Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

This model (and others) are now on the Ariens website. Note there are wheel drive and track drive models.

Regarding your comment about temperature; even in a cold ambient environment hydrostatic transmissions can run very hot. They are well under 50% efficient (as low as 25-30% for certain models). The smaller hydrostatic transmissions can emit more the 1000W in heat. The small surface area of the pump housings have a hard time purging the heat. The Honda (928TAS in particular) has a loaded hydrostatic oil temperature of around 200 degrees F (in a +32F ambient temperature). That is approximately 25 degrees below the temperature at which petrolium oil starts to break down and deteriorate. Honda uses conventional petrolium oil for this application. The Ariens (equivalent Hydro Pro 28 Track) loaded hydrostatic oil temperature runs ~50F cooler and uses synthetic oil which will reliably operate in conditions over 50F higher than petrolium oil. This is why there is a service schedule for the hydrostatic oil in the Honda and not the Ariens. All said, the Ariens can take more drive load at higher ambient temperatures without risk to the longevity of the drive.

http://m.powerequipment.honda.com/pdf/manuals/00X317677230.pdf

There are 2 sections that refer to it in this manual. There would be no reason to offer Honda branded hydrostatic oil if there were no service requirements. Honda hydrostatic oil is 5W-30 petrolium based motor oil (Husqvarna's is too). I would imagine it is possible, even likely in some areas, that you could go the life of the unit with original equipment oil. There are duty cycles however whereas this may not happen.

The Ariens unit is completely self contained with a diaphragm bladder expansion tank. The 0W-40 synthetic hydrostatic oil in the Ariens will not deteriorate with an extreme duty cycle or higher ambient temperature hence there are no service requirements. Note also the oil in the Ariens is not the low grade hydrocracked petrolium oil which is what 99% of the "synthetic" labeled oils are at your local auto parts retailer. These types of oils work as well as a true synthetic but not to the same degree of longevity. If you do change out or fill the oil in your Honda I would recommend the same.

Snowmann: I always appreciate the knowledgable feedback you offer on this forum. That said....

I'm not sure how this explanation relates to your statement "This is why there is a service schedule for the hydrostatic oil in the Honda and not the Ariens." Honda, as do many manufacturers, typically offer there own house label brand as a means to generate extra $$$ but also to ensure that the correct viscosity and type of oil is used during maintenance or repairs. I repeat what I said in my previous post however, in that the Honda owner's manual simply instructs you to check the fluid to make sure it's full and how to add fluid if needed. Go to page 43 - 44 of the pdf link you provided and read it for yourself. There simply is no "service schedule" as you implied.

Both Honda and Husqvarna are 5W-30 Petrolium oil. 0W-40 synthetic oil will run ~10 degrees cooler (versus 5W-30 dino oil), have an operational ceiling temperature about 50-75 degress higher, it will have more stable operational characteristics at a broader range of operating temperatures (shorter warm up stall time at very low temps), and will not pass through the seal interface as readily due to its homogenous nature (no lighter constituent oils). Again, get real synthetic for longevity, not hydrocracked synthetic. Mobil 1 0W-40 European Car Formula is available at the Wal-Mart around here which is the real deal. This is what I would run in any hydrostatic snowblower transmission. Even more important would be use of synthetic gear oil in the auger gear cases. The Ariens L3 stuff is top shelf. It's a proprietary synthetic 75W-140 GL5 MT1 with a special EP formulation. I'd use this in the Honda too for many of the same reasons. The mis-matched gear set in the Honda (worm on helical) is hard on oil due to point contact. The film strength of the L3 oil will protect much better against metal on metal contact/pitting. Again, the oils that Honda uses probably work fine in most cases, but you can do better if the machine sees a very high duty cycle. The better lubricants will extend the life of the machine under those circumstances.

BTW, ATF transmission fluid is not suitable for use with Hydrostatic transmissions similar to the ones being discussed. As such, do not use. The viscosity characteristics are not compatible.