I am brand new and starting to learn. I just bought a lathe from Precision Matthews (1440GT) and will be picking it up later this week. I notice they spec Mobil DTE heavy/medium iso 68 SAE 20 grade oil. I looked at MSC and they want $175 for 5 gallons. I read several other posts on this forum and wanted to know if I can buy other brands that are in the $40-50 dollar range. Are they basically the same thing or am I making a mistake. Rural King has harvest King AW6820W for $14 dollars for 2 gallon jug. Will this do? Or is it important to buy the stuff for $175 Thanks
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Is cheaper hydraulic oil OK?
- Thread starter Dgrose
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- Mar 26, 2018
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I have little experience with hydraulic oil so I cannot comment on what to buy. I did work for a machine shop a few years back that "saved some money" on the oil coolant for a $1.2M gear grinding machine. The oil ended up being corrosive and eating all the black oxide off the machine as well as destroying the chiller and filtration unit. Cost them a couple hundred grand to replace everything. I would have thought all oil to be the same but obviously there is some bad stuff out there.
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I have heard of a number of people using plain ol hydraulic fluid without issue. I never have so can't share any experienece.
Wow, prices have gone up. I used to pay like $22 a gal for DTE from Enco. The last 2 gallons I purchased from my local MSC was $28/gal. About $10 more now.
It's $30 a gallon on Amazon with free prime shipping. Or $112 shipped for 5 gallons. You don't need 5 gallons for the lathe though unless you have other needs for the left over oil.
Wow, prices have gone up. I used to pay like $22 a gal for DTE from Enco. The last 2 gallons I purchased from my local MSC was $28/gal. About $10 more now.
It's $30 a gallon on Amazon with free prime shipping. Or $112 shipped for 5 gallons. You don't need 5 gallons for the lathe though unless you have other needs for the left over oil.
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Mobil DTE is just an example, the Harvest King or similar hydraulic oil of the same ISO rating is fine. Typically hydraulic oils have anti-foaming and anti-rust inhibits which you want. You do not want extreme pressure (EP) agents which are more commonly found is differential/hypoid type gear oils, they are typically some form of sulfur based EP agents that can cause degradation of yellow metals. This is a bit more of a historical problem, the newer EP additives are inactivated and require heat to become active, still best to avoid. You do not want to use a detergent oil (like engine car oils) in a machine that does not have a pressure lube system with a filter. On viscosity, ISO is more the standard, SAE can be confusing between hydraulic, engine and gear oils.
Probably the most important thing to maintaining the health of your machine is regular/annual oil changes, even with little use, water can accumulate in the oil which can lead to rust, in addition to accumulation of metal particles. I usually install a strong magnet in my oil drain plugs to retain the metal particles, you will be amazed at the amount of metal particles that you will find attached to them. It is usually recommended to break in a new lathe by running the spindle at a series of escalating speeds for for 20-30 minutes at each level, and likewise for the gears. Also run the machine in reverse. Change the oil after around 20 hours of use when new.
Probably the most important thing to maintaining the health of your machine is regular/annual oil changes, even with little use, water can accumulate in the oil which can lead to rust, in addition to accumulation of metal particles. I usually install a strong magnet in my oil drain plugs to retain the metal particles, you will be amazed at the amount of metal particles that you will find attached to them. It is usually recommended to break in a new lathe by running the spindle at a series of escalating speeds for for 20-30 minutes at each level, and likewise for the gears. Also run the machine in reverse. Change the oil after around 20 hours of use when new.
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Congratulations. I have the same lathe and I am very happy with it. The head stock takes 4 quarts, saddle feed gearbox 2 quarts, and the apron 1 quart. After paying what I did for the lathe I would not want to use a lesser product than recommended. Zoro has that oil for $35 a gallon. I usually by the gallon size. Looks like everyone has about the same price on it. Sadly Enco was the best.
www.zoro.com
Mobil 100959 $42.01 1 gal Circulating Oil Can 68 ISO Viscosity, 20 SAE | Zoro.com
Order Mobil 1 gal Circulating Oil Can 68 ISO Viscosity, 20 SAE, 100959 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.
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I'll bet that if you retrieved the specs of Mobil DTE it wouldn't be much different that the ISO68 Hydraulic Oil that you can pick up at Tractor Supply or Rural King.
There's a thread around here somewhere where we did the comparison of oils a few years back.
Mobil DTE might have some different additives for 'Turbines & Vacuum pumps' in it, but the fact is that we're dealing with a rather basic gearbox that is a lot simpler than what you find in the hydraulics systems on tractors. We're not even 'pumping' oil anywhere that I can see.
There's a thread around here somewhere where we did the comparison of oils a few years back.
Mobil DTE might have some different additives for 'Turbines & Vacuum pumps' in it, but the fact is that we're dealing with a rather basic gearbox that is a lot simpler than what you find in the hydraulics systems on tractors. We're not even 'pumping' oil anywhere that I can see.
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Most of my machinery is old, as in manually lubricate everything. The types of oil that I use vary with the type of machinery. I can't speak directly to what you need, just give some insight into my stuff. I do buy tractor oil in 5 gallon cans, R&O oil it's called. For the tractor hydraulics and in the dump truck lift cylinder. I can mix it half and half in a pinch with power steering fluid for jacks and porta-power pumps. I also use it in a few places that call for gear lube, like a gear driven tiller and a post hole drill.
I keep automotive transmission on hand, but mostly for cleaning. Adding a pint to the crankcase 100 miles before an oil change, that sort of thing. My wife drives a fairly new (<10 YO) yuppie wagon and I stay away from it. The dump truck is a '68 Chev, the tractor is a mid '70s. I like the old stuff~~~
For my air tools and nailers, I use "Marvel Mystery Oil". No, I don't just use it, I swear by it. Also use it for short term lube on the lathes and mills. I use the R&O for the lathe and mill beds for long term idleness. Then there's the non-detergent motor oil that gets widely used as a general lube.
Then there's the models and household goods that get sewing machine oil and specialty lubricants. But they're outside the discussion
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I keep automotive transmission on hand, but mostly for cleaning. Adding a pint to the crankcase 100 miles before an oil change, that sort of thing. My wife drives a fairly new (<10 YO) yuppie wagon and I stay away from it. The dump truck is a '68 Chev, the tractor is a mid '70s. I like the old stuff~~~
For my air tools and nailers, I use "Marvel Mystery Oil". No, I don't just use it, I swear by it. Also use it for short term lube on the lathes and mills. I use the R&O for the lathe and mill beds for long term idleness. Then there's the non-detergent motor oil that gets widely used as a general lube.
Then there's the models and household goods that get sewing machine oil and specialty lubricants. But they're outside the discussion
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This is a common and simple question everybody asks the WRONG people...
You are asking about how doing something effects the warranty.
Only one parry can answer that...the warranty provider.
Look up the data sheet for the specified product.
Also look at instruction manual and look for the specification.
Many list a specific procuct (product placement) followed by "or equalivent"
Look for the different product and check the data sheet.
In this case contact an oil dealer as they can provide exact information as well as suggest other products and compatibility topics.
Once you have the other product then contact manufacturer and ask them if your product can be used AND provide the data sheets.
It gives them the option to suggest to others a less expensive product maybe.
If they approve then warranty still good.
If not approved then no warranty...
Easy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
You are asking about how doing something effects the warranty.
Only one parry can answer that...the warranty provider.
Look up the data sheet for the specified product.
Also look at instruction manual and look for the specification.
Many list a specific procuct (product placement) followed by "or equalivent"
Look for the different product and check the data sheet.
In this case contact an oil dealer as they can provide exact information as well as suggest other products and compatibility topics.
Once you have the other product then contact manufacturer and ask them if your product can be used AND provide the data sheets.
It gives them the option to suggest to others a less expensive product maybe.
If they approve then warranty still good.
If not approved then no warranty...
Easy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk