Looking for the highest quality conventional oil

[sixdogs]

From a thread I did about switching back to dino oil from synthetic http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/372323-switch-back-dino-oil-synthetic.html I'm thinking that's probably what I will do. After all, I only use equipment in warm weather, sometimes around 55 or 60 degrees but mostly into the 80 and above range. So the cold start of synthetic is no big deal and I use a lot of gallons of oil a year. Seems to me that dino oil today is light years ahead of anything from years ago.

Any names you like for the highest quality dino oil? Maybe even a semi-syn since they seem to cost the same as a dino oil? Good conventional (dino) oil is around $60 for 5 gallons and synthetic around $115 to $150+ ? (Deere).


How about one of the basic Rotellas like T-4 or T-5? Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Oil Products | Shell ROTELLA(R)

Mobil Delvac? Heavy duty engine oil | Mobil Delvac™ Engine Oils


Others?

 

[Cat_Driver]

 

[oosik]

In the "good old days" when we lived in Alaska, I always used Lubriplate. This was well prior to synthetics. It was the major lubricating oil used by most of the companies with equipment on the TAPS(Trans-Alaska Pipeline system). A petroleum chemist, working for British Petroleum, told me that it was the best oil available, at that time. He tried to explain why - but lost me after the second sentence. What I DID get was - exceptional lubricity under extreme conditions and its ability to hold/keep contaminants in suspension.

It was easy to obtain during the Alaska pipeline saga but not so much now, here in Ea WA. I used it in my 4WD vehicles and, even at that time, it was pretty expensive.

Whenever anybody mentions Alaska - everybody thinks - extreme cold. Well, the winters did get cold in the interior northern areas - Fairbanks and further north. However, what few understand is that summers could easily reach 90F and sometimes hotter. I was in Fairbanks in August when it got to 102F. So any motor oil had to span a wide range of temperatures.

 

[RNeumann]

The Chevron 1000 THF has been a solid fluid- few have issues with it. Shell products also seem to have a good reputation. Haven't seen much, or heard much about Mobil products. Tractor Supply fluid is hit and miss with several happy and several saying never again. The Kubota and JD house brands have good reps.
Try your local oil distributor- I didn't even realize where they were in my town. NAPA told me about them and they had the Chevron for $52/5gal and said if I saved the buckets the refills are even less!

 

[mkreitler]

There are many good one's out there it all comes down to choice and for a lot of people PRICE, myself I look at the PRICE of the EQUIPMENT involved and the COST of SUCH, and LASTING ABILTY of the EQUIPMENT for me it's a investment that I want around for a long time and have to depend on it working properly when used. AS FOR LUBRICANTS I USE SCHAEFFER'S and CHEVRON PRODUCTS I have used others in the past and came to settle on the two for me it has been a good experience with the two MOBIL DELVAC is GOOD, SHELL ROTELLA , is NO.1 by the way the best one is whatever you chose and works BEST and cost effective for your operation and for a SYNTHETIC I would go with AMSOIL!!

 

[Copperhead]

Go onto the Petroleum Quality Institute of America's website and look around. Not the easiest site to navigate, but chock full of test of all kinds of brands and viscosities of oils. Even ATF. They have done a lot of sample testing of both conventional and synthetics in both gas and diesel varieties and the results can sometimes be surprising.

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America

 

[sixdogs]

Go onto the Petroleum Quality Institute of America's website and look around. Not the easiest site to navigate, but chock full of test of all kinds of brands and viscosities of oils. Even ATF. They have done a lot of sample testing of both conventional and synthetics in both gas and diesel varieties and the results can sometimes be surprising.

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America

That is an excellent site. Thank you.

 

[LD1]

The benefits to synthetic other than cold weather properties is extended oil changes. Only way to be certain weather oil is needing changed or not is an analysis. If you can go twice as long on synthetic, for twice the money.......its a good deal. Because its half the waste and half the labor for the same cost.

I have used synthetic in everything for the last 8-10 years. Either valvoline or mobile 0w30 for the gassers which is about $25/5qt jug, and Rotella T6 in the diesels which is $21/gallon. But I use my equipment when it gets cold. Usually not the backhoe, but you never know when I might have to fire it up to pull out the garbage truck if he gets stuck dumping the dumpster, or have a water line leak. The truck and kubota get used to plow snow with.

 

[spruce Deere]

Highest quality conventional oil, that is easy....

98% of the time, I have always used Chevron products... Engine, hydraulic, gear, grease.

Conventional oil today is GOOD stuff. Stay with 'name brand oils' mobile, 76, shell, chevron. With regular maintenance its hard to go wrong.

 

[3930dave]

Conventional oil today is GOOD stuff. Stay with 'name brand oils' mobile, 76, shell, chevron. With regular maintenance its hard to go wrong.

^What spruce said.

For regular use (defined next) 6d, pretty much any name brand diesel oil of the correct viscosity will serve you fine. Regular use - oil changed at or below factory hours, no insane temperature or load requirements, no extended idling, and today, no conflicts with high bio-diesel content- just my personal def'n.

If you don't need un-aided (no added heat) low temperature starting, then for "regular" use, name brand conventional will work fine.

There is always Bob is the Oil Guy, for both new and used oil analysis reports. Can take a lot of reading to find what you want on BITOG, but there is good data there.

Rgds, D.