Hydraulic fluid for 1985 Ford CL65 skid steer

The manual says 10W30 API SE/CD or Ford Oil 48. That API classification seems very outdated and the Ford Oil 48 doesnt seem to exist anymore. Can I use just regular gasoline engine 10W30 oil here? Will the universal tractor fluid work? It takes nearly 20 gallons so I dont want to put the wrong thing in or pay a lot for something I dont need.

In case it wasnt obvious, this is for the hydraulic system. The engine has its own reservoir and grade of oil.

Interestingly the service manual seems to call it out slightly differently than the owners manual. The service manual says 10W30 API class SE,CD or Ford Oil 134. (Dont know if the comma means something different than a slash or how ford oil 48 differs from Ford oil 134.

Don't use motor oil in the hydraulics now, Use a universal tractor fluid. TSC's Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Trans/Hydraulic Fluid is one that says it meets Ford 134D (more current spec than the Ford 134). Many others do as well. Look on the pails, many list the major specs they meet on the back of the pails. Photo is an example.

Yes the specs in your book are out of date. You have to work up the line and see what has replaced them, and sometimes it may be several up grades. As far as the slash vs the comma. I believe it is just the way they wrote it; both refer to the same spec.

(quoted from post at 19:03:23 02/20/19) Don't use motor oil in the hydraulics now, Use a universal tractor fluid. TSC's Traveller Premium Universal Tractor Trans/Hydraulic Fluid is one that says it meets Ford 134D (more current spec than the Ford 134).

Click to expand...

That does not say it meets the 134D spec! It says it's recommended for that spec. That's a huge red flag! Run don't walk away fro this fluid if 134 is required.

Travellers must have either changed their formula or changed their label.The last bucket of the Traveller's Premium UTF that I bought at TSC was probably 4 or 5 years ago, and I am sure that it said that it "meets or exceeds" the 134D spec, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it.

134 replaced M3C-53,M2C-48,M2C-41 in about 1981 and has had several revisions since A,B,C,D.They all met Fords specs at the time of there release.

If you actually read that label it says recommended for the following....... Nowhere can I read meets or exceeds. Many skid loaders specify 10w30
engine oil exclusively in their hydraulic systems so a blanket statement against engine oil use is an uninformed comment and contradictory to the
service info for the CL65.

I apologize for some of the wording I used.

I should not have said “Don’t use engine oil”. I should have said my personal choice would be a hydraulic oil not engine oil. That is based on working with oil company reps and oil testing in my past employment. The fleet, of diversified manufacturers and equipment types, was "standardized" to a minimum of different oils to reduce errors in what oil people were putting where. Yes, this led to using oil not specified by the equipment manufacturer in some cases. We saw no increase in in failures using the new universal trans/hyd. oils in place of engine oil and ATF in hydraulic systems and transmissions (automotive transmissions stayed with a universal ATF). So please, I am not totally "uninformed", I just come from a different background and have different experiences than yours.

Also, I stand corrected on the wording printed on that pail, that pail does say it is recommended, not that it meets or exceeds specs and apologize for not catching that. I just checked the pails I actually have now. These say "Meets the following Original Equipment Manufacturers' Specifications". Apparently the printed wording changes at times.

Oil can be a very hot topic as we have all seen different results over the years. What works for me, may not for you. I respect your opinions and believe we can all learn from each other. Thank you

Jim,

Your second picture clearly shows traveller's Premium UTF on the label and that it meets the 134D spec. What was that label in the first picture from that only says "Recommended for"?

Same thing, Traveller Premium. The first photo was an older photo, its properties shows 2016 vintage. The name of the fluid is at the top left in the text on the pail, the logo above it was cut off. I am thinking your post about the label changing at times is correct and the wording has been changed at times.