How to check hydrolic level in l2501

[tootall81]

Is there another option to check the hydraulic level in a l2501 besides the sight glass front of the seat? Ive never been able to see it in the sight glass since day 1 and after the 500 hour service. Wondering if it can be over filled?
Today I ripped off my filter and broke the filter bracket on the left side, I immediately turned it off but not sure how much fluid I leaked out. Hopefully can find parts in the morning to repair as its in a customer's yard right now.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Is there another option to check the hydraulic level in a l2501 besides the sight glass front of the seat? Ive never been able to see it in the sight glass since day 1 and after the 500 hour service. Wondering if it can be over filled?
Today I ripped off my filter and broke the filter bracket on the left side, I immediately turned it off but not sure how much fluid I leaked out. Hopefully can find parts in the morning to repair as its in a customer's yard right now.

If I had a machine with a sight glass I would dye the oil. Its hard enough to see on a dipstick.

Dan

 

[tootall81]

If I had a machine with a sight glass I would dye the oil. Its hard enough to see on a dipstick.

Dan

What kind of dye can I use?

 

[TheOldHokie]

What kind of dye can I use?

Ask Amazon for "hydraulic oil dye" then pick a color. brand, and/or size....

Dan

 

[Tractor Gal]

I posted this above but just to be sure that you see it, I'll post again. I've used this and it works great. It's not green, it's red! It's getting harder to find for some reason so you may want to grab it if you don't have anything else.

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[tootall81]

I posted this above but just to be sure that you see it, I'll post again. I've used this and it works great. It's not green, it's red! It's getting harder to find for some reason so you may want to grab it if you don't have anything else.

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Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for John Deere Original Equipment Oil #mt3668 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Awsome! Thanks for the link, Just ordered it.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Awsome! Thanks for the link, Just ordered it.

You will be glad you dyed that oil.

It makes checking it a breeze. (I used the same stuff too)

I keep mine “over filled” a little.

I am of the understanding that overfilling them is ok.

It’s not like engine oil, with pistons slapping around and such.

 

[McMXi]

You will be glad you dyed that oil.

It makes checking it a breeze. (I used the same stuff too)

Five years with a sight glass on two MX tractors and I've never needed to dye the hydraulic oil. Perhaps there's something special about the MX sight glass. The dipstick on the M6060 was another thing altogether and I ended up "blueing" the end of the dipstick because it was so hard to read, hard enough that I overfilled the tractor.

I'm all for doing things that make life easier, but I like understanding the why or how rather than doing something just because. Why are some sight glasses easy to read and others not? Is this issue more common with L series models? Having a good idea of how much oil is in the engine or the hydraulic tank is an important part of proper maintenance. If dipsticks or sight glasses are hard to read, companies need to address that without band-aids such as dye.

Here's the sight glass on my first MX6000 when it was just a few hours old.

Here's the sight glass on my current MX6000 that's four years old (photo taken this morning 10/06/25).

 

[Shawn T. W]

Awsome! Thanks for the link, Just ordered it.

When you get it, don't be surprised that the little bottle is not full, it's not supposed to be. . . If it's dried up or pasty, just add some hydraulic fluid to it and stir, add the dye to your jug , then pour ... Wear gloves!

Why are some sight glasses easy to read and others not?

My guess is "location" ... On my Massey Ferguson with the BH on (I bought it that way) it's very difficult to get your head in a position to even see it!

With the BH off, it's much easier to see, but the internals are so close to the same color, it very hard to see the "line" ...

On my Kubota the dipstick is relatively easy to read ...

 

[Mak65]

The fluid is straw colored. As the “bubble” at the top of the sight glass in McMXi’s photo indicates the back of the site glass is pure white. if you don’t see the white you’re over full. If you see all white you‘re low. Your goal is to see both. On my L2501, I keep it to where there is a small bubble of white at the top as it is in the noted photo. You can use dye but I don’t see the need. You do need a flashlight (phone light) as the location of the L2501 sight glass is in the “shadows” of the center cover plate.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I think the difficulty in reading the sight glass is a combination of lighting/shadows/eye sight/angles.

And although I “love” my 2501, the placment of that sight glass makes it look like I am praticing Yoga in order to see it.

This pose is called “Checking Fluid”.

The dye simply takes all of that out of the equation and makes it “idiot proof”.