Will cheap oil ruin my tractor?

[5030]

Okay J, I've started the thread. lets try not to make it 5 pages long?

My experience with cheap oil is that it's okay for my work car. I've even drained the oil from my Kubota and put it in my "beater" /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[kevinj]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, there is adifference between "cheap" oil and "poor quality" oil. Which are you refering too ??? I have seen your post about tractors and class 8 diesel so this must be a trick question !!!

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color="blue">( Will cheap oil ruin my tractor?) </font>

Not if ya change it, after every tractor use... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Now... NO OIL will ruin your tractor... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[JATO_RaT]

Dang it Miller, thats what I was going to say. Poor quality and cheap can have two completely different meanings. I should think that as long as the SAE rating is there, your going to be fine, unless of course you use far too little, double gasket the filter, forget to put in the drain plug, extend the change interval etc. I should also think that in the quantities we use in a tractor and the infrequency of changing it, why not just get the best you can, or at least are led to believe is the best. I estimate about $3000 to rebuild a tractor diesel, multiply that by 5 or more for the large trucks that routinely use oils like Rotella and Delo mineral based and find out how much they like spending that amount. I'm sure the results will be unanimous. With routine oil analyses by large trucking firms like FedEx, UPS etc., they have found the forementioned oils and those that are similar, most agreeable to their bottom line. Rat...

 

[TresCrows]

Actually I was joking around, I did not imagine someone would start this thread /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif--uh oh /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
I suppose cheap and poor quality are both subjective and do not always go hand in hand. So if you found re-refined oil that met API ratings for the machine in question would you use it? Would you use generic labled oil? I think the Wally World Tech stuff has a halfway decent reputation. J

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> I suppose cheap and poor quality are both subjective </font>
'Poor quality' can be subjective but not 'cheap'. 'Cheap' is defined at dictionary.com as;

'Relatively low in cost; inexpensive or comparatively inexpensive. Charging low prices: a cheap restaurant."

When comparing 2 oils, the one that costs less per unit of measure is always cheaper. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I am with Rat on this question...For the amount of oil I use in my tractor, I use a high quality synthetic and change it at factory recommended intervals. The annual cost difference between this practice and using non-syn oils is a nit given the amount of oil I use.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( cheap oil )</font>

Might have to define "cheap"; what price is cheap? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

In the late 50s when my dad owned a Mobil service station, we naturally had all the Mobil oils on display, but we also stocked lots of others in the back. We quite frequently had customers come in and ask whether we had any "two-bit" oil. They also usually were driving an oil burner (or leaker) and seemed a bit embarrassed at asking for the "cheap" oil. What they didn't know was that on our Mobil oil selling for 40 cents a quart, we made 11 cents. On the Texas Star, re-refined oil that we sold for 25 cents, we made 12.5 cents, so we certainly didn't mind selling the "cheap" oil. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[shady1701]

Only have 2 pieces to add on this.. #1 i seen a excert off blackstone labs that said "we don't find any signifigant differences in wear between synthetics and conventional oil"

#2 99% of all oil sold meets SL which is a very demanding test and 99% of all HDO meets the CI-4 which is in most oil tech people about 33% more capable of handling soot than what is needed.

So i don't think there is no such thing as "cheap" oil they might spend more R+D time on bigger company's but you won't see any more performance out of it..
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[slowrev]

Here goes my take on oil.

1. use the proper grade and viscosity for your engine and temperature conditions.
2. Use a good filter.
3. Change oil regularly at or sooner than the manufacturers recommendation. Remember they are in the business of selling tractors/service/engines. They don't really want the engine to last forever, just a reasonable amount of time so it is not labeled as junk.
4. Keep your oil level up to the full mark. Don't wait till it gets down 1 quart. The plastic bottles with screw on lids are very handy for this. Does anyone remember the old pierce spout oil cans ? With those you pretty much had to add a quart at a time.
5. I feel it is best to stay with one brand of oil and do not mix types/brands.
6. Do not overheat/overwork your engine.

If you do all of this you should have many years/hours of enjoyment out of your tractor before a rebuild is needed.

 

[grainger12002]

Hey 5030: see what you started. I am sure you use good quality oil,dont know if it is the least expensive or not. We too make great use out of our drain oil, the oil that comes out of my Honda is cleaner than new,of course we re-use it.