[wilburMN]

Will extreme cold cause hydraulic leaks?
I used my X749 & 54" blower roughly 2 weeks ago to clean up a small snowfall. Temps were single digit. It then sat in an unheated shed through the recent cold snap in Central MN. There were 3 days with temps falling to -30. Then we had a couple days at or above freezing. I used the X749 and blower last night and all was good. But when I went to put it away I noticed a wet spot on the shed floor. That wet spot was a puddle of coolant and a smaller (4" x 6") puddle of oil. The coolant didn't surprise me because I overfilled the overflow bottle in a distracted moment. The oil worries me. I checked the transmission dipstick and it was full. The engine oil level also shows full. Assuming I parked the tractor back in the same place. The oil puddle was located below the Forward/Reverse pedals and/or the hydraulic couplings. That also happens to be roughly below the coolant overflow. I put clean cardboard underneath at 11:00pm and went to check on it around 5:00pm today. Cardboard was dry. But temperatures were about 15 - 20 degrees. I crawled underneath but found no obvious oil drip or residue, other than a bit by the couplings which could be from hooking up the hoses.

Any ideas how to troubleshoot this would be welcomed.

 

[TUDOR]

Colder temperatures cause oil to thicken (become more viscous) and higher pressures are required to make the oil flow. Seals, and the metal parts that they bear against, tend to shrink slightly at the same time creating the possibility of a leak if the seal is worn.

When oil is at operating temperature, its viscosity is considerably less, and if the seal is worn, the oil will leak past with less effort.

Either way, an iffy seal or slightly loose fitting will leak. First, check that all fittings in the area are snugged up, then look for a potentially worn seal if it is still leaking.

I've found that while my tractor will work with no problems all summer long, the first couple of go-arounds with cold weather will show any deficiencies in a hurry.

 

[Zimmersci]

I have the exact same setup and encountered the same problem.HOWEVER, I discovered that the fittings attached to the cylinders were loosening up just a bit and that is where the leak came from! You might want to check these little elbows (both ends)