levelers - which fluid

DailyDriver wrote:
They don't seem to be real picky on the type of fluid.
Operators Manual

Hydrolic fluid is 10 weight , anything 10 weight would do
Transmission fluid ( DEx3 or any universal ) as long as it won't eat the seals and trans fluid will not eat the seals

dougrainer wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
It appears you have the same leveling system as we do. Note that on page four it says to change the fluid every 36 months. This is a system that a lot of people ignore unless there's a problem with it. When we got our rig, I couldn't tell what was in it or if it had ever been changed. Ours was seven years old at the time, I had the fluid changed so I knew what was in it. Then I put a large Dymo Label on it with the change date and what was in it.

Bill

There is NO REASON to change out Fluid in a Slide/Jack system. LCI does state to do so, but there is no valid reason to do so. There are NO gears or moving parts to overheat or get debris in the system. Replace if it makes you feel good, but it is not necessary. Doug

The main reason to change the fluid is the manufactuer recomends it. You may do what ever you want.
Bill

Jaybird wrote:
Well, I learn something new every day!
Never thought about fluid for the jacks!!:S

Where in the Sam Hill is the dipstick????



:h

jb

On mine, the dipstick is attached to the cap on the top of the reservoir tank.

The fluid level is low on mine, so I wanted to top it off to where it states it should be on the dipstick.

_

Well, I learn something new every day!
Never thought about fluid for the jacks!!:S

Where in the Sam Hill is the dipstick????



:h

jb

Power gear jacks will show a constant ( or intermittent while driving) jacks down alarm if the fluid level is low.

Unless you have a jacks down alarm that will not clear, there is no reason to mess with the fluid.

Mine says to use ATF - which I had to do recently because while my jacks would go up, the warning lights/alarms wouldn't go off. There wasn't a dipstick although my owner's manual said there would be. The PO said to top it off which I did with a pint+ of fluid and it has worked fine since.

FIRE UP wrote:

michelb wrote:
I'm not a mechanic but I suspect that the mixing trans fluid is really just an issue when used in transmissions. In transmissions there are tons of different paths for the fluid to go through and the pressure by the fluid is what engages different gears (plates) - different consistencies would probably have very wonky results. I believe hydraulic jacks are a much, much simpler design where the pressure simply extracts / retracts one cylinder (for each leg but since each is controlled semi independently, there's no real consequence).

Good answer!
Yes, transmissions have specific needs when it comes to "slippage" and clutches and more. A hydraulic pump, powering pistons up and down and in slide cases, sideways, don't have the same requirements. Trans fluid IS a hydraulic fluid but, with friction modifiers and, specific viscosities for variables in temp, and operational characteristics. But, there are no such technicalities in Hydraulic pumps. As the sign says, use Dexron III or, Mercon V, then, you can use either one. It doesn't matter what any differences there are in the two of those fluids. Apparently they both are perfectly fine for Power Gear levelers.

They wouldn't put it on the instructions, right there in front for all to read if there were differences that prohibited the mixing of them, at least for hydraulic pump operations.
Scott

Main reason is non transmission type fluids will react with the type seals that are used on these systems. Doug

michelb wrote:
I'm not a mechanic but I suspect that the mixing trans fluid is really just an issue when used in transmissions. In transmissions there are tons of different paths for the fluid to go through and the pressure by the fluid is what engages different gears (plates) - different consistencies would probably have very wonky results. I believe hydraulic jacks are a much, much simpler design where the pressure simply extracts / retracts one cylinder (for each leg but since each is controlled semi independently, there's no real consequence).

Good answer!
Yes, transmissions have specific needs when it comes to "slippage" and clutches and more. A hydraulic pump, powering pistons up and down and in slide cases, sideways, don't have the same requirements. Trans fluid IS a hydraulic fluid but, with friction modifiers and, specific viscosities for variables in temp, and operational characteristics. But, there are no such technicalities in Hydraulic pumps. As the sign says, use Dexron III or, Mercon V, then, you can use either one. It doesn't matter what any differences there are in the two of those fluids. Apparently they both are perfectly fine for Power Gear levelers.

They wouldn't put it on the instructions, right there in front for all to read if there were differences that prohibited the mixing of them, at least for hydraulic pump operations.
Scott

K Charles wrote:
I think you can mix Mercon V with Dextron but not Mercon. Condensation in the tank is the reason to change the oil.

Condensation? Where and how did you come to that conclusion? Where would the moisture come from to cause this problem?? What would this supposed moisture cause a problem with???? Doug

I think you can mix Mercon V with Dextron but not Mercon. Condensation in the tank is the reason to change the oil.