450 final drive question

[tjdub]

I started changing the fluid in the final drives of 450 that I just got. I removed the drain plug and to my surprise out came gear oil. All the documentation I've seen about this crawler says that it's supposed to use JD hydraulic fluid in the final drives. Is this something that was changed over time or did someone just mess up and put the wrong oil in there? I was thinking maybe it was just a hack to deal with a leaky seal or something, but I haven't seen any leaking at all.

I'm letting it drain overnight and plan on putting hyguard in there. Is this the right thing to do?

[KenP]

deleted

[tjdub]

Use the oil that is specified for your finals in the Deere Service Manual for your machine.
Ma Deere will sell it to you in various formats on-line or they will sell you a download so you can have it right away.
If you don't have the SM yet, it should be one of the first things you get for your new machine. It will save you money and time in the long run.

Yeah, the machine came with a Service Manual, however, it doesn't mention any procedures for servicing the final drives, it only discusses their removal. I don't have the Owner's Manual, but I'm guessing that's where the info is about changing final drive fluid. My Service Manual does have capacity info for the finals and specifies 303, but the manual is from the 1980's and the crawler is from the 1960's, so I was just wondering if oil type was something that changed over time.

Anyway, they have HyGard in them now.