50 hour service

   / 50 hour service #1  

rjsmit1

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2003
Messages
42
Location
Ashburn, VA, USA
Tractor
Kubota L4330
My 4330 will be picked up for the 50 hour service on Monday. Has anyone had any experience with full synthetic oil for the crank case? My dealer uses the Kubota branded oil. I guess it's a safe choice from a warranty standpoint, but I want to give the engine as much protection as possible. I also plan to have them use super HDT for the hydrolic fluid. Any thoughts on the synthetic?

Thanks.
 
   / 50 hour service #2  
While lots has been said about this, the more important thing is that it simply satisfies the requirements spec'd by the manufactuer. Super UDT is more desireable for colder climates. For me, I went with UDT. I cannot detect any difference after having put Super UDT in my last Kubota. If it makes you feel better, you can get Super, but it is about twice the price at $70 or so per 5 gallons. Engine oil, you will always be fine using the oil spec'd by the manufactuer. For very cold climates, synthetic no question will have better flow characteristics in the extreme cold climates and what I would use. My current engine oil is Redline 10W-30 but I'll be switching to Chevron brand. At $3.50 a quart, its less then half the price of Redline. I have not got the extreme cold where I live but it's one of those "baby" the engine attitudes I seemed to have picked up.
 
   / 50 hour service #3  
I'm taking it for granted you are planning to use this in the crankcase.. (tractor engine).. not the hydraulics.. (previous note on UDT?)

I have used only Kubota oil.. simply because it's in warranty and I don't want to give them any reason to give me any flak if there are problems.. But I can't see why you couldn't use synthetics. I guess it's really a diesel question.. if you can use the stuff in a diesel engine.. then why not a tractor?

One additional thought.. My brother has much experience in Diesels.. He says the real bonus of a diesel is that it runs cooler than a gasoline engine.. you can let it run all day sitting still and not risk engine damage.. sooooo.. the real benny from synthetic oil is it's ability to withstand high heat.. not breaking down over many miles of service.

you may not need such benefits in a Diesel.. of course the other argument is.. it couldn't hurt!
 
   / 50 hour service #4  
Check out the oil and lubricants forum and do a search. You'll find lots of discussion on the subject. I use synthetic oil in my car, but regular oil in my equipment because I change the oil so often (25 hrs for the small stuff, 50 hours for the large tractor). The interval on my car takes a lot longer to reach.
 

Tractor & Equipment Auctions

UNUSED JCT 40' CONTAINER (A51244)
UNUSED JCT 40'...
2003 Ford F-250 4x4 Reading Service Truck with Liftgate (A53422)
2003 Ford F-250...
Skid steer auger plate (A50322)
Skid steer auger...
2008 Nautica International RIB 24ft Cat Boat with T/A Boat Trailer (A51694)
2008 Nautica...
2011 John Deere 5075 4WD Agricultural Tractor (A52377)
2011 John Deere...
2015 Jeep Compass Latitude SUV (A53424)
2015 Jeep Compass...
 
Top