I have a 1995 416B that is in dire need of a hydraulic fluid change. Cat recommends the Cat HYDO oil, which is about $120/5 gallons. Does anyone know of an alternate brand to use that meets the Cat specifications? There seems to be a ton of information about hydrualic fluids. I don't mind paying premium but if I could save a little, it would be nice. Thanks for the advice. Brady
Any good quality 10W hydraulic oil will meet the required specification. IMO although Cat HYDO is the "preferred" oil it's not the only option.
Thanks Nige. I put some AW 32 in it the other day. I'm now trying to learn the difference between that and R & O. And then how to connect the designations of "32" to "10W". I'll keep researching. Its an old machine and the oil in it now is quite dirty. It seems the previous owner didn't believe in filter maintenance. Thanks again. Brady
Google is your friend ..... try this link - http://www.liqui-moly.com/liquimoly/mediendb.nsf/gfx/7B0498A05B66E5E1C12573B000545988/$file/TI%20viscosity%20ISO%20vs%20SAE.pdf
Thank you... This helps.
Chevron URSA 10W , 60$ for 5 gallons. They offered me literature and assured me quality at the lube plant where I bought it. I think CAT oil is Mobile. Shell , or any other oil co has a comparible oil. I believe CAT uses the Mobile , because they buy it reasonable and have a good mark up on it. I'm not big on stuff from tractor supply or o'reilly's that on the bucket basically says "hydraulic oil " Universal Tractor. I want to see the weight and have papers on the additives. I know the AW in like AW32 meens anti wear. Probably contains copper . You can use 15/40 in the hydro on that 416B according to the manuel. One thing is the additives in this though. I'd find a local oil distributor and see what's available.
Dickjr, I talked to a near by distributor today and they offer a TO-4 10, which he says is an alternate to the Cat Hydro. It seems I'm sorta that the mercy of the experts. At this time, I just can't see paying that kind of money for oil. This has been quite a learning experience for me. But then again, so has buying an older machine.. Thanks, Brady
The TO-4 10 is the same thing. The TO-4 additives are more so for transmissions in dozers. My mechanic I use , uses connoco AW32. I have been to that AW32 is the same viscosity as 10 W. My limited knowledge came when I was tired of driving 65 miles every time I needed a bucket of hydro oil. Local parts stores were no help. My Shell guy said he could order 10W hydro , never did. They wanted to sell what they had the AW32 or AW46 or the dredded universal tractor fluid that claimed on the back to work in everything including the new 787. Some CAT dealers sale oils and filters as cheap as places like NAPA but there again I have to travel. I do use the NAPA gold filters , the fuel filters have the same # stamped inside the filter as the CAT filters. I liked the look on my NAPA guys face when I ask to what micron do they filter n such , CAT has the specs available. Like I said I been where you are and its funny sometimes no body knows nothing but has something to sell.
We use TO-4 SAE 10W in all our hydraulic systems, more from a standardization point of view than anything else. We have some systems that need a TO-4 oil and others that do not. Therefore by using TO-4 we remove the possibility that someone will drop a straight 10W hydo oil into a compartment that needs a 10W TO-4 oil.
we use 76 gaurdall aw46 in our cat backhoes
Commercial Oils If Cat oils cannot be used, the following commercial classifications can be used in the hydraulic and hydrostatic transmissions: * API CF-4/SG, CE/SG, or CD/SG * MIL-L-2104E Premium industrial hydraulic oils that have passed the Vickers vane pump test (35VQ25) and/or have a minimum of 0.09% zinc additive may also be used. These oils should have antiwear, antifoam, antirust and antioxidation additives for heavy duty use as stated by the oil supplier. ISO viscosity grade of 46 would normally be selected. This information is taken from the 416B Operation and Maintenance Manual. If you are having trouble finding a comparable hydraulic oil then I would use engine oil as stated in the above info.