Hydraulic Oil for John Deere Excavator

[fcranch]

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Blew a hydraulic hose on my John Deere 210G excavator and need to top off the fluid.
The manual calls for AW46 hydraulic oil, so I picked up 10 gal of ROZEP 46 from our local wholesaler. Seemed fine until I noticed all the warnings in the manual and on the machine about using zinc-free oil only.

I’m not 100% sure what’s currently in it, but the previous owner said they only used John Deere products, so I assume it's the factory-spec zinc-free oil.

I see machines like this working everywhere and doubt most folks verify if their AW46 is zinc-free or not. That said, I don't know what actual damage could occur from mixing zinc and zinc-free hydraulic oils.

We're on a remote ranch without easy access to OEM fluids.
Any real-world advice—beyond “call your dealer” or “follow the manual”?

 

[dnewton3]

found this:
https://royalmfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Royal-Rozep-AW-Hydraulic-Oils.pdf
I see no mention of zinc in that literature; pro or con.


AW fluids can either be zinc-free or include zinc, so you'll have to dig deeper.
Call Royal and ask them directly; that'll be the best source of info for the fluid you bought.
https://royalmfg.com/

 

[JavierH19]

Zinc free oils are really only meant to be environmentally friendly in case of a spill. Fwiw using something with zinc is nothing but a benefit. It can be corrosive to yellow metals but I don't know of any normal hydraulic system that has it other than it being on the gland of the cylinder for the wiper seal but those are rare and I almost never see those but even then the oil shouldn't come in contact with it. It being an excavator use zinc oil but if it was for agricultural equipment I'd never use it.

https://blog.amsoilindustrial.com/2024/10/23/understanding-zinc-vs-zinc-free-hydraulic-oil/

 

[fcranch]

found this:
https://royalmfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Royal-Rozep-AW-Hydraulic-Oils.pdf
I see no mention of zinc in that literature; pro or con.


AW fluids can either be zinc-free or include zinc, so you'll have to dig deeper.
Call Royal and ask them directly; that'll be the best source of info for the fluid you bought.
https://royalmfg.com/

I plan on calling them in the morning but saw several things online that said if AW46 doesn't specifically say zinc free, then it contains zinc. Thanks.

 

[dnewton3]

Zinc free oils are really only meant to be environmentally friendly in case of a spill. Fwiw using something with zinc is nothing but a benefit. It can be corrosive to yellow metals but I don't know of any normal hydraulic system that has it other than it being on the gland of the cylinder for the wiper seal but those are rare and I almost never see those but even then the oil shouldn't come in contact with it. It being an excavator use zinc oil but if it was for agricultural equipment I'd never use it.

https://blog.amsoilindustrial.com/2024/10/23/understanding-zinc-vs-zinc-free-hydraulic-oil/

I would normally tend to agree, except that the OP specifically stated there are multiple warnings in the manual and on the machine about staying away from zinc.
That would lead me to believe that yellow metals are in that system somewhere ..., or that zinc-based lube is in there and mixing them is bad (based on the Amsoil link you provided).

His best bet is to call Royal and ask. If it's got zinc in it, I doubt it's going to explode tomorrow. But it may be wise to change it out, if so, upon the first opportunity.

 

[Chris142]

Call your local oil supplier and give them the specs. They should have something comparable for 1/5 the cost of the deere stuff.

Deere doesn't make much anymore. Seems like most is rebranded Hitachi now

 

[fcranch]

I would normally tend to agree, except that the OP specifically stated there are multiple warnings in the manual and on the machine about staying away from zinc.
That would lead me to believe that yellow metals are in that system somewhere ..., or that zinc-based lube is in there and mixing them is bad (based on the Amsoil link you provided).

His best bet is to call Royal and ask. If it's got zinc in it, I doubt it's going to explode tomorrow. But it may be wise to change it out, if so, upon the first opportunity.

I actually didn't say that correctly. The manual warns against using zinc oils if you have the non zinc in the system. They seem to be okay with switching it out but recommend a two of complete drain and fills which is a lot of oil wasted in a 35 gallon system. I'll probably end up going that route though as it probably needs changing out anyway due to hours.

 

[dnewton3]

OK - that does change the perspective a bit.

A couple drain/fills and should be good to go, then.

 

[Foxtrot08]

Powerflow NZ from P66 is a very popular option for Deere / Hitatchi equipment. Or the powerflow HE NZ.


You could also look at the Chevron Clarity line. But it would be more expensive.

Non-zinc oils are typically a high efficiency oil vs a normal AW. Along with being a longer oxidation life. Basically, better in every way.

So if you aren’t stone set on switching to a zinc product. There’s options.