Hydraulics &Cold Weather
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It can, for sure. I usually warm up my tractor hydraulics by slowly raising the boom and dumping the bucket, then I lower the boom and curl the bucket. I usually do it a few times the pass the oil through the system and warm it up a little. Probably less strain on the pump as well, instead of working the tractor right off the get go.
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Thanks. I did exactly that today. I started the old girl up and went and filled my coffee mug. By the time I got back to the tractor the fluid warmed enough to raise the bucket off the ground. Within about 30 minutes it was working fine.
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What machine, brand and model. I only ask because Yanmar/Deere has the J20C (10F to 120F) and the J20D ( -40F and up to 50-ish) J20D is low viscosity and some of the Fords, CATs, Komatsu, Cub Cadet, etc can use it too.
it'll get up to a reasonable temperature soon enough. You could deadhead a function to force the oil over a relief. that will warm it up quicker if that is the goal.Because the hydraulic oil is the gear-oil,the whole thing will need to get up to temperature, unless it is like my old deere with a discrete oil resivior.
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The JD J20D low viscosity is rated for -40C to +40C or -40F to 104F.
Bill is spot on with this........I do about the same thing and I also, once it starts getting cold, leave something light on my 3 point hitch, usually pallet forks, and lower my 3 point before I shut the tractor off........This way, I have to raise the 3 point before I do anything and that also cycles the fluid......
If the fel doesn’t move AT ALL initially, that means you’re spinning a pump that can’t pull in any fluid, which means you’re sort of running it ‘dry’ (just residual lubrication). If any fluid WERE making it into the pump it would absolutely pump it out and just consume more power in the process due to the fluid viscosity. The only way the loader would ‘not move’ is if nothing makes it IN to the pump. That sounds like a pump longevity issue to me so i would run a thinner fluid. Plus i’d guess when the weather warms up again you won’t notice any downside and end up just leaving it in there year round. My .02.
too think of oil can absolutely be an issue.
very quick googling; The Importance of Hydraulic Fluid Viscosity
"
Low hydraulic fluid viscosity reflects fluid viscosity that is too thin. Thin hydraulic fluid viscosity’s effects include:
- Increased pump friction due to lack of proper lubrication
- Increased wear and tear
- Internal leaks
you can research the specific pump's requirements and check the oil temperature and compare what your oil's viscosity is at temperature.
High viscosity index oil is oil that starts thinner and stays thicker as it gets warmer, like a wide ration engine oil.
The problem with high viscosity index oil is that it is full of viscosity modifiers. These are problem because they break down and result in very thin oil. This was a huge issue with the equipment I work on when I initially started with my current job. The oil was breaking down incredibly quick and almost immediately became too thin for the hydraulic pumps. I ended up modifying a cylinder's hydraulic cushion (no where near qualified for that) to allow the machine to work with standard viscosity index thicker oil, and everyone lived happily ever after.
Well, there's fluid that's bad for the pump when it's in it, and fluid that's bad for the pump when it's NOT in it, and no other fluid is either. I think that's the worse one and that's why im suggesting if someone starts their tractor and the FEL doesn't move AT ALL until it has warmed a little they should try a thinner fluid. If someone started their car and noticed 'huh the oil pressure light didn't go out' or they put the automatic transmission in gear and it didn't move, they would instinctively NOT pass it off as 'it's just cold, it'll be fine'. With the hydraulic system pressure going to the loader there isn't a warning light, but it's the same situation. A pump that can't suck in fluid. The only reason it's even ok to have an HST trans spinning in that same situation is because in 'neutral' position it has zero displacement and isn't trying to suck any fluid anyway.
I am not a hydraulics expert but im at least halfway there after my automotive career and the main downside i can think of from thin fluids in a circuit driving cylinders is simply that pump clearances might be too large, and you'd be getting a bunch of fluid shear and putting heat into the fluid while also not being able to make peak pressure. Which is not good, but I wasn't saying 'it WILL be fine', just i'd put decent odds on it being fine. Id definitely leave it in there until the weather is warm and actually see for myself if the fluid was aerating or hot or the pump was noisy and hot, couldn't hit relief valve etc, vs just swapping it out again preemptively because i was scared. But im a mechanic. To each their own.
I am not a hydraulics expert but im at least halfway there after my automotive career and the main downside i can think of from thin fluids in a circuit driving cylinders is simply that pump clearances might be too large, and you'd be getting a bunch of fluid shear and putting heat into the fluid while also not being able to make peak pressure. Which is not good, but I wasn't saying 'it WILL be fine', just i'd put decent odds on it being fine. Id definitely leave it in there until the weather is warm and actually see for myself if the fluid was aerating or hot or the pump was noisy and hot, couldn't hit relief valve etc, vs just swapping it out again preemptively because i was scared. But im a mechanic. To each their own.
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Change the fluid to a lower viscosity and if there is a filter change it every year before cold weather because internal fluid will sweat, and sweat will freeze and cause blockages till it thaws out...or park your tractor in a heated garage alongside your Lamborghini rite? k
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