David Brown 3800 Selectamatic

db3800

New User
Hello everyone!

I just joined this site and hope to get some help.

About 7 yeras ago I moved from an inner suburb to a rural 13-acre parcel. The property came with a David Brown 3800 Selectamatic tractor with a front loader and a 3-point hitch post hole digger.

I have used the tractor on and off since then.

It's time to do some badly needed maintenance.

The owner's manual shows 20W30 or 20W40 engine oil as the recommended viscosity. Are there any more common viscosities that I can use? Can I use synthetic oil?

The transmission fluid (which also operates the hydraulics for the 3-pt hitch) is listed as 20W30 or 20W40 oil, with an alternative viscosity of SAE 80! How can SAE 80 be considered an alternative to 20W30 or 20W40? SAE 80 is a high-viscosity oil. The transmission uses 6 gallons of oil so I am looking for a lower-cost oil to use to keep the total cost down. Can I use a 10W40 or something similar? I have never had to buy that much oil at one time. Are there larger quantities available (for example, 5gal containers) that are cheaper to buy than going to the store and buying 6 one-gallon bottles?

Thanks for the help

Steve
 
Use 15W40 in both engine and transmission/hydraulics. 85W140 in the final drives. If you use it in the winter, in a northern area, a 10W30 might be better for you.

Sae 80 gear is similar in viscosity to a 40W motor oil.


Make sure you clean the hydraulic suction strainer, and change the belly filter(k920522) if it has one.

Brit stuff leaks bad enough, introducing a synthetic oil is asking for trouble.

Pretty rare tractor(522 built)... not many made, even fewer left.
 
Any farm stores as well auto stores will sell it in bulk (oil) are TSC sells oil in 5,3 and 1 gallon buckets. Hope this helps. Hey guys(case expert buddies) I finally answered a tractor question hee hee. Welcome Steve, trust me these guys in here know there stuff!! Not ta mention the pic's.
 
1st off I know you think this is a lot of oil and expensive but you won't be changing it that often. 2nd in the long run wrong oil is much more expensive. I like the 15w40 idea. Most people run it year around. 3rd buy a book learn all you can about this tractor BEFORE you do anything to it. I think they are available from yesterday's tractor. If mechanics is not your background, study the book & understand this great little tractor
 
The archives can be very helpful too.
Here is an example.
http://search.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=case&th=95804
 

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have done a lot of mechanical work on cars, just recently replaced a head gasket on a PT Cruiser for a friend, so I am familiar with engines and modifications. I have replaced a hydraulic hose on the tractor for the front loader that burst while I was using it ( both tractor and I were coated in a fog of oil, what a mess!). I also have the owner's manual and an I&T service manual for "JI Case and David Brown" which is pretty good but covers many models.

We have a TSC here and I will check them out for large quantities of oil. The NAPA also fabs hydraulic lines and has a lot of tractor knowledge and products.

The tractor is used for occaisonal use to move dirt or gravel with the bucket or move a load of firewood. I would like to buy a bush hog as I am currently using our riding mower for rough areas it wasn't intended for. Before I buy a bush hog I want to make sure the 3pt hitch works properly.

I didn't realize how rare this tractor was. I was hoping to get a few years out of it and then buy a new tractor, but I might decide to "restore" this one during winter in my shop.

My tractor (and the front loader that is driven off the front PTO) is painted a medium yellow color. Was this the stock color?

I will try and post some pics of the tractor soon.

Thanks
steve
 
(quoted from post at 09:22:31 07/10/13)

My tractor (and the front loader that is driven off the front PTO) is painted a medium yellow color. Was this the stock color?

Front PTO???? Maybe off the front of the crankshaft? Certainly not an original DB set up.

IMHO, the 700(770/780/3800/885LCG) series front axles are way too light for much loader use... I have a couple mangled ones here.

Original colors are "Chocolate Brown" on the iron, and "Orchid White" on the tin. Muffler(silencer), and Grill would have been "poppy red". I don't think decals are available anywhere. I may have some photos of a badly faded set from one I knocked over the head...


Something similar to this:
IMG_0996.jpg
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Yes, there is a hydraulic pump driven off the front of the engine, probably off the crank.

The loader is a pretty large bucket, so it can put a big load on the front axle. I found a receipt for a "spindle" in the owners manual, so a previous owner may have broken the front axle once already.

There actually is no muffler on mine, the exhaust exits down low through a flex pipe. The black and white picture (which is why I couldn't tell the colors) in the owners manual shows a muffler sticking up high into the air so that's another part that is missing.

Steve
 

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