fluid

[vincentfigaro]

have 1954 tea-20 ferguson what type fluid or oil
goes in hole at shifter and is that for rearend and trans. how much does it hold?????



thanks---vince

 

[Bruce(OR)]

That's your transmission/Hydraulic oil. About 6 gallons for a complete changeout (3 drain plugs on the bottom + the oil pan = 4 total) and your two basic choices choices are either a diesel grade 15/40 motor oil or GL-1 mineral oil.
Other options are available and others will chime in accordingly.

 

[Bruce(OR)]

Add 5 gallons to start with, let settle for 20 minuts, recheck and top off.

 

[John (UK)]

Use 15W/40 gas engine oil NOT Diesel engine oil as it contains too much detergent which will carry all the crud in the oil around the system and through the Pump, this is not good as there is no filter. If you use gas engine oil( Low detergent) it will allow any crud to sink to the bottom. You should drain the oil every 12 months when it is hot and all the crud in the bottom will flush out with the [email protected]

 

[AbvAvgJoe]

That's good advice John. I need to change the oils on my 54 TE-A20 as well. I will keep that info in mind.

 

[vincentfigaro]

thanks for all the help--------vince

 

[Richard L]

If you cleaned the whole insides good it should hold 6 gallons if you didn't clean it it may only hold 5 or less gallons, because of the build up of crud inside.

 

[Bruce(OR)]

Not too long ago someone took a better look at engine oils. It was found that most every automotive oil these days is "Energy Conserving"
Graet if your going to run it in an engine with roller cams or lifters. If your running the hydraulic flat tappet cam then it was found the "Heavy Duty grade oil, such as the diesel grade actually left a film behind for the next start up. So, if you like your cam and other parts to be "pre-lubed" before a dry start, Then you might desire to use the heavy duty diesel grade oil.
Now the transmission/hydraulics are actually designed to run a GL-1 Mineral oil but people are putting in all kinds of fluids in attemp to operate the machine in lower tyemperature climates during the winter season and generally trying to save a buck or two along the way.
Good Luck in your search for the "Best Fluid".

 

[John (UK)]

The GL1 oil you buy today is not as it was when it was specified 70+ years ago, it now contains other additives and offers better lubrication qualities than the original oil. The problem with GL1 type oil is it gets too thick and heavy when cold and if you are going to move snow or feed cattle you need to get going not wait for the tractor to warm up. If you have ever had problems trying to start in really cold weather like a lot of people need to do, you wouldn't use GL1 when there is something better available. The oil multi-grade 15W/40 low detergent that is mentioned, is basically the same as the Diesel engine oil BUT it does not have all the detergents that are in a diesel lubricating oil. The detergents in Diesel engine oil allow the crud to float around in the oil and keep passing through the Pump and valves, it doesn't allow it to settle at the bottom. If you use gear oils they corrode the brass shims and cams and spacers in the transmission and hydraulics and should never be used, this is stated in the Service Manual to stress the point. In a lot of areas you cannot easily find GL1 oil and there were lots of enquiries asking for an alternative, so Shell and Castrol were asked and Multi-grade 15W/40 low detergent oil (as in a gas engine/ a Diesel Engine uses High Detergent) is their recommendation and I think they should know a thing or two about oil between them. In most areas the price of Multi-grade oil is not cheaper, but people wanted an oil that allowed them to use their tractors when they want or need too. As I have said many times, to the point that it is getting boring, in the UK, we used a Multi-grade oil in the transmission and hydraulics when I first started work on the tractors and that was 56 years ago, this greatly improved the performance over what we used earlier, which was similar to GL1 and our temperatures are nothing like you have in the USA and Canada. Scandinavia also use this oil too. Shell also told me that GL1 supplied by any oil company these days is not as it was all those years ago, as it does contain additives now whereas originally it was just a plain oil, but things have moved on and you get a better quality oil even if it isn't really suitable for low temperature use. The Multi-grade 15W/40 is also suitable for tropical temperatures too. In areas that experience extremely cold temperatures, it was recommended to change the oil to a lighter grade for winter use and then change back again in Spring, Multi-grade 15W/40 (low detergent)does away with all that and you can use it all year around in all temperatures, so it just has to be better from a users point of view, but anyone who disagrees can still use the original oil if they prefer and if they can find it, but at least you now have a choice, unlike it was [email protected]