simple question lads. Oil level down low on back end of tractor. Going to refill or top it up. For checking correct levels, do you leave arms down to the ground or else raise them up fully to the tractor cab ?

patsy_mccabe

I don't know for certain, but my thinking is since you need to keep the oil up to the level mark for the gearbox box to be safe, you should have the lift arms up fully when you fill it.
You could get away with a lower level (arms down) if you were letting the arms up and down continuously, but say you were driving around all day with the arms up then the level for the gear box would be too low.

Same when you have a loader on the tractor, have it up fully, when you fill it with oil.

queueeye

Green farmer wrote: »

Simple question lads. Oil level down low on back end of tractor. Going to refill or top it up. For checking correct levels, do you leave arms down to the ground or else raise them up fully to the tractor cab ?

Technically you should have them down. The reason being that if they were up when filling to the required level and then left down, the oil required to lift them would return to the back end and over fill it. The amount of oil involved for this though is relatively small so won't over fill it to any great extent.

patsy_mccabe

Just what OP wanted, two completely different answers and both kinda make sense. Anyone know for certain? I don't.

queueeye

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Just what OP wanted, two completely different answers and both kinda make sense. Anyone know for certain? I don't.

That's the Internet for ya!

White Clover

queueeye wrote: »

That's the Internet for ya!

I'd be with queueye on this one!

blue5000

Let's start a poll:D
Better to have too much than too little I reckon.

What make of tractor is it so we can look up an operator's manual?

Green farmer

blue5000 wrote: »

Let's start a poll:D
Better to have too much than too little I reckon.

What make of tractor is it so we can look up an operator's manual?

16 year old same silver 130. If anyone could find a link to a free manual online, would be cool .

queueeye

Green farmer wrote: »

16 year old same silver 130. If anyone could find a link to a free manual online, would be cool .

Unless it's completely empty or you know what's left in the back end at the moment knowing what it should take is of no use to you. I assume it has a dipstick and that should be your guide.

emaherx

I'd say go half way just to be sure

I have always filled with them lowered. There is a lot of oil required to raise the level on the dipstick from Min to Max level, so if it is filled to Max you should be good regardless of the absolute correct answer. Raising the arms won't drop level below Min mark so you should be still good.

Pretty sure on some of our Massey's you will not access the dipstick too easily with the arms up.

I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it either way.

kay 9

Down. That's according to my tractor manual and I've changed the back end oil 2 weeks ago. It's a safety precaution as well.

9935452

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Just what OP wanted, two completely different answers and both kinda make sense. Anyone know for certain? I don't.

Manual for landini says dip with the arms down

Green farmer

Thanks lads I'll go with that so.

emaherx

OK 100 lines for Patsy....
"I must not fill my tractor with raised implements"

Green farmer

emaherx wrote: »

OK 100 lines for Patsy....
"I must not fill my tractor with raised implements"

I better do those 100 lines as well because by the next time I need to refill them, I could have forgotten again and will have to go back and read this thread again.

patsy_mccabe

emaherx wrote: »

OK 100 lines for Patsy....
"I must not fill my tractor with raised implements"

You know I asked an experienced tractor mechanic this very question a few years back and he looked at me like I had two heads.
I always thought that the oil level was to protect the gearbox. A 'minimum level' if you like. So if you drive around all day with the arms and loader up , you would be not be starving the gearbox.
I guess you learn something new every day. I was wrong before and I'll be wrong again.

emaherx

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

You know I asked an experienced tractor mechanic this very question a few years back and he looked at me like I had two heads.
I always thought that the oil level was to protect the gearbox. A 'minimum level' if you like. So if you drive around all day with the arms and loader up , you would be not be starving the gearbox.
I guess you learn something new every day. I was wrong before and I'll be wrong again.

I'd say your not wrong about there been a min level required to protect the gear box, but there is an additional amount designed into the markings on the dipstick to allow for this.

I certainly would not like to starve the box of oil either.

patsy_mccabe

Funny but I just checked my own tractor there now . There is a sight glass with a small dot in the middle that you have to keep the eye level to (David brown). With the loader up, there is no oil to be seen in the sight glass. When you let the loader down the oil comes up to the dot. Arms were up the whole time.
So I guess spot on .