A couple of weeks ago I started smelling hydraulic fluid. Usually when you get an odor like that it means the vapor is escaping somewhere and there's an imminent repair job. Just before I used the tractor the last time I notice just a little seeping fluid around a hydraulic oil cooler and I knew I'd be getting dirty soon. The last time I used the tractor I left a trail of hydraulic fluid down the driveway and the radiator fan was throwing it everywhere when I shut off the engine.
The hydraulic oil cooler inlet had failed. Over time, the vibration of the engine allowed a small crack to develop. I used to work at a New Holland Dealership and these little coolers weren't designed very well. You have to really tighten the fittings to get a good seal, but you can't put any torque on the inlet or outlet tubes or you'll bend them. When these tractors were new there were several fail under warranty, and it would usually be the base of the fitting on the left if you were facing the grill of the tractor (I think that's the outlet, it's furthest away from the pump). Mine lasted until long after the warranty expired, but vibration finally got it.
The part number for this cooler is 87301196. New Holland wanted a little over $300 for a new one, so I went on line to see if I could find a cheaper alternative. Radiator Pros, based in Iowa, had one for a little less that $200 shipped to my door so I went that way and a couple of days later it arrived. New Holland's replacement may be identical to this one, I don't know, but it has a beefed up inlet and outlet base so it should last longer than the original equipment model.
My neighbor, Wes, purchased a vacuum device that he volunteered to try out to "bleed" the system before we restarted the tractor and I took him up on it. We didn't know how much hydraulic fluid we'd lost and didn't want to kill the pump. As it turns out, there wasn't as much air in the system as we thought there might be and as bad as the streak down the driveway looked, the tractor took about three gallons of hydraulic fluid to get it filled. We could have gotten by without the last step, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
The tractor is running great now with no signs of hydraulic difficulties.
You do have to get the fittings really tight to get a good seal and you'll need to support the base with some pliers of vice grips while you tighten them.
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