Hi forum, I am very new to owning skid steers and have a 252b cat. Was wondering if the hydraulic fluid for these machines has to be bought from cat or is there other compatible alternatives that I can buy at Autozone or Tractor supply etc? Another problem I have is the skid steer stalling out at times, I've noticed the rpm lowers on its own sometimes and sometimes goes on to stall out. And today when I was using a breaker attachment it did this more often. Would low hydraulic fluid do this? I am just barely a bit low but since the breaker attachment takes some fluid is that what is causing this? Is it common for skid steers to have shut off switches when the hydraulic systems is low on fluid? thank you,
You do not have to buy Cat-branded oil but it’s not recommended to buy oil from Joe Blow’s Gas & Groceries either. Personally I’d recommend that you stay away from anything with Universal, Farm or Tractor in either the name of the oil or of the store selling it. The first thing you should get hold of is an Operation & Maintenance Manual if you don’t already have one. That will give you valuable information regarding oil and much more. Post a Serial Number and I can identify the appropriate manual for your particular machine.
Hey Nige, thanks for the response. Heres my serial number: 252BTSCP02842 Digging around seems like some people say ISO AW32 hydraulic fluid is compatible! Also do you think low hydraulic fluid will stall out the machine? Thank you,
ISO AW32 or SAE10W hydraulic oil from any major oil company will work just fine. Off the top of my head I think the Mobil hydraulic oil range could be called “Nuto” but wouldn’t swear to it. So the O&M Manual for your machine is SEBU7731. I couldn’t find one on the usual internet marketplaces but you can download one from Cat for $52. Go to - https://catpublications.com/ Type SEBU7731 in the box and click search. This process will NOT work on a phone. You will need to use a PC or laptop. No it will not in my opinion. There is no switch that will cut out the machine for low hydraulic oil level.
Thank you Nige, I appreciate your help.