Changing Hydraulic Filters The No Mess Way
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Unscrew a hydraulic oil filter, and if you just lose a few gallons of oil, you’re lucky. Oscar Scott wasn’t, so he figured out how to eliminate oil loss and the mess that often comes with it. His solution was a device he calls the Vac Trac. It worked well, so he formed a company to sell it, all because he made a mess on his shop floor and himself.
“The manual on my new Kubota said to change the filter at 400 hrs. and change the hydraulic oil at 1,000,” recalls Scott. “I unscrewed the filter and got drenched in oil. My wife wouldn’t even let me in the house in those clothes.”
Determined not to make that mistake twice, Scott discussed the issue with his Kubota techs. They insisted that setting a 5-gal. bucket under the filter with him on his back was the only way to do the job, but he had to be quick. At 80, he had no interest in lying on his back on the shop floor and assured them he was not that fast.
“John David Shannon, manager of James Brother Implement in Amarillo, Texas, suggested I use a shop vac,” says Scott. “He explained that attaching it to the gearbox inlet would produce a vacuum to hold the oil in place when the filter was removed.”
While the idea seemed sound, Scott recognized that he would only need about 20 in. of negative pressure to hold the 5 to 6-in. oil depth in the reservoir. He was concerned that the high volume (120 in. of negative pressure) with the shop vac could damage seals and worse.
“Shop vacs are inconvenient, cumbersome and dangerous to use,” says Scott. “A shop vac’s high-volume flow could create violent enough bubbles to result in an aerosol of hydraulic fluid that would not only foul the shop vac but potentially create a combustible mixture of hydrocarbons and air.”
“I developed the Vac Trac,” he says. “It’s about the size of a flashlight, 9 1/2 in. long and about 2 1/4 in. in diameter. The battery can be recharged in about two hours via a USB cable.”
The Vac Trac produces 90 percent less vacuum than a conventional shop vac. It has a magnetic mounting ring for a tight, hands-free connection to easy-to-reach gearbox inlets. It comes with an extension tube for reaching less accessible inlets with magnets on the side of the device to attach it to nearby housings. Adapters that match it up with all tractor brands are included. It’s priced at $174.95.
“That first time I changed a filter on my tractor, it took an hour,” says Scott. “I made a mess on the floor, lost a set of clothes and my religion a time or two. The second time, using the Vac Trac, I lost about three tablespoons of oil.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Red Dog Vac Trac, 13610 County Rd. U, Perryton, Texas 79070 (ph 512-714-5000; info@reddogvactrac.com; www.reddogvactrac.com).
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Changing Hydraulic Filters The No Mess Way FARM SHOP Maintenance Unscrew a hydraulic oil filter and if you just lose a few gallons of oil you’re lucky Oscar Scott wasn’t so he figured out how to eliminate oil loss and the mess that often comes with it His solution was a device he calls the Vac Trac It worked well so he formed a company to sell it all because he made a mess on his shop floor and himself “The manual on my new Kubota said to change the filter at 400 hrs and change the hydraulic oil at 1 000 ” recalls Scott “I unscrewed the filter and got drenched in oil My wife wouldn’t even let me in the house in those clothes ” Determined not to make that mistake twice Scott discussed the issue with his Kubota techs They insisted that setting a 5-gal bucket under the filter with him on his back was the only way to do the job but he had to be quick At 80 he had no interest in lying on his back on the shop floor and assured them he was not that fast “John David Shannon manager of James Brother Implement in Amarillo Texas suggested I use a shop vac ” says Scott “He explained that attaching it to the gearbox inlet would produce a vacuum to hold the oil in place when the filter was removed ” While the idea seemed sound Scott recognized that he would only need about 20 in of negative pressure to hold the 5 to 6-in oil depth in the reservoir He was concerned that the high volume 120 in of negative pressure with the shop vac could damage seals and worse “Shop vacs are inconvenient cumbersome and dangerous to use ” says Scott “A shop vac’s high-volume flow could create violent enough bubbles to result in an aerosol of hydraulic fluid that would not only foul the shop vac but potentially create a combustible mixture of hydrocarbons and air ” “I developed the Vac Trac ” he says “It’s about the size of a flashlight 9 1/2 in long and about 2 1/4 in in diameter The battery can be recharged in about two hours via a USB cable ” The Vac Trac produces 90 percent less vacuum than a conventional shop vac It has a magnetic mounting ring for a tight hands-free connection to easy-to-reach gearbox inlets It comes with an extension tube for reaching less accessible inlets with magnets on the side of the device to attach it to nearby housings Adapters that match it up with all tractor brands are included It’s priced at $174 95 “That first time I changed a filter on my tractor it took an hour ” says Scott “I made a mess on the floor lost a set of clothes and my religion a time or two The second time using the Vac Trac I lost about three tablespoons of oil ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Red Dog Vac Trac 13610 County Rd U Perryton Texas 79070 ph 512-714-5000; info@reddogvactrac com; www reddogvactrac com
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