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Oil being described as 10-W appears to be an incomplete descriptor. There is 10W-30 & 10W-40 among others -- all meant to mean the viscosity of the oil when it is cold is equivalent to SAE 10 weight oil. Any oil with 10W as the first part of its SAE description will do just fine in your Model M tractor. If you are in a mild or very warm climate, I recommend the higher number like 10W-40 or even 10W-50. If you are in Minnesota for instance, 10W-20 would be the oil to use. Steve's mention of non-detergent oil deserves merit too. Again, I like to see owners stay with lubes that were in wide use during the era of production -- some half-century ago! It's not so unusual for anyone at the JD dealership to make off-the-wall recommendations such JD hydraulic oil. Think about the M -- produced 1947 - 52, and all averaged 15 years old by (say) 1966. That's 40 years ago. Most all JD parts guys working in that prime era are retired or have went on to some other choice in life. Point: The JD parts guy will likely have very little knowledge, and will (if wise) rely on the same source of information you have! One thing he should not do is "shoot from the hip". And when they do, you just pick up your cap and go down the road. Besides, this fellow told you he did not know beans about the Model M -- your first clue! As far as use of the newer super blends such as Hi-Gard, some research may be in order before introducing these compounds -- I would be looking for some ingredients that may attack seals, etc. before using them. And until you have done your research, stay with lubes meant for equipments of the era they came with. For your tractor, the Touch-O-Matic capacity is 3 quarts for Model M (five quarts for you Model MT owners). It might be a great time to drain the system and install new oil that is all of the same brand and weight -- this would baseline the lift system for you -- a new start so to speak. (PatB)
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