Forgive me for starting a new thread about the previous "584 IH hydraulic oil " I feel I need to start anew as I have done more inspection. History of tractor is I have owned it for about 17 years of its 40 year life. Its primary job has been to carry hay on a 500 yard round trip from haybarn to pasture about twice a week for 5 or 6 months of the year. It has had VERY occasional use to bush hog a small area and disk small food plots. The round trip to put out hay is mostly flat ground. It has always had some hydraulic leaks and I top it up and have changed it out completely. I have never had a problem until now. We had storm damage at my house so I filled the tranny up according to owners manual and drove it the 7 miles to my house to clean up from two uprooted trees down hill in my yard. After about the second day of the cleaning up I noticed the tractor did not want to pull the hill in my yard. At this point I asked many of you for advice and appreciate all who commented. Yesterday I pulled the inspection plate that has about 10 bolts and promptly took a partial bath in at least half a gallon of new trans fluid. The tractor continued to leak from the bottom of a seal that a shaft [ input ???? ] runs through. I let the fluid drain overnight and replaced the cover this morning. I tested the tractor on the hill under similar conditions and it did not hesitate . I am theorizing that the dipstick has been broken off and repaired [ upon inspection it may be brazed just under the cap and if so expertly done ] I think I can verify whether it is too short if anyone can tell me whether that seal should be immersed in oil. I have done some careful measuring and it appears that oil is at least an inch or two over the top of the seal when the dipstick shows full. I will say that if my theory is correct that this tractor has survived many " overfills "over the last 17 years. So, am I wishing with false hope that I have figured it out or am I going to be making a 100 mile round trip to let a former IH dealer mechanic split and repair this clutch /seal ,etc. ?? Thanks for any input as I am needing the tractor to disk a dove field soon.