Oil Change intervals?

[nickmags]

My L4701 just went over 200 hrs. Did the initial 50 hr. oil and filter change. I used premium oil and Kubota filter. The owner's manual says to change oil every 400 hrs. It has been 15 months since the original 50 hr. oil change. Oil still looks okay, darker, but not coal black from soot. Note to those engineer/techno types - Not going to send it out to get it analyzed, cheaper and easier to just change it. My question to folks is, at current usage rate it will be 3+ years on an oil change. Seems like a long time, maybe too long. Tractor sits a lot lately, due to ongoing health issues. (Getting old sucks!) Just wondering what others are doing in similar situations. I'm leaning towards changing it sooner rather than later. Don't figure it would hurt anything. Oil and filter are not cheap, but when compared to cost of tractor or engine re-build, dirt cheap!!

 

[SARG]

I've made a practice to change oil - engine oil filters - fuel filter - air filters once per year on two diesel and two gas machines that I use regularly.

 

[Rockbadchild]

They usually recommend (for vehicles in general) every 12 month used or not probably for condensation purposes or maybe its for the oil life in general, unopen shelf life for oil is 5 year ... in my area I would change it because of the winter I wouldn't want that condensation to freeze... If the oil is only half it's usage life I certainly wouldn't changes the filters every time.

so with that being said I would change it...

 

[RjCorazza]

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.

 

[Rockbadchild]

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.

is your tractor stored inside ?

 

[bdhsfz6]

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.

My tractors are stored inside and I've done this with all of them. Haven't had any trouble in over 40 years.

That being said, changing sooner is cheap insurance.

 

[RjCorazza]

is your tractor stored inside ?

Yes. Always.
I would likely rethink my interval choice if it were stored outside, but I also change my road vehicle's oil every 2 years or so based upon miles driven. I think cars and trucks are generally less prone to water intrusion than tractors, and I also don't "short trip" them either.

 

[Rockbadchild]

yeah its a good point to clarify, Op lives in a fairly warmer climate so not so critical for him...

Water and acid is a byproduct of combustion... there is water in all fuel from condensation, water don't burn, it end up in the oil and filters, water and cold don't mix well .... It will evaporate after a while of being operated that's true but only for the water in the oil not the water trap in the filter (at least I think),... I've never pay too much attention on my oil changes for my road vehicles once the millage is up I change it before the winter or not I don't pay attention and also never had a problem but that's at least once or twice a year... But I make sure I changes my tractor oil before the winter for these reason plus since it sit most of the winter. I am more critical on oil changes the less I used a piece of equipment one would think it be the other way around but its not, longer it sit the oil and water will separate and can cause a rust spots on internal component which can cause catastrophic failure.

 

[arto98607]

Every 50 hours on my mowers and tractors, which actually works out to once per year.

200 or 400 hours oil chance interval on my tractor or mower - no way no matter what the manufacturer, or anyone else says!

Oil & filters are cheap compared to engines.

 

[big bubba]

to me it depends on your particular use to determine interval change in addition to straight hrs of operation. multiple cold short runs imho is not doing the sump oil any favors, so i'd change more frequently. most of my application is utility use exceeding 1hr or more per session.

although your manual states 400 hr interval changes, i would never consider that many hours for change intervals, esp if one is putzing around the compound most of the time w/low annual hrs of operation

keeping in mind newer interval change recommendations are more about environmental impact rather than what's good for engine longevity

 

[DarkBlack]

I go strictly by my manual’s stated hours , which is 150 for mine. It ends up being about every 2 years. It’s stored inside.
400 hours is a lot of diesel burned in your engine on one oil change. If it was a car doing 65 mph, that would be 26,000 miles

I’m not a big believer in changing oil by elapsed time because of condensation. You have the same condensation in your oil, whether your oil is new or old. Every time you run it up to temperature, it evaporates out , and the process starts all over during engine cool down, if the weather conditions are right.

 

[BnRidge]

Something I wonder about (guesse I'm not the only one), 200-400 hrs in a road vehicle, at 60mph, would equate to 12,000 to 24,000 miles. Is that a legit comparison? If so, who changes their oil at 24,000 mile intervals. Doesn't sound reasonable. Manuals here say 1yr or 400 hrs. I go with the 1yr or 150hrs.

 

[RjCorazza]

Something I wonder about (guesse I'm not the only one), 200-400 hrs in a road vehicle, at 60mph, would equate to 12,000 to 24,000 miles. Is that a legit comparison? If so, who changes their oil at 24,000 mile intervals. Doesn't sound reasonable. Manuals here say 1yr or 400 hrs. I go with the 1yr or 150hrs.

I believe hours to miles in the average non commercial vehicle is generally estimated at 35 mph. So 200-400 hours would be more like 7,000 - 14,000 miles.
I routinely go over 20k miles on two of the three road vehicles that I maintain. My personal truck gets changed with the other two cars, but it usually has 10k or less in several years.

All that said, there are many factors to consider, with level of comfortability being one of them. To each his own.

 

[5030]

Oil & filters are cheap compared to engines.

There you go.

 

[dodge man]

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.

 

[Tpondel]

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.

 

[Quickster2]

Cub Cadet oil & filter every 50 hours, Kioti every 75. ATV's (all Honda's) every 500 miles. Cars & trucks every 5000 miles. I usually buy filters in advance and mark on each one the hours of the next oil change (s). That way I can see when they were installed and when the next interval is.

 

[nickmags]

is your tractor stored inside ?

Yes, but an unheated garage. Our winters do not compare to Ontario. It gets cold here, even down to zero Fahrenheit, but does not last more than a couple of days then warms back to near or above freezing. Really cold days I put a work light with (don't tell Joe Biden or his EPA cronies) an incandescent bulb on the motor.

 

[Williy]

I didn't know that it came in a 16 gal keg

Industrial Gear Oil – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!

www.lucasoil.com

willy

 

[1Mech]

Something I wonder about (guesse I'm not the only one), 200-400 hrs in a road vehicle, at 60mph, would equate to 12,000 to 24,000 miles. Is that a legit comparison? If so, who changes their oil at 24,000 mile intervals. Doesn't sound reasonable. Manuals here say 1yr or 400 hrs. I go with the 1yr or 150hrs.

It all depends on your driving. If you start your car and get on the highway, drive for a 1/2 hour or more is a lot easier on your oil, engine and transmission than the person who gets in their car, drives to the grocery store, shops, then drives to the hardware store, then maybe the donut shop, then heads home. Never fully heating up the engine and other components. For cars and trucks, I usually recommend an oil & filter change twice a year, regardless of milage. The first driver in my example may end up with 10,000 mile oil change interval with no degradation of the engine components. The second driver might only have 1000 mile oil change interval, but already used up their oil's life.
Same with a tractor. If you get on it and work it all day long, you can safely use the 400 hour interval. But if you get on it and only use it for a short while each day, you would want to change oil more often, especially in the winter!
Modern engines have much more efficient crankcase ventilation than the older engines (pre PCV days). Remember the old road draft tubes with an open filler cap for adding oil!