TO 35 lift slow on a cold morning

Have any of you experienced a slow lift action on a cold morning.

I drained and replaced the oil in my 1957 TO 35 last summer. Filled sump with old school oil, GL-1 90 weight mineral oil.

Lift worked fine until it got cold, now I was having to wait a few minutes for the lift to start working after a cold startup. After the tractor runs a while the lift works fine.

So to help the old girl out on a cold morning, yesterday I added a quart of Lucas oil stabilizer to the hydraulic oil sump. Used the tractor for a while to insure the hydraulic oil was mixed well.

This morning I started the tractor up, then raised the lift lever, in a very short time the lift started raising up, a marked difference in time.

So I think the Lucas oil stabilizer may have helped the old worn hydraulic pump, maybe keep it running a few more years.

That 90 weight mineral oil GL-1 hydraulic/transmission oil gets fairly thick during cold weather.

Later after I had changed the hyd/transmission oil, I saw where you could buy non-detergent 10w30 oil from home depot. Only place I have even see it.

If I had know that at the time I changed the hydraulic/transmission oil, I might have bought my oil from them.

Buying the Gl-1 from NAPA was not cheap.

But I wanted to use a non-detergent oil in the hydraulic/transmission system.

Yes, I have experienced that same slow lift action on my TO-30. I use it to move snow in the winter and when I got it, I used the traditional gl-90, not knowing that there are other suitable oils that will also provide a snappier lift in the winter. Like you, it was expensive, so I'm stuck with it for the time being. I'll have to give the Lucas Stabilizer a try.

IH,
The reason I used the Lucas oil stabilizer.
Friend of mine had a number of large over the road trucks, many with 100,000's of miles.

He would never let the mechanics change oil in any one of them without adding a gallon of Lucas oil stabilizer. He believed in the oil additive, kept his equipment running for the long haul.

I thought someone mentioned here before that the home depot ND oil was only available in qt containers. if that is so the oil would cost a small fortune.

maxwell - GL-90 will be thick in the cold, that's for sure. I'm in central NY, and run Rotella T 15w40 everywhere in my TO-35. Works well, only a little slow on the first lift or 2..

A few years ago it took 2 months for the lift to raise on my 30. That's when I went to the engine oils. But purists need to argue like it was coffee table chatter at an engineering school.... but when you need a tractor to work- right now - to survive in a blizzard... it ain't small talk no mo..

Yeah even as far south as you. I was stuck in Mount Vernon, Ill for the ice storm then a few days ago I was driving thru Tennessee and Virginia... and the windshield washer fluid was frozen 2 inches deep in the buckets at the truck stops..... so a thick summer oil ain't got a chance...

I too have switched to motor oil in the transmission/hydraulic system. Before making the switch I picked up a magnetic mount block heater and would put that on the bottom of the tractor and for an hour or so and let it heat up the GL1. Once warm it works great.

Pick one up for this year then change over to motor oil for next winter.

Tony Two months to raise the lift? Did you stop to eat or sleep?