Oil Change intervals?

[1Mech]

If you work your equipment 8 hours a day, that is only 50 days to reach the 400 hour interval, 2 hours a day is only 200 days, a little over 6 1/2 months between changes. 50 hours seems a bit too often to change oil unless you only run your equipment for short periods, never letting it warm up proper.

 

[1Mech]

I just asked my son who drives over the road for Pepsi, he says the oils in his 18-wheeler truck get changed every 30 to 40 thousand miles, every 3 to 4 months. But of course, he has only one cold-hot-cold cycle per day with many miles in between. It really does depend on your driving style!

 

[DarkBlack]

….but.. if you’re not bringing your engine up to temperature..,evaporating out the H20 condensation, you’re building up H2O in your crankcase. Happens, if your oil is a day old, or a year old.

 

[Rockbadchild]

….but.. if you’re not bringing your engine up to temperature..,evaporating out the H20 condensation, you’re building up H2O in your crankcase. Happens, if your oil is a day old, or a year old.

yes but it's cumulative therefore the justification to change your oil.

 

[DarkBlack]

yes but it's cumulative therefore the justification to change your oil.

That’s kind of an old wives tale. Even short trippers occasionally get their engine up to temperature, and the water evaporates out, “resetting” the crankcase to water free. Happens regardless of the oil age.
If not, you’d have inches of water at the bottom of your pan.
New oil has no magic way of preventing condensation. It’s simply a matter of having a working PCV system, storage, atmosphere conditions, and engine temperature

 

[Rockbadchild]

That’s kind of an old wives tale. Even short trippers occasionally get their engine up to temperature, and the water evaporates out, “resetting” the crankcase to water free. Happens regardless of the oil age.
If not, you’d have inches of water at the bottom of your pan.
New oil has no magic way of preventing condensation. It’s simply a matter of having a working PCV system, storage, atmosphere conditions, and engine temperature

I agree that it happens with new oil as much as old or vise versa, I was replying to your comment

''if you’re not bringing your engine up to temperature..,evaporating out the H20 condensation, you’re building up H2O in your crankcase.''

Old wives tale ?? but, but their are your words ...

My point is if this is done over and over it is cumulative and it will take longer and longer of operation time to evaporate the water in your oil and if you are not going to make that long operation time up at temperture to evaporate the moisture then changing your oil remove that moisture.

 

[repete]

Every 100 hours on engine oil and filter. 30 minutes max and maybe $25.
Over 6300 hours on my L2550DT. Beyond valve adjustment, no covers off my engine and runs strong.
Maintenance. Pay me now or pay me later.

 

[DarkBlack]

I agree that it happens with new oil as much as old or vise versa, I was replying to your comment

''if you’re not bringing your engine up to temperature..,evaporating out the H20 condensation, you’re building up H2O in your crankcase.''

Old wives tale ?? but, but their are your words ...

My point is if this is done over and over it is cumulative and it will take longer and longer of operation time to evaporate the water in your oil and if you are not going to make that long operation time up at temperture to evaporate the moisture then changing your oil remove that moisture.

I think you mistook my point that you quoted. I meant if you were to never bring your engine sufficiently up to temperature, you would have water build up in your crankcase.
You would be seeing water first from your drain plug during a cold oil change. Your oil level would also be increasing during the year.

Every cold start your pickup sump would be sucking pure water up, and your engine would soon expire.

This doesn’t happen to 99.9% of the population, because water concentrations in the crankcase are self limiting by proper running with a functioning PCV system , storage, and environmental conditions like humidity , and dewpoint.
Change your oil because the additives are depleted, and you have high suspended solids, not because you think you’ll temporarily remove water

 

[WinterDeere]

I change my engine oil strictly based upon hours. It ends up being about every 3 years or so between changes.
I will add that I am religious about ensuring that the engine gets up to operating temperature and worked every time it is started. It also gets run regularly throughout the year.

I think most of us follow practices based more on religion than science, when it comes to our oil changes. Every January, I change the oil on every piece of equipment used in the prior year. Less-oft used equipment gets tagged with the date of the last oil change, and I'll skip that equipment if it was not used at all since the last oil change, but everything that's been used since last year's oil change gets an oil change.

My reason for doing this comes from old-timers asserting that, even if the hours are not at recommended change threshold, corrosive combustion deposits build up in the old oil that will damage internal parts over time. The more I think about this, the less it makes sense to me, as anything exposed to this supposedly-contaminated oil is also coated in oil. Also, if hours are low, corrosive content should also be low.

I sure would like if I could have peace of mind, backing off to 400 hour oil changes on my tractor, as I'm only doing an average 100 hours per year on that machine. But as long as oil is cheap and tractors are expensive, I'll probably just keep doing yearly changes.

 

[WinterDeere]

Have a Deere tractor and Zero mower. Annually I run them each about 50 hours. I Change Oil and filters every September when weather still nice.

I enjoy working in the barn with the music cranked! Then celebrate with a beer and cigar.

We have the same procedure, other than timing. Oil changes are done in a heated shop in January, while enjoying the cigar. Beer usually comes with lunch.

 

[5030]

I hate to go much over a year on things. I have a low use car and went quite a bit over a year once, car probably had 3000 miles between changes and it looked pretty black. If in doubt you can send in a sample for analysis but unless your tractor hold a lot of oil it’s probably more cost effective to change it.

I always do a oil analysis with Blackstone simply because it will alert me of any impending issues that may arise down the road.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I use synthetic oil in everything because I need the cold weather starts of 0W or 5W. So my 75C requires an oil change every 600 hours. Actually one of the reasons I bought it was low maintenance cost. So I do not change the oil that frequently. Also oil changes are not what they used to be. On many modern tractors they are quite involved. Modern trucks also

My Kubota is 20 years old and has about 1000 hours. 2 hydraulic changes since the factory fill and 6 oil changes…

My 2021 75C has 250 hours and has had 1 hydraulic change and 1 oil change, although it is not required till 600. But I bought slightly used and the dealership didn’t use the correct fluids. So everything was changed to 0W-40 And CNH hytran was used to make sure it was correct.

 

[5030]

Your tractors are still new. I have 4000+ and 6000+ hours on mine and they run just like Kubota's should, like tops.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Your tractors are still new. I have 4000+ and 6000+ hours on mine and they run just like Kubota's should, like tops.

With diesel being so expensive I have had to limit the use to essential tasks…. I am hoping the future holds diesel cost under $4/gallon This summer so I can catch up on tractor work with the 75C….

 

[5030]

I don't find diesel to be prohibitively expensive, fuel prices are directly related to the economy and here in Michigan I don't pay road use tax on my diesel anyway. Never paid even close to 4 bucks a gallon for off road ULSD but then I have it delivered and pumped into my 500 gallon bulk tank twice a year.

 

[DK35vince]

Current diesel fuel prices here. (Western, Pa.)
On road fuel $4.59
Off road fuel $3.90

 

[stumblinhorse]

I don't find diesel to be prohibitively expensive, fuel prices are directly related to the economy and here in Michigan I don't pay road use tax on my diesel anyway. Never paid even close to 4 bucks a gallon for off road ULSD but then I have it delivered and pumped into my 500 gallon bulk tank twice a year.

Don’t have many options here for delivery. And much else either. prices are stabilizing for off road, 1 pump within 50 miles, to around $4/gallon.

 

[5030]

Really cold days I put a work light with (don't tell Joe ***** or his EPA cronies) an incandescent bulb on the motor.

Was perusing Amazon and came across Rotella T6 in gallon jugs, 3 to a case, maybe 4 cheaper than Tractor Supply and free shipping. Just ordered 3 cases of it. Kind of wish they sold it in 2.5 gallon jugs but they don't and it's a Amazon direct not a 3rd party. Spring is the 2 Kubota M9's as well as my diesel truck.

 

[5030]

Don’t have many options here for delivery. And much else either. prices are stabilizing for off road, 1 pump within 50 miles, to around $4/gallon.

You can rent a tank from most any supplier or Peruse CL or Marketplace for old used heating oil tanks. Usually they are 250 gallon with all the bungs for fillers and pumps. How I started out and finally bought a 500 gallon tank for my supplier. Mine even has a spill retainer around it and I lease purchased it for 50 bucks a month long ago paid for. Still have the 250 as well. I store used motor oil in the 250 that I burn in the waste oil heater in the shop. problem is, I still have to rely on the propane a bit in the shop as I can go through 250 gallons if I want it toasty in the shop constantly.... and I do. Have to keep my 2 employees and myself warm.

Get yourself a 55 galon drum and put it in your truck and fill that as an alternative. You can install a hand pump and hose in the fill bung and pump fuel from it.

 

[Yander]

Every 100 hours on engine oil and filter. 30 minutes max and maybe $25.
Over 6300 hours on my L2550DT. Beyond valve adjustment, no covers off my engine and runs strong.
Maintenance. Pay me now or pay me later.

I'm a 100 hour guy or once a year on mowers and tractors, whichever comes first. Cars 6k - 7k with full synthetic.

Hydro oil, whatever the manual says or a little sooner.