1958 Fordson Power Major Diesel (British Ford)

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Hello all, I am looking for some advice on what oil to use in the transmission (21+ liters) and rear axle (41+ liters). I bought this tractor to bushog my 10 acre field and it has done a great job so far, but I am wanting to service it so it will continue to work for me a long time. Both the owners and service manuals recommend the same lubricant type and SAE grade for both sumps. From +10F to +90F a "mild EP SAE 90" lubricant is recommended. The Ford spec. is M-4864-A. The brakes on this are external disc with brake pads, so no worry with wet brake compatibility. When I smell the lube that is in there is smells just like hypoid GL5 oil (strong sulfur smell). I also know now after reading that the rear axle oil is also used as hydraulic oil to raise and lower the lift arms. There is a hydraulic pump in the bottom of the rear axle. Should I go back with a 75/80W-90 GL5 gear oil, which is readily available and not too expensive? Or do I search for some special Ford type Mild EP gear oil? This tractor only gets used in mild to hot weather, so I even considered mixing in some 85W-140 to quiet down the somewhat noisy gears below me. The books actually say to use SAE 140 lubricant in temps above 90F. Will I harm anything by using a GL5 gear oil instead of some special Mild EP lube that may not even be readily available? I have not even considered using synthetics in this due to the age of the unit and the leaks here and there on the rear axle (at the rear wheel seals and PTO shaft seal). Also it gets worked hard only about 3 or 4 days a year, that's it. This tractor is my first non-automotive vehicle and I'm still learning how to use it and service it. I just figure that some other BITOGER may have more experience in this area to give me some advice. I am open to suggestions and instructions. Thank you all in advance.
 
those old things use a spiral beval diff, so a GL5 fluid wasn't necessary.
A mate of mine has that exact model, (they were very popular here). It unfortunately died some months back (it apparently sounded terminal), he wants to re-power and use it again.
I'll probably see Jon during the week, so 'll ask what he uses. (It will be a Castrol product of some description)

I just ran it through the Oz Castrol lube guide here, and it recommends multifunctional fluids like Castrol Agri MP Plus. These are combination engine/GL4 gear oils. A data sheet is here

I was in a similar predicament with my early sevinties Fiat 550 tractor that recommended engine oil through the trans/hydraulics. I wanted to use a dedicated gear oil, asked the collective wisdom on here who felt that the add packs were too different and it would play merry h#ll with my seals (which aren't the best anyway).
 
We used to use Tractor Universal by BP in those things - engine,gearbox and final drive which had the 3 point linkage.It was made so farmers only had to keep one oil.
 
Usually I'm the first to say to heck with recommended oils. But in this case, I think because of the age and probably bizarre nature of this tractor, I would probably stick as close to the recommendation as is possible. I have a Fordson Super Major (1960?) and I have been able to buy all lubricants I needed from the local Ford/New Holland tractor supplier. I'm worried about the possibility of strange materials in these compartments possibly being damaged by modern oils. That being said, I am currently running GC in the engine of my tractor! Best of luck.
 
Thank you all for your input and helpful suggestions. Weird, I never even thought about going to the Ford/New Holland dealer to see what they might have or recommend! I'm still not quite sure I understand why the GL5 lube would cause problems with the seals, but it seams that they are leaking now. I will check for the availibility of the Agri MP Plus from Castrol here.
 
bmwtechguy,
This one is easy. Go to your local NAPA store and ask for their part number NHF 65-205. That is the stock number for 90wt GL-1 gear oil in a 5-gallon pail. Ford tractors of the time period as yours used a common-sump system for transmission/differential/hydraulics. More modern gear lubes (such as GL-5)contain additives which may attack soft metal components in the transmission. Ford/New Holland now recommends specification M2C-134-D fluid, which is considerably thinner and unfortunately usually results in leaks and poor hydraulic system operation in older tractors.
 
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