The new ones use mobil 1 in the hydro ask Mowing man hes the loacal grass hopper expert

 

Try calling your local grasshopper dealer, I know mine stocks gallon jugs of "grasshopper hydro fluid"

 

I am a Grasshopper dealer. You need to use DTE18M hydraulic fluid. Any Grasshopper dealer should have it. Do not use synthetic oil, do not use the "Grasshopper Hydrostatic Transmission Fluid". Those are the wrong oils for this old style trans. in your machine.
You can also get DTE18M, or an equivilent at most any bulk oil supply company. However, they usually only sell it in 5 gal. buckets, or 55 gal. drums.

 

I thought GH tech support was giving me the wrong info about the oil. I know on the oil tank it states SAE 30 motor oil only. Thanks Mowingman. Do you know the process on how to change the hydro oil? GH told me it needs changed every 400 hours. I don't know if it has ever been changed since I just bought the machine.

 

Has Grasshopper ever done anythingt o help it's machines climbhills better than what they were able to? We had an antique with a 16HP Kohler single and that thing would not climb after a morning dew let alone a rain. It would back up anything, just not go forward very well.

 

Has Grasshopper ever done anythingt o help it's machines climbhills better than what they were able to? We had an antique with a 16HP Kohler single and that thing would not climb after a morning dew let alone a rain. It would back up anything, just not go forward very well.

In a word NO!
the weight transfer helps but if your going up a slope, turn around and back up is the only way I found to get to the top with out turfing the heck out of the lawn

 

You can also get DTE18M, or an equivilent at most any bulk oil supply company. However, they usually only sell it in 5 gal. buckets, or 55 gal. drums.

Try Grainger. I bought Mobile DTE26, for my GH with a G2 transmission, in a 1 gallon container.

 

I have never changed the oil on one of those machines. In fact, I have never seen one. My computer parts view, shows a couple of hoses going down from the little oil tank. I don't know if there is a drain plug on that tank or not. If not, you would take one of the lines loose at the low point, and drain as much oil out as you can. Rehook the line and fill tank with new oil. The system should blled itself of air after you crank it up and move the steering levers some.
As to the 30W info. If it says that on the tank, then I guess that will do the trick. However, we have always used the DTE ol in everything except the newer G2 trans. systems.

 

Sir, I have a G725 and believe it has the G2 transmission. I have Mobil DTE26 as oil to use from this string and Mobil DTE90 from another string in this site. Which one if any is correct? I live 140 due east of San Antonio. Is your dealership near San Antonio?

 

I have a 1987 GH 1822K that has had nothing but Mobil 1 15/50 all the years of its life, from the first fluid change forward, with no problems. Oil has always appeared clean at change time which is approximately every 250-300 hours. Don't recall that I ever saw a decal on my chassis indicating what oil to use.

Before changing oil, power wash top and bottom of hydros and blow dry with air. Pull the hoses off the barbs on the bottom of the hydros and let hydros drain. Allow the tank to drain down through the removed hoses. It probably isn't necessary, but i replace all hoses, remove reservoir tank and wash with carb/choke cleaner and blow dry. Cut new hoses to proper length, replace the new lower hoses to the reservoir tank and pinch the lower ends off. add fluid to tank then unpinch the lower hoses and let gravity fill the lower hoses then reattach to lower hose barbs of the hydro. Remove the upper hose barbs and be very careful not to allow any foreign material to enter hydro. With a clean funnel(or oil container with small nozzle), fill the hydros, replace the hose barbs after cleaning and reattach hoses. Start the unit and run the hydros for a bit. With the unit running add fluid to the reservoir until the oil rises about an inch or so into the top hoses.

Dutch

 

Only the older Gemini series transmissions use the DTE oil. All the "G" series use a synthetic oil which is the "Grasshopper Fluid". There is a common synthetic oil you can use, but I am not at my shop now and can not remember the spec. on it.
My shop is in Denton, Tx.

 

Gentlemen, thanks for your replies. Still searching for a definite answer but am a lot closer than at the start on my research. Next trip to San Antonio I'll try to go to the GH dealer and get theirs for my initial transmission hydro oil change. That'll give me an additional reference point to get an equivalent oil. Once more, thanks.

 

I hope you didn't pay too much for that machine those hydro's will fail soon. Old Grasshoppers will nickle and dime you to death. You will not find any equivalent to that oil out there, only at Hopper dealers.

 

I hope you didn't pay too much for that machine those hydro's will fail soon. Old Grasshoppers will nickle and dime you to death. You will not find any equivalent to that oil out there, only at Hopper dealers.

The older Gemini-style transmissions run just fine with DTE oil in them, that you can by at any good oil supplier. If you need the spec, PM me. I am a Grasshopper dealer and have the info. on equivalent oils. I have seen Gemini Trans. come in with over 3000 original hours on them and still going strong.