Posted by Jim Allen on June 24, 2009 at 11:54:07 from (209.173.160.22):
A few years ago, I was involved here in a debate about THF (Trans Hydraulic Fluids). Cheapskate that I am, I was looking for a less expensive alternative to HyTran Ultra, which was overpriced (I thought) in my area. I ended up going with the Tractor Supply Traveler brand. I used it for a bit over three years and 180 hours with no trouble. This spring, I had a bunch of trans and hydraulic leaks to fix and had to drain the THF again and went back to Tractor Supply for the 20 gallons of refill.
I ended up taking a virgin sample of the oil as I installed it and sent it off for analysis... merely out of curiosity. Lo and behold, I discover an oil with next to nothing in it. Very weak additive package compared to other THF products on the market. Usable in a short interval, perhaps, but not a top quality product.
I contacted a Tribologist (a lubricant engineer) I know, and he sent me an appropriate amount of a prepackaged THF additive package from a major oil company, which custom oil blenders can use to make THF. This turned the weak TSC oil into something worthwhile. I had this new oil tested and it is now very strong. Of course, going this route cost me a lot more than just buying the right stuff in the first place. Not to mention the eternal shame of having to admit this now!
I also have sent off a sample of new HyTran Ultra to see what it's made of and compare it to the mix. If the actual numbers of all this are of interest, I will post them once I have all of them. You will need some knowledge of lubricants to interpret them.
So, bottom line, I recommend against using the TSC THF unless you plan on cutting the service interval at least in half. As I said, my 826 suffered no apparent ill effects in 180 hours of use, but there is a fine line between trying to save money and being a little too cheap for your own good.
This post was edited by Jim Allen at 12:18:23 06/24/09.
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