Farmall Cub

Hey all

This is my first post. I Just bought my first cub that I now call "Gertrude" (1950) about a month ago to mow the lawn at my new house. She runs very well and also mows very nice with the 42" woods deck I have. My question is about hydraulic oil. I noticed that the hydraulics were very jerky when I raised and lowered the mower deck so i added some hydraulic oil (ISO 46) and it really seemed to help. I noticed on here everyone says to use hy-trans. Will the oil I put in damage the system or should it be okay? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

welcome to the forum, there is a drain plug on the right bottom of the touch control, you can just drain and refill the unit with hytrans
tim

G'day to you and congrats on your '50 Cub. I am sure it won't be long before the addiction hits ....

I am no chemist .... and I am not sure what the difference between ISO 46 viscosity fluids are, but apparently Hy-Tran, Hy-Gard, Perma-Tran are all MS 1209 compliant and are rated as ISO 46 to 64 at 40C or 104F. So I guess ... it might be ok. What brand did you use?

It is safer to use fluids that we know are compliant. Without knowing if the fluid you used is MS 1209 compliant makes the question difficult I would think. Anyways, the symptoms you described indicate either low fluid level or air in the system. You need to cycle the system to bleed the trapped air. If that solves the problem and the fluid you used is MS 1209 compliant then you are good to go. If it doesn't you may have to investigate deeper.

I would suggest and I often recommend that new Cub owner's need to sit down and read the applicable Owner's Manual - in your case the McCormick Farmall Cub Owner's Manual 1950, Become familiar with your Cub via the manual before you start messing with it. In this case probably nothing bad will happen, and at the worst it just means that you may have to drain the TC and refill with the correct fluid and the correct amount then bleed the system again.

Suggest you spend some time following the links below as there is a lot of info and resources available for our members.

to Farmallcub.com Forum Family. And you have come to the right place for all things Cub related. If you click on the Site Rules, Regulations, & Important Information, it will point you to the Welcome Wagon wherein you will find links to many useful sites and topics. One of which is the Cub Manual Server. Enjoy!.

I would recommend that folks use CaseIH Akcela Hy-Tran or Hy-Tran Ultra, but I have been using MF Perma Tran simply because my brother-in-law's Massey 1040 and my Cub share hydraulic systems in a sense - when my splitter is hooked up to his Massey, Perma Tran must be used.

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies and welcomes. I just looked at the bottle and i don't see anywhere that it says ms1209 compliant. I'm thinking ill probably just drain it and fill with new hytran just to be safe ( who knows the last time its been changed anyway). I used TSC brand Traveller hydraulic oil that i had left over from my brothers log splitter and now i know that's probably not a good idea.

thanks again everyone, and thanks for the link to the manual. that will definently come in handy!

I noticed mine leaking down the left side if the TC block after filling it. Got to looking closer and I have hydraulic fluid forming small bubbles around the fill plug. Thought maybe it was from fluid heating and expanding, but let it sit running for a couple hours and was still doing it. I know I can seal the threads on the fill plug, but where would the system be pulling air, and what is that saying about the health of the system?

dbboss wrote:I noticed mine leaking down the left side if the TC block after filling it.

Did you bleed the system after filling it? If not your system may be just getting rid of trapped air.

Hey -- to drain the hydraulic fluid, open the filler hole before you take out the drain plug on the right hand side and have something to shield the squirt of fluid and something to catch the fluid.
Next to bleed the system, open the fill valve and start the cub and work the lift up and down 10 or 12 times. Check the level and replace the fill tube.

What randallc says....if you don't releive the pressure before you take out the drain you will find out what hydrualic fliud tastes like, don't ask.

X2. Hydraulic fluid certainly doesn't taste like chocolate syrup.

Thanks for all the input guys. Im going to do the oil change tonight. Ill let everyone know how it goes.

Scott

Hi Guys,
I too just bought a 1950 cub. My question-
Is the fluid level check plug the one on the rear of the TC facing the instrument panel? The manual doesn't say, but it gives the capacity as 3.5 pints.
Thanks

The fluid level check plug is the same as the fluid fill plug. Big hole on left side of the block from the tractor seat -- see diagram below:

Make sure hydraulic cylinder is fully retracted or you will get a surprise when you do!

Hey all,

changed out the hydro oil last night. Went pretty well, only a minimal amount of oil on the floor. Hydraulics seem to work well and are no longer notchy.

Thanks for all the advise!

Good stuff