It's time to change hydro oil for the first time and I have a question that I don't think has been addressed in these forums.
After draining old oil and changing filters, the Walker manual says to refill the (Hydro Gear) drives through a very small hole at the top of each drive. Would it be possible to refill through the expansion tank instead? It seems that there are several advantages to this approach, at least from my perspective. First, one would not have to disconnect hoses leading from the expansion tank and remove fittings at the top of each drive, which should greatly reduce chances of getting any dirt inside the drives. Also, one would not have to find a funnel tiny enough to get inside the small holes (which I believe are ~1/4"). And finally, one would not have to worry about the possibility that dirt may be hard to see and completely remove from the funnel, particularly in the tiny necked down section. FWIW, the expansion tank spout is large enough that one could carefully pour oil from a new container into it without using a funnel at all.
Thanks in advance!
After draining old oil and changing filters, the Walker manual says to refill the (Hydro Gear) drives through a very small hole at the top of each drive. Would it be possible to refill through the expansion tank instead? It seems that there are several advantages to this approach, at least from my perspective. First, one would not have to disconnect hoses leading from the expansion tank and remove fittings at the top of each drive, which should greatly reduce chances of getting any dirt inside the drives. Also, one would not have to find a funnel tiny enough to get inside the small holes (which I believe are ~1/4"). And finally, one would not have to worry about the possibility that dirt may be hard to see and completely remove from the funnel, particularly in the tiny necked down section. FWIW, the expansion tank spout is large enough that one could carefully pour oil from a new container into it without using a funnel at all.
Thanks in advance!