Satoh Hydraulics and cold weather

Arti

Arti

Tractorologist
Member
Good Morning
Although we live in a warmer climate than we used to it is necessary to move a little snow durning the winter months.

I have been using a Statoh Beaver for the last 3 years. 4 wheel drive 15 hp Diesel CUT
It has a loader on it and a 5 ft blade. More than adequate for the 40 ft of driveway we have although occasionally I will clean out the neighbors driveway which is about 200 ft.

We had a week of cold that was below normal and snowed a few tenths of an inch nearly everyday so I fired up the Satoh and went to work it was barely above 0 and after a few minutes the hydraulics got very jerky almost like it was running out of oil and trying to pump air. When I purchased the tractor it had the rubber on the gear shift missing so it had some water in the hydraulic system / transmission.

Last fall I removed the 3 low point drain plugs and changed the oil 3 times, Also added a can of heat to the oil. Yesterday was 60 Degrees so I started the tractor up and bladed the driveway, The hydraulics worked fine. I don't know if it still has some moisture in the system or it was just to cold for it last winter. I wonder if the shaft seal on the pump leaks when it gets cold, I can't find any leaks in the pipe that goes from the oil in the trans to the pump.
Best
 
More than likely there's still a small amount of moisture in there. The moisture crystalizes in real cold weather, and after a few minutes the crystals build up on the sump screen, blocking it, then pump cavitates.
 
The only thing I can add to the above excellent advice is to run and work the tractor until it is up to normal operating temperatures before servicing. This will allow any contamination in the system to mix with the oil before it is drained. If you can get to that screen I would clean it at the same time.
 
Good idea on getting a fresh oil change to get rid of the Heat, I put the alcohol in mainly because I intended to use it this past winter.
I will change the oil a couple of times this spring and again next fall. Checked oil and it's not milky like it was last fall so I'm making some progress on getting rid of the moisture.
A few gallons of oil is a lot cheaper than a pump repair or transmission gears / bearings !!
 
Sometimes it takes me a bit of time to think things through.
I remembered that Uncle Willie on here had some issues with hydraulic oil so I found the post and it was 303 oil.

When I changed the oil we bought hydraulic / transmission oil from tsc and after looking at the can is is 303 oil. I suspect that it gets foamy and then the hydraulics get jerky after running for about 20 minutes or so, Will definitely have to change it out soon and see how it goes.
Thanks to uncle willie for informing us about this problem.
 
Arti said:
Sometimes it takes me a bit of time to think things through.
I remembered that Uncle Willie on here had some issues with hydraulic oil so I found the post and it was 303 oil.

When I changed the oil we bought hydraulic / transmission oil from tsc and after looking at the can is is 303 oil. I suspect that it gets foamy and then the hydraulics get jerky after running for about 20 minutes or so, Will definitely have to change it out soon and see how it goes.
Thanks to uncle willie for informing us about this problem.
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JD303 has been banned in several states, and the 303 oil made today doesn't even have a reliable specification. It's more marketing hype than anything.

The real question is, what is recommended for Mitsu-Satoh machines like the Beaver?

Looking at the Satoh Beaver Maintenance Manual on pg-20 . . .

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Here's all the manuals I have for the Satoh Beaver too. ;)
 

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  • SATOH BEAVER S370 REPAIR MANUAL.pdf
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  • SATOH BEAVER S370 INSTRUCTION BOOK.pdf
    1.2 MB · Views: 6
Not to hijack Atri's thread but I purchased this Satoh from Arti the Tuesday before Christmas of last year (2021) Only used it a couple of short periods but with the warmer weather today it got some run time. Hauled a bucket full of firewood up to the house for fireplace burning, hauled some feed for the birds for Carolyn and took it for a drive up the road and back. It got warmed up good so wanted to change the oil in the gear case again. Oil started out like clean oil then got a moisture shade to it. Hardly noticeable but it was there. Let it drain for a couple hours, refilled it with Northland Trandraulic Oil. Included a qt. of Lucas Hydraulic oil Conditioner and stop leak. Engine oil was changed a week ago to 10W-30 Diesel oil. Now I know when fluids have been changed and what is in them. Arti took good care of this machine and glad to have been able to buy it from him.
 
I never had any issues with the hydraulics. Worked good and smooth for me but wanted to make sure. Oil is in 2 - 2 gallon black jugs so hard to say. Air will usually have some tiny bubbles in the oil Did not see that here. The discoloration was just enough to see if you seen the first and the slight change. The last that was dripping off the 3 point arm pins was oil clear again. Spools are seeping a bit as are the bucket cylinders so probably more work this spring when it warm up decent. Might need it for snow and to take it apart now would grantee a snowstorm.

One note on that Lucas Hydraulic oil conditioner, make sure it is warm when you use it , like 70° F or better. It is T H I C K stuff and does not pour well at all. Best to mix it in with the oil your putting it in good first. I had mine in the basement at 65° when I used it and it was still slow pouring.
 
TAHOE said:
He sold it so probably doesn't matter now.
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That's what I felt also. Changing oils, etc. out so I know what has been done and when. Cooling was close to straight water. Drained and put 2.5 qts in. Run it enough to get it circulating good. Check it for strength and tested -35° but look like crap. Will work for this winter but next spring it will get a good flushing and fresh antifreeze put in. Needs the injectors rebuilt also but not going to sit waiting on them for a couple weeks this time of year.
 
After the gear case oil change with the Lucas conditioner added it got some work yesterday. Used it about 45 min to clear the drive of snow3 and mess around doing some other things to get the oil all circulating through the hydraulic system. When back in the garage I checked the curl cylinders and the control valve and did not see near the leakage I saw prior. Not sure if it was the conditioner working that soon or if things got warmed up enough to swell the seals a bit to slow those seeps up. Will know more next spring but so far it is working good.
 
I had some leaks from the control valves on the excavator so installed some of the Lucas conditioner and the leaks have slowed way down. If yours is like mine the more you use it the smaller the drips will be.
 
chieffan said:
After the gear case oil change with the Lucas conditioner added it got some work yesterday. Used it about 45 min to clear the drive of snow3 and mess around doing some other things to get the oil all circulating through the hydraulic system. When back in the garage I checked the curl cylinders and the control valve and did not see near the leakage I saw prior. Not sure if it was the conditioner working that soon or if things got warmed up enough to swell the seals a bit to slow those seeps up. Will know more next spring but so far it is working good.
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Neighbors' Ford 1500 loader leaks when it's cold out. I'll have to pass the Lucas conditioner info over to him.
 
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