How many guys here use the SynTran from John Deere?

I was planning to order some Mobile 1 Delvac ATF for $40 shipped per/gal, but the local JD has the SynTran for $14 per gallon! (what he told me on the phone) Do any of you guys use it? Is it the "exact" same thing as Allison/Castrol TranSynd? Are the additives different?

Thanks

Moved to Maintenance & Fluids.

How many guys here use the SynTran from John Deere?

I was planning to order some Mobile 1 Delvac ATF for $40 shipped per/gal, but the local JD has the SynTran for $14 per gallon! (what he told me on the phone) Do any of you guys use it? Is it the "exact" same thing as Allison/Castrol TranSynd? Are the additives different?

Thanks

Are you sure it was Syntran and not HyGard they quoted you for $14/Gal?
If it was HD Syntran I'd buy it.

Look over this link from Allison:
http://www.allisontransmission.com/service/autoapp/172/viewpage.jsp?ThisPage=3

If you can get the HD SynTran (with the proof of Allison license number on the container) for $14/gallon, I'd buy everly last one they had. Send me some too!

im going to find a JD dealer around here

Against my better judgement, I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt; mostly since he sounded older and seemed to know what he was talking about. I did ask him twice on the phone to confirm it was HD SynTran. Well, when I get there of course, it's not what I'm looking for and none of the 10 guys working there have any clue what SynTran is and can't look it up on the computer. I had the Allison PDF pulled up on my phone to show them I wasn't crazy! I stopped by another JD dealer and they had no clue either. I guess I'll just order the M1 tonight. Needless to say, I'm not very impressed with the guys at 2 JD dealerships. :mad: I guess they're no different than GM dealers, parts, and service.

I called my brother, who is a partsman at the local John Deere dealer, and he told me they'd sell it for $46/gallon. The last time I bought Transynd at the local allison dealer, I think it was about $36/ gallon.

Also, he said they don't keep it on hand. Nobody has ever asked for it.

Against my better judgement, I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt; mostly since he sounded older and seemed to know what he was talking about. I did ask him twice on the phone to confirm it was HD SynTran. Well, when I get there of course, it's not what I'm looking for and none of the 10 guys working there have any clue what SynTran is and can't look it up on the computer. I had the Allison PDF pulled up on my phone to show them I wasn't crazy! I stopped by another JD dealer and they had no clue either. I guess I'll just order the M1 tonight. Needless to say, I'm not very impressed with the guys at 2 JD dealerships. :mad: I guess they're no different than GM dealers, parts, and service.

M1 is not the right fluid if you want the full benefit of a TES 295 fluid. You want Mobil Delvac Synthetic ATF. You won't normally find the Delvac Synthetic ATF on the shelf at the local auto parts store....

On the Allison website there are (4) authorized dealers in the Crimson Tide state. And (1) next door in MS. Go to the locator on their site..put in your zip code and it'll give you distances to each of those dealers and a phone # so you can call them and get quotes for Transynd. Good luck!
GO 'BAMA! GO TIDE!

P.S. Open your search up to 500miles and you might find a closer dealer in a neighboring state depending on where you live.

Yeah, I meant the Mobile 1 Delvac ATF. I returned 13 quarts of regular Mobile 1 ATF to AutoZone after reading a thread on here yesterday. I can get the Delvac for $40/gal shipped. The 2 Allison dealers I talked to (1 in AL, 1 in MS) wanted $38 plus tax and driving there for TranSynd.

I looked up an Exxon Distributor that was 15 minutes away, but when I got there today they were shut down.

I just flushed mine this weekend with 32000 on her. I used the fleetgaurd tes295 as it was the cheapest i could find around here ,39.00 a gallon.The allison dealer wanted 60.00 a gallon for transynd:eek:.My trans shifts so much better now, the only problem i am having is i cant seem to get my trans up to 160 to check the level as it has been fairly cold here.I had to tow some today and i thought that would get her heated up but the hottest i could get it was 135. At 135 it is 3/4 the way up the cold mark does this sound okay?

I just flushed mine this weekend with 32000 on her. I used the fleetgaurd tes295 as it was the cheapest i could find around here ,39.00 a gallon.The allison dealer wanted 60.00 a gallon for transynd:eek:.My trans shifts so much better now, the only problem i am having is i cant seem to get my trans up to 160 to check the level as it has been fairly cold here.I had to tow some today and i thought that would get her heated up but the hottest i could get it was 135. At 135 it is 3/4 the way up the cold mark does this sound okay?

Check post # 7 : http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=320397&highlight=brake

Fleetgaurd tes295 is not an approved TES295 Fluid.

http://www.allisontransmission.com/service/autoapp/172/viewpage.jsp?ThisPage=3

It is true that the "Mobil 1 ATF" is NOT TES-295 licensed.

However, it is still a VERY GOOD ATF product, and perfectly suited for the Allison Tranny. It is essentially the same base stock product that is used for the Delvac 1 ATF, but the Delvac 1 ATF get's a bit more robust add-pack, and higher PAO content by %.

Do NOT think that the Mobil 1 ATF is not a good choice for the Allison; nothing could be further from the truth.

For those of you that run TES-295 fluids, and need a top-off quart when you're a long way from your supplier, you can safely use the Mobil 1 ATF from any convenient autoparts store with full confidence. It is probably 90% as good as the TES-295 fluid, at a bit more than half the cost.

And nearly all of us have no REAL NEED for TES-295 anyway; we simply do NOT use the trannies hard enough to qualify for the Allison description of "severe service". You can WANT it, and you can USE it, but you don't NEED it.

To the OPs post, it does not suprise me that the JD dealer did not have the HD SynTran; it's not stocked at most outlets. What is a shame is that you called to confirm before you went over there, and they ultimately wasted your time. In that regard, they suck as bad as any other "service" entity. I had a similar issue with AAP when I wanted Rotella 10w-30; I had to order it. I expressly stated exactly what I wanted, told them it was the "diesel 10w-30 Rotella" and they assured me that they used the correct SKU to order it. When it came in, it was the "Formula Shell 10w-30" for gassers. I was pissed to say the least. Now I go the extra few miles to the farm supply store where it is stocked on the shelf!

Fleetgaurd tes295 is not an approved TES295 Fluid.

http://www.allisontransmission.com/service/autoapp/172/viewpage.jsp?ThisPage=3

Sorry meant to say fleetrite

It is true that the "Mobil 1 ATF" is NOT TES-295 licensed.

However, it is still a VERY GOOD ATF product, and perfectly suited for the Allison Tranny. It is essentially the same base stock product that is used for the Delvac 1 ATF, but the Delvac 1 ATF get's a bit more robust add-pack, and higher PAO content by %.

Do NOT think that the Mobil 1 ATF is not a good choice for the Allison; nothing could be further from the truth.

For those of you that run TES-295 fluids, and need a top-off quart when you're a long way from your supplier, you can safely use the Mobil 1 ATF from any convenient autoparts store with full confidence. It is probably 90% as good as the TES-295 fluid, at a bit more than half the cost.

And nearly all of us have no REAL NEED for TES-295 anyway; we simply do NOT use the trannies hard enough to qualify for the Allison description of "severe service". You can WANT it, and you can USE it, but you don't NEED it.

To the OPs post, it does not suprise me that the JD dealer did not have the HD SynTran; it's not stocked at most outlets. What is a shame is that you called to confirm before you went over there, and they ultimately wasted your time. In that regard, they suck as bad as any other "service" entity. I had a similar issue with AAP when I wanted Rotella 10w-30; I had to order it. I expressly stated exactly what I wanted, told them it was the "diesel 10w-30 Rotella" and they assured me that they used the correct SKU to order it. When it came in, it was the "Formula Shell 10w-30" for gassers. I was pissed to say the least. Now I go the extra few miles to the farm supply store where it is stocked on the shelf!

Totally agree that the M1 is a very good Dex III rated fluid but the real benefit of the TES 295 fluids is the proven long drain intervals without fluid testing. Granted fluid testing can be used to extend M1 drain intervals but you need to start testing at 25K severe GM service or 50K normal GM service.

Some basic math for towing applications
A. Normal DEX III or DEX VI (GM recommendation)
>>>>drain intervals every 25K Fluid at $7.00 qt -figure deep pan so 3 gallons
12 x 7 = 84
>>>>100K miles = 4 changes = 4 x 84 = 336
>>>>Labor 4 times

B. TES295 -full fluid exchange at 25K -good until 125K minimum or more with testing unless overheated
>>>> 5 gallons = 188.xx
>>>> Labor 1 time

IMO really a no brainer and worth the extra effort to locate/buy for long term owners that tow or push their trucks or want to minimize maintenace costs without cutting corners.

I've seen UOAs on Mobil 1 ATF; it can go WAY past the 50k miles without needing a check. It can also surpass the 25k miles severe. I would think that it's easy to double your predictions for the fluid. That puts the costs about equal. (all this based upon the agreed assumption that no overheating occurs).

The real issue is that most people don't leave ANY fluid in long enough to get the full value out of it, so it's all moot. Any synthetic is a waste if changed too often.

To each his own.

For those of you that run TES-295 fluids, and need a top-off quart when you're a long way from your supplier, you can safely use the Mobil 1 ATF from any convenient autoparts store with full confidence. It is probably 90% as good as the TES-295 fluid, at a bit more than half the cost.


Dave is the lubrication expert here, and I don't pretend to know the bottom line. However, it's the 10% after the 90% that I am curious about. In the right climate and under light use conditions, even DEX VI is OK. But what about very cold weather, or hot weather in hard pulling conditions (as with many RV users) where transmission temperatures unavoidably run somewhat high? It's generally conceded that you can't do better than a TES 295 fluid. With Mobil Delvac or Transynd at, say, $8.00/quart, that's about $136.00 or so for a complete fill. If you saved half with Mobil 1, you could pocket a savings of about $68.00 — and times are tough. As was said, "to each his own." IMHO, it's crucial to understand your own, specific application.

"to each his own." Agree wholeheartedly! Do your own research and make your vote with $$$$.

I only pull our 5er 3-4 times per year, and the truck is my daily driver besides that...~80 miles per day. We are hoping to move out West soon and will definitely put the truck to the test pulling our 36.5' camper out there. I'm gonna order the M1 Delvac ATF tomorrow.

This thread turned out to be a good discussion. I've learned SO MUCH from this place in such a little time. Thanks guys.

The JD HD SynTran is part number TY26392 and it is TES295 certified. It is primarily used in JD forestry harvesting equipment. So unless you live in a region with a lot of logging operations it is not likely you will find it. I am a JD parts man and not many dealers have ever heard of it. I first found out about it from Allison and had to do some research to find a pn. I used it in my Allison and transfer case. Locally in my area, the only use for it is in our trucks.