[Redneck #1]

My 1862 hydro transmission had become a bit sluggish over the past year or so. I also noticed the hydraulic steering assist was not assisting very much. I had the unit out last week pulling a leaf vac and it was cold, in the high 20's and low 30's. I parked the 1862 outside for a while and when I tried to pull it into the garage it wouldn't move. Neither forward nor backwards. There were no unusual noises. Seems like the oil wasn't flowing to move the transmission and operate the steering assist.

With the engine running and the transmission lever in the forward position I pushed it inside. It seemed the transmission was trying to help but didn't. After sitting a couple days and being pressure washed, I tried to make it move. Again, it appeared to try to move, but didn't move much either way.

Not sure what type of oil is in the transmission, but it worked fine in the past.

Could the transmission filter have gotten plugged restricting the flow of oil? Should I replace the oil and filter?

If the wrong type of oil is in the transmission, could the cold weather cause it to be too thick to flow properly? I'm stumped on this one?? Thanks for any input.....