Theroundhousernr 589 #1 Posted March 17, 2014 Ok so apparently Hytran hydro fluid is the only fluid to use in a cub cadet hydro. Even using Hytran equivalant is a sin. Apparently the water absorbtion capabiltly exceeds all other competitors by a long shot and is the only reason these cub hydro tractors last so much longer then wheel horse and so on.... Apparently, people drain these rears after these things sat in a field some where for years and find no signs of rust in the rears. Now the funny part is eatons are used in a majority of wheel horse tractors and the same goes for cub cadet. I sense some cool aid drinking going on. Also, cubby users claim motor oil foams and is the worst thing to use in a hydro. Which would lead to a quick failure for your tractor. Now we all know the eatons in our horses work just fine and most drink motor oil. Does anyone see any benefits from using Hytran is there horse?? Also, what is your opinions of this Hytran sent from up above oil?? Im excited to hear what your opinions are, don't hurt the cub cadet guys to much lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boovuc 1,090 #2 Posted March 18, 2014 Well the trouble is that Cub Cadet like WH used a bunch of different transmissions over their long life span of manufacturing. I see mostly Sundstrand then others including hydro Gear, tuff torque, peerless, Etc. Sundstrands used ATF, hydro oil or motor oil including the one's made for Wheelhorse though most manuals stated ATF or Motor oil for the fluid. The pure Eaton manuals for the 1100 stated Motor oil, hydro oils, Automotive Transmission oils and premium Hydraulic Oil could be used in the transmissions. Like I said in an earlier thread on hydro transmission oil, I will use what the manufacturer of what it is mounted on said to use. (This includes if the manufacturer is in business or not). I never knew hydro rears to become rusty when left to sit. (Unidrive gear transmissions yes but not the sealed hydro units). I guess if I live long enough and I can confirm that many owners of Eaton 1100 trannys in Wheelhorse tractors were running Hytran in their rears for 20 to 30 years without issues, I would switch if I wasn't in a nursing home by then! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theroundhousernr 589 #3 Posted March 18, 2014 Well cub cadet also uses the hytran oil in there unidrive gear transmissions. It just seemed strange to me that cub owners swear by this hytran which can be expensive and lead others to believe that no other oil can be used in there vintage cub tractors. I'm sure there are alot of examples of cubs that have very similar mechanical workings as other brands that have been using other oils for years with no ill effects. People say the Hytran seems alot like atf more then any other oil. It does not foam and has a great water retention capabilties. However, I think the water retention is something like 2%. Where other brand hydro oil is around 1%. Doesnt seem like much to brag about when considering the volumes being used. Maybe this is a good oil to consider ....or maybe its no better. I only own 2 hydro horses. 1 being a GT14 which has had atf since new and will most likely always be that way. The other is a C-125 with a sunstrand. Currently using motor oil. I beleive both are original and are still going strong. Kyle Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leeave96 487 #4 Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) The IH cub cadets, both gear and hydros used hytran. I am pretty sure it's 10w fluid. The eaton was never used, but sunstrands were. Hytran is very expensive too. IMHO, if you're going to make any change in hydro fluid on the Wheelhorse, switch to synthetic. Edited March 18, 2014 by leeave96 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,169 #5 Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) Do you think they recommend HYTRAN for Cubs because it is a Case/IH product???? Edited March 18, 2014 by pfrederi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theroundhousernr 589 #6 Posted March 18, 2014 Yes , I am pretty sure thats the main reason lol . I just wanted to know what others thought. Also, I thought Cubs did use eatons + sunstrands but I am not 100% sure. I am not a cub owner so I am just going off of what I read. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheeledhorseman 573 #7 Posted March 19, 2014 When I looked into this from the Sundstrand perspective I discovered in a generic Sundstrand manual covering the series of transmissions that were fitted to WHs and some Cubs that Sundstrand didn't specify an one type or brand of fluid, simply mentioned ones that had 'successfully' been used including ATF, hydraulic, and straight motor oil. Specific recommendations were left to the manufacturer that they supplied the transmissions to. Why WH started out recommending ATF then changed to oil is a bit of a mystery as both seem to work well, perhaps it was simply down to cost? My guess is that modern lubricants for hydraulic transmissions are way better (and more expensive of course) in terms of reducing wear on the hydro parts but it's a bit late for that now in the case of our tractors. I've stuck to the oil that WH specified for mine, change it and the filter at the recommended intervals and use Toro filters. You have access to a much better range of aftermarket products in the US than we do here which is why I use OEM filters but as has been mentioned many times before on the forum just because a filter will fit and looks the same on the outside doesn't mean it's the same (and suitable for a hydro) on the inside. Do you think they recommend HYTRAN for Cubs because it is a Case/IH product???? Makes sense to me and it was probably why Sundstrand were kind of vague about what to use, leaving the door open for their customers to capitalise on. Andy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SousaKerry 500 #8 Posted March 19, 2014 Well I know that Hytran was recommended for the IH farm tractors of which we had several. We always used a generic equivalent that met multiple brand tractors specifications. A thing I always found funny is that you would get some purest Farmers that would swear by only using oil sold by the dealership for their brand of tractor. But when they needed to borrow a piece of equipment (which frequently happened in our area) they would have no trouble at all backing their JD tractor up and hooking up our hydraulic cylinders full of generic Hytran/whatever oil pulling the lever to raise the equipment and thus mixing fluids. Occasionally a guy would bring his own cylinders but that was usually because Dad told them to because he needed ours for something else. BTW for those who don't know farm equipment most tractors are equipped with the same universal quick disconnects for remote cylinders and motors(except for JD but adapters were available.) And most equipment was designed to use a standard size lift cylinder with quick disconnecting pins so that the cylinders could be shared between equipment. Anyways back to the topic at hand Engineers tend to be picky about certain lubricants and hydraulic oils and will use the same one over and over again. But ultimately it comes down to cost of what to use and recommend as most companies will not spend the time and money to do extensive testing of which oil lasts the longest or performs best. Speaking for my own company we test a new oil for a few weeks if it works run with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
