Tranny oil for a 450b

[make do homesteader]

Hey, I'm really trying to do my research before I bug you guys, so let me first say you are a massive blessing!
Simply put, I'm really having info overload confusion.

Is modern JD hydrolic oil the same as the old JD303?
Is JD oil any good anymore.
Should I stay away from sythenthetic oil blends?
Is the tranny oil the same stuff for the hydrolic oil system?
Is an addative like lucas advisable?
Schaffers carries a Simplex 315, any comments on that?
Specs sheets on the internet say 14 gallons of hydrolic fluid, and don't mention anything about the tranny capacity.
Is the tranny 8gal. and the blade hydrolices 6 gal. ?

Maybe all that info is in the Service manuel. I've bought the tech and parts manuels so far.
All the red ink on this post under misspelled words reminds me of my English homework in High School! My fingers have spent to many years holding pitchforks and steering wheels.
Thanks for the help.

[Jim B]

Your manuals likely call for using John Deere 303 Special Purpose Oil in the HLR transmission and the hydraulic system. Printed service and Operator's manuals don't get updated, unfortunately. You need to use John Deere Hy Gard or a UTHF (Universal Tractor Transmission Hydraulic Fluid) meeting the John Deere JDM J20C specification, in place of the 303. 303 has been obsolete since 1974. It contained Sperm whale oil which became unavailable with the Endangered Species Act in 1974. You will see some distributors selling oil products called 303, but it cannot be since they can't have sperm whale oil. There have been lawsuits over such products and their sale is banned in some locations. If you go with an aftermarket product (like TSC Traveler Premium UTHF) look at the label. It should list the manufacturer specs it claims to meet, look for John Deere J20C. If it is not there, I would not use it.

[Jim B]

Schaffers Simplex 315 Data sheet says it is a UTHF and meets John Deere J20C among specs for other manufacturers, so it should be suitable to use.

John Deere changed the name "Service" Manual to "Technical" Manual after the 450. So if you have a 450B it is a Technical Manual, there is no service manual to purchase in addition to the Technical Manual TM1033. The 450B Operator's manual has most of the info regarding fluid types and capacities. It also has info on operating the machine and maintenance and adjustments it was expected owner/operators would do. You need a copy of the Operator's Manual if you don't have one. There can be different operator manuals based on serial numbers and how it is equipped, such as dozer or loader. Have you verified your 450B by its serial number?

Transmission would be 8 gallons, when completely dry. Hydraulics would be another 13 - 14 gallons in the hydraulic system. A refill of just the "armrest" reservoir would likely be about half that unless you were to drain all the cylinders, tubing, and hoses. Both would use a UTHF meeting the J20C spec.

Is your 450B a dozer or loader? If a dozer, do you know what model dozer blade it has?

[make do homesteader]

Thanks Jim B, I've been chasing all kinds of data and yours is a great help!
Mine is a 6 way crawler, I'm not famillar yet with different types of blades.
Is changing the transmission side filter part of normal maintence?
And yes, it appears I need to get an operators manual.
I'm making the most of some winter downtime.

[Jim B]

A full hydraulic six-way blade with the push frame inside the tracks would be a model 6405. The 450B parts catalog #PC1170 does not include the dozer blade options and their related hydraulics. You need parts catalog # PC919 for the 6405 blade and related hydraulics.

Yes, cleaning/changing the sump screen, found in the lower right side of the transmission is part of normal maintenance as well as changing the spin on transmission filter located in front of the radiator. The hydraulic filter is inside the hydraulic reservoir.

If you go to the John Deere technical information store: https://www.johndeeretechinfo.com/ you can download and save copies of the operator's manuals. Just enter the manual part number in the center search box and search, it should bring the manual up for you. The 450B operator's manual is OMT40817 and the operator's manual for the 6405 blade is OMT33517.

If you want to post your entire serial number from the tag it can be decoded and tell you the year and confirm the blade type it left the factory with.