Hyrdaulic Oil

so I've heard so many people talk about different types of hydraulic Oil used i was wondering whats the best im not familiar with all the types of hydro oil and I've heard people use 15W40 Rotella but when i read the label is says diesel engine oil is that ok? Or do you guys use other oils?

Rotella is a motor oil but it also has properties that make it exceptionally suitable for use in certain hydraulic applications. You should find the Operator's Manual for whatever piece of equipment you own and discover what the manufacturer states is the best choice. In order to get the best performance from your machine, the correct oil must be selected, whether that happens to be a motor oil or a true hydraulic oil. Different oils have differing properties. If differing properties were not important, then there would be no need for the wide choice of oils available.

i looked in my book it says during the summer use SAE 20w40 and use 5w20 in the winter does it matter what brand?

The brand of oil does not matter. The question here is this. How cold does it get in your area and how much winter work do you perform? If you keep your machine in the garage, you can start it up on cold days and leave it running long enough to warm up the oil providing the temp is not below zero F. You could also use a synthetic 20W40 and that would help with cold weather operation..

in what machine? It does make a difference.

That sounds like a Case recommendation. If so, my rec 15w40 winter and. 20w50 summer if your summers are hot. 90s and above

"The brand of oil does not matter." That depends on what you are considering. One case in point is the word "Synthetic". Seems several variations of that word are used under that umbrella that are cheap substitutes for what others use and may not perform to what you expect from a full synthetic base stock. Some companies concentrate on different additives that might affect what you do with your equipment. Base stocks and additives are what makes oils from different suppliers, different. Question is, how does that affect you, if at all?

And how is Joe Average supposed to figure that out if he does not have a degree in chemical engineering in the petroleum field? Motor oils....synthetic or not.....will perform just fine when used in most hydraulic systems. The biggest enemy to any oil is HEAT, followed by contamination. The latter is easily taken care of by either proper filtration or timely oil changes. Heat is a design issue that can be addressed with the use of heat exchangers and cooling fans. For fancy additives to have much of an effect, the hydraulic system would need to be of the "high performance" type and equipment used in the lawn and garden industry do not employ expensive systems that are of the high performance sector.

My advice to the OP is simple. Drain the system as best as you can and refill it with 20W50 synthetic from any reputable company that engineers their own oils. See how that works for you all year round. Your hydraulic system will tell you if it is not a happy camper. At that point, you can try a lighter viscosity to see if that is all that is needed to correct the situation.

case 222

The manual for your 222 was written 50 plus years ago when 20W40 was a popular grade of oil. Over the years, fewer and fewer manufacturers specified that grade and so the oil industry responded by not offering it any longer. That said.......if you looked hard enough, you can still find it but usually for a premium price, such as at a Yamaha dealer or from an Ingersoll tractor dealer.....if you can find one. A multi-grade oil like 20W40 will provide excellent results over a wide range of temperatures but so will 15W40, which is a very common grade of oil that is easily found, even at Walmart. Look for Shell Rotella. . For areas of the country that are really warm, 20W50 is a better choice but Shell does not offer this grade. However, other oil companies do. Just use Google.

The issue for the Case tractor has to do with transferring engine power to the rear wheels via the oil used in the hydraulic system. As oil thins out due to heat, its ability to transfer horsepower falls off. An oil that will hold its viscosity or thickness over a wide temperature range is ideal and the above mentioned grades do a great job at remaining stable. Therefore, it is important to drain and refill your hydraulic system every 2 or 3 years to maintain the performance of the tractor and protect those expensive hydraulic parts. Remember.....your tractor does not have an oil filter. Timely oil changes are key.

I like gear oil in trannys for smooth shifting. Case in point is my '63 Ford 2000 and '16 Branson 2400. Both are non sync trannys. The Ford shifts much smoother with the gear oil rather than hyd oil.