Would you do 50hr service @ 10hrs?

[MHarryE]

You only have 10 hours but when you run it do you run it for a short time or lengthy period? It will make a difference whether you have 60 starts and run it 10 minutes each time or 10 starts and run it an hour each time. I expect there are dealers who have had tractors sitting around for a year and don't change the oil when they sell it. As for synthetic, my German diesel car has had 3 oil changes at 56,000 miles. The sender says it doesn't drop between changes (no dipstick, just electronic oil level gauge that you check while driving. Synthetic from the start, first change at 16,000 miles. Is it a concern that the Japanese don't build an engine as well as the Germans? I would be concerned about your diesel. Diesel is a hydrocarbon and all kinds of nasty stuff likes to grow in it. When I started my engineering career I worked on combines. Average use 3 weeks per year, then sit. Next year algae. We are not talking bio diesel - we are talking back in the 60's. one of the first projects I ad was to make the filler opening large enough to get an arm in, have a fine screen at the tank outlet, and let the owner reach in to unscrew and flush off the mesh strainer. 24 years later I moved to Case-IH and found their largest customer complaint was algae, but we discovered we had a leaky fill tank at the plant so the fuel already had water when it left the plant. Bio diesel is even more sensitive, even at B2 or B5. I'd drain the residual fuel and use a good additive with your fresh fill

 

[creekbend]

What was it that you want to return?

It is an 8 ounce bottle of diesel fuel additive. I decided to use another product after reading posts and reviews here on TBN. Everytime I go to my Dealer's, I forget the bottle. Well, maybe the next visit? I just wrote myself a note on my "To Do" pad.

 

[stoyan79]

I would estimate I have 20 starts @ 30 minutes each. I push snow with 8 foot blade mounted on the loader with 4wd engaged in medium gear @ 2,000rpm.
Then the rest of the year I clean my field with 72" bush hog in medium gear @ 2,200 rpm.

I have raised the RPM to 2,600 only few times for short period of time, only when I am bush hogging very thick vegetation.

I always start it @ idle and run it there for few minutes after start until I pull out of garage and hook up implement.

So, I will estimate about 20 starts in 18 months, 30 minutes of work every start. The tractor has ran at least once every month.

Does Kubota use brake-in oil? If yes, for how many ours should I use brake-in oil and where can I purchase this oil?

You only have 10 hours but when you run it do you run it for a short time or lengthy period? It will make a difference whether you have 60 starts and run it 10 minutes each time or 10 starts and run it an hour each time. I expect there are dealers who have had tractors sitting around for a year and don't change the oil when they sell it. As for synthetic, my German diesel car has had 3 oil changes at 56,000 miles. The sender says it doesn't drop between changes (no dipstick, just electronic oil level gauge that you check while driving. Synthetic from the start, first change at 16,000 miles. Is it a concern that the Japanese don't build an engine as well as the Germans? I would be concerned about your diesel. Diesel is a hydrocarbon and all kinds of nasty stuff likes to grow in it. When I started my engineering career I worked on combines. Average use 3 weeks per year, then sit. Next year algae. We are not talking bio diesel - we are talking back in the 60's. one of the first projects I ad was to make the filler opening large enough to get an arm in, have a fine screen at the tank outlet, and let the owner reach in to unscrew and flush off the mesh strainer. 24 years later I moved to Case-IH and found their largest customer complaint was algae, but we discovered we had a leaky fill tank at the plant so the fuel already had water when it left the plant. Bio diesel is even more sensitive, even at B2 or B5. I'd drain the residual fuel and use a good additive with your fresh fill

 

[Baby Grand]

I will "pile on" to what MHarryE said. Short run times with long periods of non-use also creates a risk that the crankcase oil doesn't get up to temperature for long enough to cook the water out of it. Water can get in from condensation resulting from cold/warm&humid/cold temperature swings. It can also get in the oil by diffusion from the surrounding air - not so much of a problem if you live in an arid place, but if you have humid days, water will find a way into the oil. Water in the oil not only encourages algae, it also can cause corrosion on steel surfaces as the oil film slowly thins out over weeks of non-use.

 

[PHILIP8N]

I am a fan of early oil dumps. Drains out wear metals from the break in process and any manufacturing material that may be left in there like sealants or silicons. My early dump was at 18 hours (eqyivelent to 540 miles the way I drive), after heavy bush hog use. I drained oil and replaced filter. I installed new filter and used M1 5w-40 synthetic. The factory fill was 10w-30, so I was glad to get that out. Just before winter, I also did a second oil dump and filter change at 50 hours, just to make sure I had the largest percentage of old oil out I could get before winter came. I also installed new filter and used M1 5w-40 synthetic. I performed a used oil analysis on each oil sample, and received an oil report as well. Only negative comments were high percentage of wear metals in oil at 18 hour mark. I worked my tractor hard those first 18 hours, and feel my engine break in was was complete, or nearly complete. I had no issues going to synthetic at that time, nor have I seen any issues of doing so. As other have said, this is one of many opions. The only person you have to please is yourself, and then live with decisions. Philip.

 

[PHILIP8N]

Does Kubota use brake-in oil? If yes, for how many ours should I use brake-in oil and where can I purchase this oil?

If they offer one, it is not listed as one of the available oils to purchase from Kubota. Who rebuilds an engine and uses break in oil? No one that I know of. Cummins used to offer a break in oil a long time ago, but I have not seen it or heard anyone mention of it in 20 years. Deere does have a break in oil offered in 10w-30. My factory fill from Kubota was 10w-30 as well, not my choice of oil weight to do heavy bush hogging in 90F ambients. Philip.

 

[stoyan79]

First off, I want to say Hi to my fellow Hoosier

I am in South Bend area.

So, here is what I am thinking. I will try to put 10 more hours this summer and will vary the RPMs when bush hogging from 1,500 to 2,500. I will give it a good work out.

Then right before winter, hopefully right at around 20 hours I will dump the oil and switch to Amsoil 5w-40 synthetic diesel oil.

I am a fan of early oil dumps. Drains out wear metals from the break in process and any manufacturing material that may be left in there like sealants or silicons. My early dump was at 18 hours (eqyivelent to 540 miles the way I drive), after heavy bush hog use. I drained oil and replaced filter. I installed new filter and used M1 5w-40 synthetic. The factory fill was 10w-30, so I was glad to get that out. Just before winter, I also did a second oil dump and filter change at 50 hours, just to make sure I had the largest percentage of old oil out I could get before winter came. I also installed new filter and used M1 5w-40 synthetic. I performed a used oil analysis on each oil sample, and received an oil report as well. Only negative comments were high percentage of wear metals in oil at 18 hour mark. I worked my tractor hard those first 18 hours, and feel my engine break in was was complete, or nearly complete. I had no issues going to synthetic at that time, nor have I seen any issues of doing so. As other have said, this is one of many opions. The only person you have to please is yourself, and then live with decisions. Philip.

 

[TripleR]

First off, I want to say Hi to my fellow Hoosier

I am in South Bend area.

So, here is what I am thinking. I will try to put 10 more hours this summer and will vary the RPMs when bush hogging from 1,500 to 2,500. I will give it a good work out.

Then right before winter, hopefully right at around 20 hours I will dump the oil and switch to Amsoil 5w-40 synthetic diesel oil.

What is your 540 PTO rated engine RPM?

 

[PHILIP8N]

Sounds like a good plan. I did not break my tractor in like I would have hoped to. I drove it from dealer to farm, about 5 miles, at full engine rpm, stopping every once in a while to vary rpm's. I let it idle while hooking up bush hog, then did this for 2 straight days in 80-90F ambient a 2650 engine rpm, only stopping to clear radiator screen and refuel. When finished, I had 18 hours and dumped oil. Philip.

 

[Gary Fowler]

First off, I want to say Hi to my fellow Hoosier

I am in South Bend area.

So, here is what I am thinking. I will try to put 10 more hours this summer and will vary the RPMs when bush hogging from 1,500 to 2,500. I will give it a good work out.

Then right before winter, hopefully right at around 20 hours I will dump the oil and switch to Amsoil 5w-40 synthetic diesel oil.

I would agree with that plan. I think the so called break in oils are something like 10W-30 non detergent oil and not the high detergents like normal diesel oil. When I changed my oil after 48 hours and one year, the oil was clear as honey and I thought, man this engine runs clean. Most diesel oil is black as graphite within 1 hour of use. Well I put new Rotella T6 synthetic 10W-40 in as replacement. After just a few hours of running, the oil was fairly black as it should be with diesel engines. My manual was also specific as to not using a synthetic until after the 50 hour break in period (no reason given on this ) It took me over a year to get the 50 hours on it but I wasn't worried about the time. Just like you, the tractor is so big that I get my work done fast. The most work it did was in the 3 days right after I got it. I dug a pond with it running 10 hours a day for about 25 hours. The manual said to load the engine and vary the RPM for break in and using the FEL digging was as much load as I could put on it.