Oil & Fuel Oil change or not to oil change ?????

[bellweather]

every 50 hrs, oil & filter...cheap insurance

 

[PUNKIN]

I will prob. change it as I have always done at the end of the season. I was just wanting to see how you guys felt about it. I think it would bother me leting it sit all winter in dirty oil. Even though the oil looks nasty after the first use! lol Thanks Guys...

 

[plowindeeper]

I always change engine oil every spring after a couple hours of running to warm everthing up, also change fuel filter at same time and grease it up good. hydo filter ever other year.

 

[sal64]

Hello guys, I have a Kubota L3400. I changed the oil last fall before storing her for the winter. I have only put 30 hrs on the clock this year. The oil is dark, but it always is. Should I change the oil or let it ride? ....Your opinion would be appreciated....Thanks much in advance...

my oppinion is no, i have a jd2320 i put about 25hrs a yr and chain oil every 2-3yrs i have two other tractors put about the same hrs on them and never had a problem in 30 yrs of owning.

 

[brin]

I would wait for 100 hrs. until I hear someone offer evidence that oil goes bad sitting in a crankcase ..I will just follow my tractor manual...I think at some point it is overkill and just a waste of time and money.

 

[TripleR]

I would wait for 100 hrs. until I hear someone offer evidence that oil goes bad sitting in a crankcase ..I will just follow my tractor manual...I think at some point it is overkill and just a waste of time and money.

Agreed, there will never be a consensus on this. We have tractors well over fifty years old still running like a top with no mechanical problems that may sit all winter with "dirty oil". My brothers are mechanics and have seen the insides of thousands of engines and both generally follow recommended intervals if not exceeding them a bit occasionally though not by much.

To me at least, frequent oil changes are not cheap insurance, but rather a waste of money and resources.

 

[kuboman]

I would wait for 100 hrs. until I hear someone offer evidence that oil goes bad sitting in a crankcase ..I will just follow my tractor manual...I think at some point it is overkill and just a waste of time and money.

Oil won't go bad but the acids from combustion don't do the internal parts any good. For an engine that is not going to run at all for the whole winter I would change the oil in the fall. If it will get intermittent use through out the winter then run it and change when recommended.

 

[cdaigle430]

What does the Kubota Owners Manual say?
I change mine every month whether I use it or not. After spending this much money for a tractor, who wants to take a chance? My grandpa and his grandpa always did and their tractors didn't tear up very often at all! I don't understand people that don't do it as often as I do!!! Why take a chance and wait over a month. I also change all my hydraulic fluids every week. Who wants to take a chance? You can't do it to often but you can sure not do it often enough!
I used my BX25 yesterday for about an hour so I also change all fluids every time I use it. Why take a chance??
What does the manual say? Maybe the Engineers at the Company will have a different idea than me and my ancesters! :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

In a way I agree with you-I can understand changing oil in cars often only because of emisisons and computers that run the engine but on a tractor? When I was in the service we only changed the oil on diesel engines when the lab said so. We took a sample-sent it in and the lab tested it. Sometimes it was years before we changed the oil on these trucks. If it's under warranty-do what the manual says, after that you can span out the amount of oil changes.

 

[sweep]

Hello guys, I have a Kubota L3400. I changed the oil last fall before storing her for the winter. I have only put 30 hrs on the clock this year. The oil is dark, but it always is. Should I change the oil or let it ride? ....Your opinion would be appreciated....Thanks much in advance...

30 hours is not enough to build up any harmful acids and talk to you local Kubota mechanics who service these machines and let them tell you how the average person maintains their equipment.

My NH mechanic who I know very well tells me he get's in tractors that might get the oil changed every 300 hrs if they are lucky and 6 year old tractors with the original antifreeze in them and 6-8-10 year old tractors that have never had the hydraulic fluid changed in them and they are still going strong....and I suspect the Kubota and JD mechanics have seen similar maintence schedules.

I personally change my fluids on a 1/2 schedule of what NH say's to do in the owners manual. For instance they say grease every 50 hours but I do it every 25-30 hours.

I had the same question as you at one time because I only put 30-40 hours or so per year on my tractor and I was changing oil about every 14-15 months at the 50 hour mark. I asked who I consider the best mechanics in the business and they said the same thing...no reason to change with so few hours.

You are actually doing way more harm by letting your tractor sit all winter. Best to start in every several weeks, get it up to temperature and run it around to keep bearings, cylinders and seals lubricated.

 

[MrWhippy]

To me, it depends on how you put on the 30 hours. If you run it for 1/2 hour, 60 times, I'd probably change it. If you run it 3 hours at a pop, probably let it ride to the hour recommendations in the manual.

Why the difference? Water. If you don't get the oil up to full operating temp for a significant period of operation, you're going to have water/oil emulsion in the crankcase all winter. If you run it for long periods, the water is driven off.