Sharing Hydraulic Implements

Tweetybrun · May 3, 2019

I have a Woods Back Blade with hydro angle and tilt. My neighbor is asking to borrow it. I’m concerned about cross contamination with the hydraulic fluid. He has a different brand tractor and uses a different fluid. I’m not sure how religious he is in routine maintenance. Does anyone know if I should be concerned?

Jim L. · May 3, 2019

Oh boy. Depends on your relationship with the neighbor. And the chances it will get torn up and if neighbor will pay for any damage.

At the least I would flush it when it comes back. Will cost you some fluid and time but would not bring that up with neighbor.

jkcolo22 · May 3, 2019

Jim L. said:
Oh boy. Depends on your relationship with the neighbor. And the chances it will get torn up and if neighbor will pay for any damage.

At the least I would flush it when it comes back. Will cost you some fluid and time but would not bring that up with neighbor.

Also depends on whether he has anything you might want to borrow... Or is able to provide labor... =). Even with a neighbor I trusted, I’d still drop a comment along the lines of “you break it, you buy it, and it costs $XThousand”

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rjcorazza · May 3, 2019

This has come up before. As I recall, the consensus was that the small amount of fluid left in the cylinders and hose is negligeable compared to the sump capacity.
It would still bother me though.

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D2Cat · May 3, 2019

I wouldn't do it even though it displaces very little fluid. Do it a few times and it adds up. Why dilute the best their is for you tractor with something else?

Be like sharing syringes....you might get an infection!

Tweetybrun · May 3, 2019

Thank You for your comments. I’m not getting a vaccination, I’ll be up front with him regarding my concerns. He knows I’m a bit picky with my equipment anyway. We probably won’t be talking after this.

Bill Groom · May 3, 2019

I understand your concerns, and it is for this very reason I don't loan, nor do I borrow. I spent the money on something to make MY life easier, not others. If he asks for help, and you get along, that is one thing. But to let someone else use my equipment, and not care for it like I do, just doesn't happen any more.

SidecarFlip · May 3, 2019

D2Cat said:
I wouldn't do it even though it displaces very little fluid. Do it a few times and it adds up. Why dilute the best their is for you tractor with something else?

Be like sharing syringes....you might get an infection!

I'd say you'd have to do it many times... Pretty easy to purge a cylinder of fluid anyway, just pull the hoses and cycle the cylinder manually and the fluid squirts out. Not a big deal.

Butch · May 5, 2019

My neighbor and I have solved that problem of switching hydro implements... He has a Deere and it is green. His hydro oil (OEM Deere oil) would be in the same jam as my Kubota oil.... cross contaminated. We took the approach two tractors are better than one... I took my tractor over and we attacked the project together... I did the actual upfront work where my implement was needed and he did the back up clearing behind me...

Done in half the time... and in time for "0" beer thirty.

Bill Groom · May 5, 2019

Glad it worked out for you both

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Captain13 · May 6, 2019

Smart move. I retired from a large hydraulic component manufacturer that made products for CAT and others along with aircraft pumps, hoses and fittings.

I asked one of the hydraulic engineers there a few years ago the same question and his answer was to never mix hydraulic fluids. Some machines require fluid that is not compatible with others and will cause the seals to degrade/disintegrate and then you have a real problem. Also, different hydraulic fluid manufacturers use additives to control corrosion, wear, etc.

I agree small amount of cross contamination probably wouldn't hurt. However, the seal issue is one that I would not be able to overlook if it were my tractor. You don't know how much "bad" fluid it causes to degrade a seal.

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Sharing Hydraulic Implements

Tweetybrun

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Jim L.

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jkcolo22

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rjcorazza

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D2Cat

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Bill Groom

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Butch

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