What oil for plow.

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I have an old fisher speedcast plow with the pump that runs off the engine by belt. I have been using dexron 3h but i want to switch it up. The longer i use the plow the slower it gets until i have to put it into neutral and rev it up to get the plow to come up. Anyway i am getting new hydraulic hoses made so i am going to flush the system and i was going to try the S.A.M plow fluid. It seems like people like it. The thing i see with plow fluid is that even name brands like boss and fisher all seem to be around the $10 per quart range. I was thinking of maybe trying some jd hyguard. idk. the plow works great when its first used. Im guessing its because the oil is thicker then as i use it it heats up and thins out. the old pump is probably worn out as well. so anybody if with plow or hydraulic experience could chime in as to a good oil to help stop the plow slowing down. Thanks
 
Sounds like the pump is getting weak. I don't think that changing oils will do the trick.
 
First what is a ht/hs value. Second i am looking for something that i can get local that is cheapish for the amount you get. Also I don't want to lose fluid while plowing for some reason and not be able to mix it with some other fluid. I dont expect a miracle fix. I heard jd is using motor oil as hydraulic fluid? I feel bad saying it on bitog but i don't care to much about what i use. I am looking for info on what specs matter in the oil. like oil thickness and how thin it gets once heated.
 
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I do care about seal compatability in the system. Im still reading about ht/hs. It is very interesting. Thanks for the link
 
The HM's have a fractional higher level of seal conditioners.

Being in NY state, I would probably use a 5W20 HM PCMO.
 
So my thinking is to try a thicker grade oil. Because if the plow moves great when i do the first driveway then starts to slow down after that this tells me the oil is heating up and thinning out. But what i have read on the plow forums is that people seem to be suggesting a thinner oil because the oil can actually be getting cold and slowing down. Now i do not think this is the case for two reasons. first the fluid is dead cold when i first start up and it works great. Second the plow pump is under the warm hood and i cannot wrap my head around the plow oil ever getting colder. Thats like saying my engine oil is getting colder as i drive. I know most people on the forums talk from experience or myths that float around but i like facts with data to back it up. That is why i like bitog because we use facts to argue a case. So my consensus at this point is the plow pump is weak which i don't mind because i don't plow much and it works for what i do. Also i believe the oil is heating up and thinning out. I have also been reading about using motor oil in a hydraulic system and i am kind of steering away from that idea. I tried to find the manual for the fisher speedcast online but i couldn't find any pdf's or what not so i do not know what it was originally specd for. I could probably contact fisher and find out but i am not to concerned.
 
Right now im thinking about using jd hyguard not the low vis hyguard. It seems to be a very good hydraulic oil and its not to thick for the cold i dont think. Its easy for me to get because i have 2 john deere dealers in my town.
 
I thought about that because that would definitely be solution. I cannot put a smaller pulley on the pump but i might be able to put a bigger pulley on the motor. My concern was overspeeding the pump when driving down the road.
 
right now i don't have a hydraulic filter on the plow. I have seen filters in the return line but i was wondering if i can get an external filter housing with a screw on filter and mount that under the hood with the high pressure line running through it. would this impede the performance of the plow?
 
Update: jd hyguard seems to be working good. Plow hasn't slowed down yet with use. Once NY gets more snow i will have a better idea how its doing.
 
Jd hyguard is a great oil with a nice add pack we use that in all our plow set ups we do use the low vis because the plows are crisper in there movements with cold temps plus one can get it locally at any JD location.
 
Yeah i wasnt sure whether to go with the low vis or the regular but i went with the regular because the low vis viscosity was close to what it was replacing and i wanted something with a higher viscosity. I think its a great hydraulic fluid and its great to be able to get it locally.
 
Just out of curiosity, would high mileage oil make a good hydraulic fluid in most hydraulic pump set ups, or is this a specific case? We have an auto lift at the shop that leaks a decent amount in hot weather. Would the seal conditioners do well to slow a leak, or perhaps keep it from leaking again after repair? I don't mean to hijack the thread, just had a thought.
 
Originally Posted By: Red91
Just out of curiosity, would high mileage oil make a good hydraulic fluid in most hydraulic pump set ups, or is this a specific case? We have an auto lift at the shop that leaks a decent amount in hot weather. Would the seal conditioners do well to slow a leak, or perhaps keep it from leaking again after repair? I don't mean to hijack the thread, just had a thought.

I don't think it would be beneficial at all just repair the seal and call it a day.
 
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