I have a TD7G which I am learning to run and maintain. (My first dozer) I am working my way through all the maintenance items. I want to run this machine in winter ( 0* F ) and summer to about 80*F. The manual calls for 10W motor oil or Dresser Hydraulic Transmission Fluid (Whatever that was??). My present understanding is that motor oils are not recomended and I have read so much conflicting and confusing stuff on the use of Tractor Hydraulic Fluids, TO-2 Fluid, TO-4 Fluid, TO10, TO30 ..... that I am lost. Can I run Komatsu TO10 or Cat TO-4 10W year round or should I use a 10W-30 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid like Permatran III or something else ?? Please help - Thanks
hello i would go with the manual 10 wt.
The 10 wt makes sense to me but the young local Komatsu guy recomended TO30. When I asked "even in winter ?", he said "well, maybe I should use 10 in winter and 30 in summer". I don't know why he is thinking 30 wt at all. That's why I was wondering about using the 10W 30 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid.
For a powershift transmission ideally it would need an hydraulic oil modified with additional additives to make it capable of working with clutches as well. This is where the old TO-2 (now replaced by TO-4) specification originally developed by Caterpillar comes in. The same comment applies to the former Allison C3 (now C4) specification. Any oil meeting that specification is basically a modified hydraulic oil to allow it to work in transmissions and torque converters. So you could use an oil that meets TO-4 specifcation in both your transmission and in the hydraulic system if you wanted to. The hydraulic system doesn't really need it but then you get by with one oil instead of two. Komatsu TO 10 (SAE 10) & TO 30 (SAE 30) power train oils meet the requirements of TO-4 according to Komatsu. So effectively you're talking about the same oil as above. I personally wouldn't use 10W30 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid as it likely does not have the additives required to comply with TO-4 specification for use in a transmission. You would have to check the specification sheet for the particular oil you wanted to use to see whether or not it did. Viscosity..? SAE10 in a transmission seems awful light to me, but if that's the viscosity that the manual recommends then personally I'd stick with it. Regarding ambient temperature that only comes into play when you are putting a cold machine to work in the morning after it's been standing all night. I think you could quite easily use an SAE30 TO-4 ol in your transmission, the only thing you would have to do is make sure when you crank the machine up from cold on a winter morning that you would need to carefully warm up the oil in the transmission & hydraulics before putting the machine into a hard work situtation. Once the oil is up to temperature the external ambient temp has no bearing on the situation whatsoever.
Nige, Thank you for the good clear explanation. You have helped me understand this oil spec thing alot better. I will put in Komatsu TO 10 or Cat TO-4 10 wt.
There are often enquiries about what oils to use in what machines on the forums. Most of the large oil companies list their recommendations for a large variety of machines and vehicles, on the web and this is where I go if I want to know what oil to use in what machine or component of a machine. As well as that, most of them also have a free call number to their technical services. Here are a couple of examples giving the recommendations for the TD7G. http://www.datateck.com.au/lube/valv_auMS/default.asp http://www.datateck.com.au/lube/mobil_au/default.asp You just have to tick earthmoving, in the equipment type, then Dresser dozer in the make box, then the model, it's very simple. Even if you do not use that brand of oil, it gives you the specifications of the oil used so then you have an idea of what you need and you can look for it in your own brand. RnR.
I tried those sites - they are great. Just what a guy like me needs. Thanks for the help !!
i worked for komatsu for many years and we pushed the TO30 ....or just 30w engine oil in a pinch....for the Dresser line
OK... Could you expound on that a little and maybe explain why you pushed the 30 wt over the specified 10 wt. My TD7G is a 145000 lb machine with a 75 hp motor and powershift transmission. Thanks for the info
Just a note on the oil viscosity, back in NZ in the 70/80s I was with an outfit that was running TD 15B/C , 20C & 25B as well as a TD 8E we always used sae10 in the trannys as that was what the manual said. Rocko 59 over at Redpower could have some more info. Cheers RDG.
I say 10W-30. Lukas R. New Mexico Topcon Paving Dealer
"Whatever that was'' is Hytran.I should have bought stock in the company my old 3820 used to use[read that leak] so much.Probably still available but still pricey I'm sure.
I didn't know that any manufacturer made a multigrade power transmission oil, all the ones I've ever seen are monograde.