Z turn hydro?

[clueless 2,986]

My hustler zero turn has a hydro drive on both sides with filter. Manual says change fluid and filters every 200 hr or two years. I'm on my third year but with only 160hr on them. It uses 20w50 mobile 1 full syn. My question is how bad does full syn break down over time and am I pushing it? The filters and the oil are not that expensive just curious.

[ZXT 2,401]

Oil doesn't go bad from sitting, so in that regard age isn't a factor. They are more than likely accounting for condensation that could have accumulated over time.

 

I know there are things on my place that haven't had the oil changed in 15 years with very little run time. The oil looks fine and I'm not afraid of it. If the oil in your trans looks clean, I'd say you're good to run it up until the 200 hour mark.

 

[squonk 41,065]

I'd say you're safe. But if it were me I'd change it. I run my C-160 hydro about 25 hrs. a year and use Mobil-1 10w-30 and a Napa 1410 filter in the trans.I change it right after the Big Show as a reminder time. Maybe overkill, but if there are any metal shavings or anything else in the oil, I want it out!  

[DET 105]

My Exmark has the same setup. My neighbor was late to change his and had to replace the gear motor.

That was enough to convince me to to change the oil & filters. It takes awhile to get all the air out of the system so be sure 

to keep an eye on your fluid level.

[JoeM 7,873]

7 hours ago, clueless said:

Manual says change fluid and filters every 200 hr or two years

I would consider this a just a generic guide line.

The most important emphasis is on the running conditions. Extreme conditions, i.e. very hot, very dusty, moisture laden, always accelerate the intervals of change. One nice thing there are filters. When you do change the filters, inspect the dirt that has been trapped in pleats. How much and what kind. Note the condition of drained oil and spot check some on a white paper towel and note the dirt. These kind of things are just field level inspections and don't cost anything, but will revel a lot of information. Rubbing oil between your fingers will tell a story of the its condition. Take some clean oil and compare the feel. 

It is hard to compare someone else results to yours due to the conditions in which you operate. That is if you don't have good information to compare.  I have a lot of hilly terrain and the machines run pretty hard. I like to change oils more often. Kind of like running a car in the city or on the highway. 

[Mudrig150 298]

Zero turn manufacturers are known for overestimating the quality of their equipment. I'd say change the fluid every 150 hours to be safe. Our neighbour had a cub ZT that said to change the fluid something like every 250 hours, he did exactly that and after 3 seasons the hydro motors had worn out and it wouldn't turn right anymore.