Year-round oil viscosity

[Obi-Wan-YJ]

I just bought a low-hour 2016 LS XR4145, their 45-horse CUT. It's overdue for an oil change.

I live in Nebraska, where we see temps between -20F and 104F every year. I use my tractor year-round, but I don't use it enough to warrant changing the oil more than once per year.

The manual says to use 5W-30 for cold temps between -25F and 68F, and 10W-30 for warm temps between 14F and 104F. If I run full synthetic oil, which viscosity would be the better choice for year-round operation?

This is my first diesel engine, so I'm still figuring out all the differences & similarities with gas engines.

 

[JCoastie]

Welcome, I'd would go with (Rotella or the like) 5w40 synthetic if it were me in those temps.
Then.... I'd move south!

 

[RogerDL]

I just bought a low-hour 2016 LS XR4145, their 45-horse CUT. It's overdue for an oil change.

I live in Nebraska, where we see temps between -20F and 104F every year. I use my tractor year-round, but I don't use it enough to warrant changing the oil more than once per year.

The manual says to use 5W-30 for cold temps between -25F and 68F, and 10W-30 for warm temps between 14F and 104F. If I run full synthetic oil, which viscosity would be the better choice for year-round operation?

This is my first diesel engine, so I'm still figuring out all the differences & similarities with gas engines.

I'd just use Rotella T6 5W40

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Yeah I think T6 would work well in those temps

 

[Cycledude]

I’m using the already mentioned Rotella T6.
Forget about the once a year change, change it at the recommended hours otherwise you’re just wasting a very valuable natural resource.
Congratulations on the new to you used tractor, seems like it should be a very nice tractor.

 

[Avenger]

Oh lets talk oil... again.

First, congratulations on your tractor! I love mine! It's a 2018, well, thats when I bought it new.

Contrary to what others may think, 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. When oil starts to break down, and then sits, it seems to oxidize or get sludgy. Bad things happen. But once a year should be good.

But lets talk about the advice you will receive asking such questions on this forum.

Consider your tractor. And please look at the tractors of those who give advice. I'm not naysaying their advice, but sometimes people will post advice about your tractor, thinking its the same as theirs, when it's not. For example, our tractor has a small little turbo. That turbo is extremely finicky about the oil. Do a quick search on this forum to find several posts about turbos blowing up on these tractors. And the most common reason they fail is due to lack of maintenance, not letting it cool down properly, or using the wrong oil.

So what type of oil for your tractor and your climate?

Any 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-40, 5w-40 will work just fine. If you wanted to do a winter and summer oil change, I'd go 5w-40 in the winter and 10w-30 in the summer. I also run full synthetic, and tend to grab the bottle thats says "for diesel engines" but not always. I have run standard Mobile 1 in my tractor (which is what's in it now) with no issues (knock on wood.) The Shell Rotella T6 mentioned here is great. That will probably run just fine. It also depends on your actual climate and when you're using the tractor the most. 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.

A quick note about the owners manual.

They are a great resource for a starting point when it comes to basic vehicle maintenance. This goes for any vehicle owners manual. I will always state "to follow the advice in your owners manual and ask your dealer for clarification." You don't have a dealer, but I'd go ask him/her anyway. They might be doing a repair on your tractor in years to come. The reason I state this is because of liability. The same reason that goofy chart is in the owners manual. Its CYA. They cannot list every weight and brand of oil in the manual, but they will list the extremes. And when something fails on an owners tractor, they can point to the manual and show the wrong oil was used. Manual on one side, practical experience on the other. Don't over think it. Just change the oil at least yearly.

Hope this info helps! This forum is an amazing resource! Feel free to ask questions and post regularly. We also love photos!

 

[Supraman0614]

Western NY has a similar climate, although we haven't seen -20 too often lately. I've been running T6 5w-40 in mine year-round since new. I also change mine once per year. I do not have a block heater for winter starting, but the tractor is stored in a closed barn (unheated), and I tend to not go outside to play on the tractor when it is near or below 0°. All that said, I haven't had any issues related to lubrication that I'm aware of in ~600 hours/9 years of operation.

 

[GS650GL]

The only oil our LS dealer uses is 10W30 full synthetic and we can hit -25 in the winter. Synthetic oil flows better in the cold and holds up better in the heat than conventional oil so they have no problems with it and they have sold a couple thousand tractors. If you want to use a different weight oil than what's recommended in the manual , that's up to you. But don't blame anyone if you have a problem. And everyone, please remember to use diesel oil that meets CJ4 or CK4 specification for any engines with emissions systems. If a container doesn't say specifically that it is for diesel engines, do NOT use it!

 

[Too many Kubotas]

The manual says to use 5W-30 for cold temps between -25F and 68F, and 10W-30 for warm temps between 14F and 104F. If I run full synthetic oil, which viscosity would be the better choice for year-round operation?

To me, the obvious choice is a synthetic 5W-30 based on those numbers.

 

[shooterdon]

My 4140 LS manual says 10W-30 is good for -10 to 104. That covers my needs. Do you actually use your machine at temperatures out of that range?

I change oil about every 150-200 hours.

Seems strange the oil service temperature range would be different between our machines. A call to your dealer might be helpful.

 

[Obi-Wan-YJ]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone.

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:

 

[Obi-Wan-YJ]

My 4140 LS manual says 10W-30 is good for -10 to 104. That covers my needs. Do you actually use your machine at temperatures out of that range?

It looks like you misread the manual. It says 10W-30 is good for -10 C (14 F) at the low end and 40 C (104 F) at the high end.

Yes, I regularly plow snow in subzero temps, which is why I bought a tractor with a cab.

It's sounding like T6 5W-40 is the popular choice, so I'll probably go with that for now. Now that I have a working hour meter (my 8N doesn't), I'll be able to get a better feel for how much I'm actually using this tractor. I'm betting it's less than 100 hours per year.

 

[RjCorazza]

There are also 0w40 synthetic diesel oils on the market. I change oil strictly by the hours in my tractor. Everyone has a different level of comfortability with hours vs annual oil changes, but changing strictly for the season is, for the most part, a thing of the past.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

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.

How dark the oil is in a diesel is not an indication of how old or used up it is.

Very few diesels have clean looking oil after some usage, and some make the oil dark withing a minute of starting the engine after an oil change.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

To be fair, new diesel oil will be black in 10 hours... Appearance means little

 

[spruce Deere]

I have been running chevron delo synblend 10w-30 in the LS 3140H year round, Change at manual recommended hours.
Always let it warm up a bit before going to work and always let it idle for a bit before shut-down to let the turbo slow and cool down...big killers of a turbo is lack of lube while still spinning thousands of rpm's if the engine is shut down promptly and/or oil baking in a hot turbo bearings. Newer oils are better at protecting from those things, but why risk your machine by not giving a couple minutes of warm up and cool down.

 

[RustyA]

2018 Boomer 40 here made by LS. I'm one of the turbo failures at less than 100 hours. Manual stated 10W30 CK4 year round. Service bulletin performed during turbo replacement included pcm update to restrict rpms on cold start until oil warms up and specified 0W40 CK4 full synthetic oil. I'm running 5W40 T6 last five years with no problems since. 0W40 hard to source in Northern WI. Hope that helps you.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

0W40 hard to source in Northern WI.

Should be available at Amazon, and many other places.

 

[rodneyn]

2018 Boomer 40 here made by LS. I'm one of the turbo failures at less than 100 hours. Manual stated 10W30 CK4 year round. Service bulletin performed during turbo replacement included pcm update to restrict rpms on cold start until oil warms up and specified 0W40 CK4 full synthetic oil. I'm running 5W40 T6 last five years with no problems since. 0W40 hard to source in Northern WI. Hope that helps you.

With turbo on LS 0W-40 or 5W-40 oil will serve best to assure turbo does not grenade itself. Especially on low temp environments. Yes you are correct you must order 0W-40 where as shell T5 or T6 will work well. Diesel engines survives well with clean oil and clean diesel along with good coolant. At minimum perform annual maintenance. Tractor will last long time.

 

[WinterDeere]

I live in Nebraska, where we see temps between -20F and 104F every year. I use my tractor year-round, but I don't use it enough to warrant changing the oil more than once per year.

Others have asked it, but I haven't seen an answer: Are you actually working the tractor when it's 104F outside? We see similar highs, on occasion, but those are the days when I get any work done early in the morning before it heats up. I'm chilling in the pool with a G&T in my hand, long before it hits 100F outside, not working the tractor.

Whenever a compromise must be made, favor the lower temperature range. Usually, the only penalty made for running beyond the upper outside temperature range of a given lubricant is increased consumption. Of course, modern 0W-40's really open up the available range.