Traveller “Premium Tractor Hydraulic Fluid” T806391 for Leblond Headstock

itsmeBernie · Nov 2, 2022

I have a squarehead 13 inch Regal.

I’m getting mixed information on this particular oil I found at Tractor Supply, whether it is detergent or non-detergent:

Traveller “Premium Tractor Hydraulic Fluid” T806391

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...DhZTTtlFfE3K1QL-mEjNEwoB2Nnked6EaAg1REALw_wcB

In the price tag above the bucket on the ground, it says ISO/46. My problem it does not say either way on the actual bucket.
On the webpage it does not say there is detergent or not, but somewhere down in the questions and answers somebody thinks it does.

I was hoping to get some opinions here if this is the right stuff for my machine here.
If it’s the right stuff, it would be a good deal and I could just pick it up and drive it home. I just don’t want to get stuck with 5 gallons of the wrong stuff.
If it is the right stuff, it’s only 60 bucks for 5 gallons and I can just pick it up and bring it home instead of ordering it.

Thank you for your time

Bernie

john.k · Nov 2, 2022

For mine,I d think ISO 46 a bit light .....unless your workshop is freezing year round.........my choice is ISO 68 ,which is equivalent to 20 grade engine oil.........hydraulic oils and transmission oils do not contain detergents ,there is no need for them........in general hydraulic oils are rated as either R&O ,or as AW .......either is suitable for a lathe gear transmission..........if the lathe spends long periods unused in a cold shop, then Id lean to an R&O ,which may shed water better than an AW oil...............NEVER use an EP rated oil that smells like cabbage or onions.....EP oils contain chemicals that corrode gears in the presence of condensation.

itsmeBernie · Nov 2, 2022

Thanks so much John,
I wonder what is in there right now.. It looks quite green actually, and had a bit of a smell. It sat in a storage unit for 15 years before I got it.
It is probably a good thing I am about to change that oil out.

Bernie

john.k · Nov 2, 2022

Oils are sometimes pale green ......supposedly back in the day ,the best oil was Pennsylvania oil ,and it had a green flourescence.....so anyone making an oil had to dye it green .........with a lathe thats been stored ,first thing I d check is whats under the oil ......rub a finger tip along the lower surface of the head ,and see if it comes up covered in black grainy sludge.........if it does ,the drain the oil ,and very carefully wash this sludge out of the drain holes with some solvent and brushes ....try to avoid spreading this sludge anywhere inside the head ,and swill it out the drain hole.,and be sure the nooks and crannies are clean .

Garwood · Nov 3, 2022

46 is too light. Run 68.

John Garner · Nov 3, 2022

I haven't seen a LeBlond in quite a while, but I recall that most LeBlond Regal lathes I've ever seen had a factory tag on the headstock something along the lines of "SAE 20 motor oil". That said, I've known two lubrication engineers over the years that recommended using Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) meeting either the now obsolete "Type A, Suffix A" or General Motors' "Dexron" specification for "general use" in both hydraulic and mechanical applications.

Both of them cautioned me that ATF meeting Ford's "Type F" specification was not at all suitable for such use, as Type F was formulated to grab when the fluid film was below a certain thickness.

Since then, I've used Dexron ATF in light lathe headstocks, light milling machine gearboxes, water-pumping windmill gearboxes, and manual transmissions without it causing any problems. I've also used the Dexron in my general-purpose oilcans and automotive hydraulic jacks without problems other than it creating pink stains on my shirts.

Bottom line, I'm not a lubrication engineer myself and thus won't recommend you use Dexron ATF in your LeBlond; I am simply passing along an anecdote.

At the same time, I would use Dexron ATF in a 13 inch LeBlond Regal's headstock if I owned one. (And for the record, I know that 13 inch Regals were never the ne plus ultra lathes, but I have a very special place in my heart for them.)

Phil in Montana · Nov 3, 2022

Just use 20wt engine oil, you are splash lubing sper gears, not a Swiss watch ...Phil

Peroni · Nov 3, 2022

A tribologist recommended I switch to an ISO68 way oil in the headstock. I'm using some stuff from Schaeffers with no issues at all, found out it is actually recommended by the manufacturer for gearboxes and headstocks as well as slide ways.

Garwood · Nov 3, 2022

Phil in Montana said:
Just use 20wt engine oil, you are splash lubing sper gears, not a Swiss watch ...Phil

A 5 gal bucket of 68 hyd fluid is way cheaper than buying 20wt non-detergent motor oil. And where do you even find that?

I run iso 100 hydraulic fluid in my air compressors because it's way easier to find and cheaper than 30wt non-detergent motor oil.

itsmeBernie · Nov 11, 2022

I really appreciate all of your opinions.
Anyone know how the hell to find out the actual specs on this oil? Does TS make it hard to find specific specs on purpose? Their website is useless. All you can do is search the name of a tractor, instead of just saying what the effing oil actually is.
I can't even find out if this "Premium" oil is "R&O" or "AM." I have googled the hell out of it. I was told by a very knowledgable and experienced machine rebuilder, who rebuilds Leblonds, to put R&O if possible, as AM oils are really for very high pressure applications, usually with different additives. He did say most important is to be lubed at all, but if I am going to be stuck with 5 gallons of this stuff it is fair to be able to know what the hell it is.

Trying to derive from suggested uses, it lists:

"Engineered for"
-farm equipment
-off-highway machinery
-power steering units

"Employs a common sump to lubricate"
-hydrostatic transmissions
-differentials
-wet brakes
-hydraulics
-final drive gears

I know it isn't life or death, but really effing annoying that this basic info is so hard to find. MOST of the applications listed sound like "slinging" oil situations, as opposed to high pressure, back hoe cylinder fluid.
Just tell me which oil in your damn store is actually right for what application, unless they are actually making every single oil in the place sound like it works for almost everything??

dalmatiangirl61 · Nov 11, 2022

The R&O or AW is usually right on the label in big letters. I'm running AW68 in my lathes, but there is no humidity, and my shop temp changes super slowly.

Edit: Just looked at TSC site, looks like its all just labeled with ISO now, guess they've changed the labeling. Even the ISO68AW says it has rust and oxidation inhibitors. Maybe you have a lubricants supplier with better info on their products nearby?

Garwood · Nov 11, 2022

You are worrying way too much.

itsmeBernie · Nov 11, 2022

Garwood said:
You are worrying way too much.

I hear you. I'm not actually worried, but now I don't like that obvious info I would want when buying oil to be so difficult to pin down. It shouldn't be this hard to know.
There is no Tractor Supply store near me, so I had to wait until I was driving near one again, which was today.

UNLIKE the website, going to the store the label says the opposite:
"This product is NOT recommended for transmissions, differentials, wet brakes or final drive gears."

It might not matter in my case, but this makes me think this is not technically the right oil for a gearbox, but really an "AW" oil. It says it is equivalent to Denison HF-0, which is meant for high pressure applications.
Maybe I am incorrect.
Simplest answer is probably to just buy Mobil and not bother with Tractor Supply at all. That's probably my problem.

Bernie

john.k · Nov 12, 2022

If the brand of R&O oil in the compressors was changed ,everyone would go home sick..........one time a repair outfit offered an oil change free .....the new manager bit on the deal ,everyone went off sick ,next day the oil was changed back to BP R&O 68......and the owners chewed out the new manager for loss of a whole days revenue.............incidentally R&O is turbine quality oil ,and doesnt form "shellac" that blocks the coolers.

ramsay1 · Nov 13, 2022

I have a 1941 fifteen inch LeBlond in my home shop... I use nothing but bar and chain oil in that machine.. It is non detergent sae 30 with a tackifier to help it stay put.... I use this oil in other machines for way oil and oil can points but tend to shy away from it anywhere an oil clutch is involved....Usually use Walmart brand but found some on sale under the name of "black max" at walmart so bought a few gallons at 10 bucks a gallon.. I find this black max brand has the most tackifiers I have seen so far. Cheers from Louisiana; Ramsay 1

Hobby Shop · Nov 13, 2022

itsmeBernie said:
I hear you. I'm not actually worried, but now I don't like that obvious info I would want when buying oil to be so difficult to pin down. It shouldn't be this hard to know.
There is no Tractor Supply store near me, so I had to wait until I was driving near one again, which was today.

UNLIKE the website, going to the store the label says the opposite:
"This product is NOT recommended for transmissions, differentials, wet brakes or final drive gears."

It might not matter in my case, but this makes me think this is not technically the right oil for a gearbox, but really an "AW" oil. It says it is equivalent to Denison HF-0, which is meant for high pressure applications.
Maybe I am incorrect.
Simplest answer is probably to just buy Mobil and not bother with Tractor Supply at all. That's probably my problem.

Bernie

Get the Travellers Universal Premium. It’s made for wet brakes, transmissions and hydraulic systems. It’s SAE 10W-30.

Andy

CDR243 · Dec 12, 2022

Not sure if it helps, Monarch recommends Moblie Mobil DTE Heavy Medium (ISO68)

DDoug · Dec 13, 2022

itsmeBernie said:
I really appreciate all of your opinions.
Anyone know how the hell to find out the actual specs on this oil? Does TS make it hard to find specific specs on purpose? Their website is useless. All you can do is search the name of a tractor, instead of just saying what the effing oil actually is.
I can't even find out if this "Premium" oil is "R&O" or "AM." I have googled the hell out of it. I was told by a very knowledgable and experienced machine rebuilder, who rebuilds Leblonds, to put R&O if possible, as AM oils are really for very high pressure applications, usually with different additives. He did say most important is to be lubed at all, but if I am going to be stuck with 5 gallons of this stuff it is fair to be able to know what the hell it is.

Trying to derive from suggested uses, it lists:

"Engineered for"
-farm equipment
-off-highway machinery
-power steering units

"Employs a common sump to lubricate"
-hydrostatic transmissions
-differentials
-wet brakes
-hydraulics
-final drive gears

I know it isn't life or death, but really effing annoying that this basic info is so hard to find. MOST of the applications listed sound like "slinging" oil situations, as opposed to high pressure, back hoe cylinder fluid.
Just tell me which oil in your damn store is actually right for what application, unless they are actually making every single oil in the place sound like it works for almost everything??

I had a question about that oil, I called them on the....wait for it ..."The Phone".
IIRC it was "Does the premium Hytrans oil have the additives that corrode light metal bearings ?"

Traveller “Premium Tractor Hydraulic Fluid” T806391 for Leblond Headstock

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Attachments

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Stainless

Cast Iron

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Titanium

Hot Rolled

Attachments

Aluminum

Diamond

Similar threads