Obi-Wan-YJ
New member
Thanks for all the replies, everyone.
Despite being 8 years old, mine only has 165 hours on it. The oil on the dip stick is pretty dark, so it's apparently been a while since it was changed.
My time is more valuable than my money these days. I probably put less than 100 hours a year on my 8N, so the recommended 300-hour oil change interval for this LS would be way too many years between changes. I'll stick with annual. Those are usually in the fall so the oil is as fresh as possible during the cold winter starts.
This past winter, I was plowing snow off several driveways (hundreds of yards long) on my 1951 Ford 8N in -20F temps. That's when my wife insisted that I get a tractor with a cab. Other than plowing snow, I rarely use the tractor in the winter. Some winters never get a plowable amount of snow; other winters get one every week for two months straight.
I don't bat an eye at 104F temps as long as I'm sitting on my butt, and especially now that I'll be in an air conditioned cab. However, our 10-acre property doesn't have so much tractor work that I can't generally avoid the hottest time of day.
The tractor lives in a lean-to, so it's exposed to outside temps all year long. I don't have any heaters for them. I keep a trickle charger on my 6-volt Ford 8N, and it starts up just fine in -20F temps--although the hydraulic/trans fluid is molasses & takes many minutes to warm up enough to make the 3-point usable. Do diesels struggle with cold temps more than gas engines?
Bringing it home last month:
First, congratulations on your tractor! I love mine! It's a 2018, well, thats when I bought it new.
Despite being 8 years old, mine only has 165 hours on it. The oil on the dip stick is pretty dark, so it's apparently been a while since it was changed.
you wont harm anything by changing the engine oil twice or three times per year. The only thing that will get hurt is your bank account. Conversely, you can do annual oil changes. I wouldn't go over a year though.
My time is more valuable than my money these days. I probably put less than 100 hours a year on my 8N, so the recommended 300-hour oil change interval for this LS would be way too many years between changes. I'll stick with annual. Those are usually in the fall so the oil is as fresh as possible during the cold winter starts.
Does the tractor get used when its -20? Is it stored outside without a block heater, or in a nice warm shop? The summers months, are you out working your tractor HARD when its 104? Take the average, run that oil.
This past winter, I was plowing snow off several driveways (hundreds of yards long) on my 1951 Ford 8N in -20F temps. That's when my wife insisted that I get a tractor with a cab. Other than plowing snow, I rarely use the tractor in the winter. Some winters never get a plowable amount of snow; other winters get one every week for two months straight.
I don't bat an eye at 104F temps as long as I'm sitting on my butt, and especially now that I'll be in an air conditioned cab. However, our 10-acre property doesn't have so much tractor work that I can't generally avoid the hottest time of day.
The tractor lives in a lean-to, so it's exposed to outside temps all year long. I don't have any heaters for them. I keep a trickle charger on my 6-volt Ford 8N, and it starts up just fine in -20F temps--although the hydraulic/trans fluid is molasses & takes many minutes to warm up enough to make the 3-point usable. Do diesels struggle with cold temps more than gas engines?
We also love photos!
Bringing it home last month: