I understand what you mean,, Ive seen some heated debates over oil and it always cracks me up. Ive been using Valvoline on racing engines for 30 years and see no reason to change now.Yep that is what I use,,
Lubricants seem to be a huge "Hot Button" issue on all Tractor forumsbasically some swear by a brand and other swear at them..
what weight brand engine oil do you run
- Thread starter primerk5
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I see a lot of you run 15W40, but my concern living in New England is winter starting.
During the winter here I routinely see temps down to single digits and just last week it hit -12. Generally the tractor won't see much use at these temps but in at +20 > it will.
I see one owner runs 5W40 and another 5W30 which in my mind makes an awful lot of sense...
Summer months mid 90's...........Last July 20+ days in the 90's....
During the winter here I routinely see temps down to single digits and just last week it hit -12. Generally the tractor won't see much use at these temps but in at +20 > it will.
I see one owner runs 5W40 and another 5W30 which in my mind makes an awful lot of sense...
Summer months mid 90's...........Last July 20+ days in the 90's....
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
If I had a newer, less worn engine, I would run the 5W40, but in my old beater I prefer the heavier oil. My gut feeling is that with today's modern oils, it doesn't make a whit of difference either way, it's just a matter of personal preference.
Billdog350
Member
Equipment
Kubota L3710 HST,L2230A QT,forks,Takeuchi TB125, 60" Luck Now pto Snowblower
Shell Rotella 10W30...that's the weight oil that's on the oil cap of my B9200 and is in the manual. The dealer I work with in New Hampshire runs 10w30 Acela oil in all Kubota's regardless of size. Helps with winter starting and protects fine in the summer.
I started not to even join in on this thread because it normally turn to war but it's been friendly so far. Lil Foot reminded me of a do it yourself test that anyone can do at home for very little money.
The freezer test:
I compaired Rotella 15w40 to Amsoil 15w40. One quart of each in the freezer overnight and the next day do a pour test. It's easy to do and you can see for yourself which oil has better cold weather performance.
Curious about a certain brand, spend a few bucks and see for yourself.
Not that I would EVER question the brain trust here, but just for the hell of it I checked the Manual that came with my BX25D and it does recommend 15W40 Diesel all the way down to below 0 F....I started not to even join in on this thread because it normally turn to war but it's been friendly so far. Lil Foot reminded me of a do it yourself test that anyone can do at home for very little money.
The freezer test:
I compaired Rotella 15w40 to Amsoil 15w40. One quart of each in the freezer overnight and the next day do a pour test. It's easy to do and you can see for yourself which oil has better cold weather performance.
Curious about a certain brand, spend a few bucks and see for yourself.
Pretty impressive if you ask me!!
I'll have to see who carries Rotella oil locally!!
Mike_B
New member
Equipment
B2320 w/MMM & FEL, & a bunch of Stihl power equipment. Lincoln SA250 for repairs
I can understand the freezer test, but what about a test for breakdown in hot weather? I live in the southeastern US & Summers are brutally hot. The rest of the year is mild to cold & occasionally extremely cold. I've changed the oil at 50 hrs & 125 hrs: 178 hours on the clock & bought it brand new. I use Rotella 15w40, most easily accessible but don't mind ordering.
Sent from my XT1080
Sent from my XT1080
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I changed my L3000 over to 5w30 when it was just a baby with a few hrs on it. Now going on 15 yrs later it still runs like new and has had 5w30 it's entire life with no issues. I use 5w30 in all my diesels.
Being a little "long in the tooth" I'll share some of my experience with oil. I only use Valvoline or Napa made by Valvoline. Recently I tried Shell 15w-40 and found my tractor used more oil. Saving money isn't always the way to go.
A long time back an oil salesman stopped at the farm. He had a motor powered wheel that he would put oil on, a lever would ride on the oil and he had a scale to measure how many lbs. of force it took to stall the wheel. I gave him some 10w-40 Valvoline in a cut of gulf oil bottle. He had to slowly pull on the scale to wear the oil off to stall the wheel at a lower rate than his "Amsoil."
If you use Napa oil they have 15w-40 diesel rated oil for $9.99 a gallon. I bought 12 gallons.
A long time back an oil salesman stopped at the farm. He had a motor powered wheel that he would put oil on, a lever would ride on the oil and he had a scale to measure how many lbs. of force it took to stall the wheel. I gave him some 10w-40 Valvoline in a cut of gulf oil bottle. He had to slowly pull on the scale to wear the oil off to stall the wheel at a lower rate than his "Amsoil."
If you use Napa oil they have 15w-40 diesel rated oil for $9.99 a gallon. I bought 12 gallons.
Dan_R_42
Member
Equipment
B7100-D, w/ Sims Cab, B219 FEL, ARPS 70 Backhoe, Oversized R4 Tires, LX2610 Cab
So I guess then I have maybe done a bad thing? Curious what others feel about using this oil in an older machine. The past several years I use it mostly in winter to clear snow.
I have been running my B7100D (built approx 1983, owned it since 1985) with the Shell Rotella T6 5W-40, full synthetic, for about 5 or 6 years now. I'm guessing it has about 1900 hours on it.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Not at all, in fact my point was that we get a lot more protection with any modern synthetic oil than we used to get from older conventional oils. I only like the heavier oil in my loose old 1979 because it seems quieter…. nothing I could prove, but it feels that way to me.
That reminds me back a few years ago i decided to put dino 5w 30 in my jd skidder since i only used it in the winter for logging. Well that oil got changed out pretty quick and back to 15w40. Then engine with the lighter oil sounded a lot noisier. Heavier oil quieted it right down and it started just as good with the heavier oil too?? Yes the engine was old i don't know how many hours are on it because the hr meter didn't work when i bought it 30 years ago. It is still running strong today.
I have my first HST and see the Kubota UDT hydraulic fluid is highly recommended. I changed my transmission- hydraulic oil and filters last week and used Premium NAPA oil [label states meets Kubota UDT requirements] and was looking for any feed back positive or negative.
Cheers Bob
Cheers Bob
As long as you are happy thats all that matters. I changed my hydo oil and used the kubota super udt2 oil and noticed a lot less noise and better performance.
If you like the way your HST works with that oil all is good.
But I've read too many times how SUDT2 makes HST quieter and more responsive and just works better than any other oil..
Run factory for the first 50hrs then switch to a 5w-40 synthetic. Best oil for the money is Rotella T6 without a doubt. Spending more money on the Mobil 5w-40 yields no measurable difference on oil analysis reports. By the time oil is changed, diesel engines usually wear it down from a 40 weight to a 30 weight.
The w in 5w-40 stands for WINTER. I've spent over 8 hours of solid reading up on the topic and I would not run a 15w oil on 1 start at 0*f let alone an entire winter worth of starts. Variables such as heated garages make moot the outside temp, but my machine stays outside.
If your machine is kept outside in very cold conditions your chance of breaking your oil pump during warm up increase quite a bit. You are also relying on the oil that has coated your parts for lubrication during the first 10 minutes or so until it's warm enough to seep into the areas it needs to go.
Some people don't understand statistics, or look at the viscosity of oil at the temps they regularly start at. And keep in mind, if you have yet to have an issue, it just means the odds are against you even more.
The w in 5w-40 stands for WINTER. I've spent over 8 hours of solid reading up on the topic and I would not run a 15w oil on 1 start at 0*f let alone an entire winter worth of starts. Variables such as heated garages make moot the outside temp, but my machine stays outside.
If your machine is kept outside in very cold conditions your chance of breaking your oil pump during warm up increase quite a bit. You are also relying on the oil that has coated your parts for lubrication during the first 10 minutes or so until it's warm enough to seep into the areas it needs to go.
Some people don't understand statistics, or look at the viscosity of oil at the temps they regularly start at. And keep in mind, if you have yet to have an issue, it just means the odds are against you even more.
Labowner, it's not that the Napa oil won't work. Just like the cheap $30 a bucket stuff from TSC, both say they meet specs for Kubota UDT. Yes, they will work but the catch is neither will give you the same performance or protection as the SUDT/SUDT2 fluid.
That said, it's your money and your tractor. If it meets or exceeds your expectations then all is good. Follow the normal fluid and filter change schedule and you should be fine.
That said, it's your money and your tractor. If it meets or exceeds your expectations then all is good. Follow the normal fluid and filter change schedule and you should be fine.