Help! - I am gunshy!!!

[bp fick]

OK, no joke this time. Here's the thought process.

Yeah, there was a time when a lot of us fell prey to the marketing of additives. But stop a minute and do the math. When you do, you realize you probably did not buy the highest grade of oil, fluid, filters, etc and now just wish to compensate with a small can of goop. Just blew what you saved and you are now relying on the "little can of goop" for its protection.

Bah! Much better to buy/use/change on schedule the very best, highest quality oils, fluids and filters you can buy. The Shells, the Chevrons, the Exxon-Mobils types of the world have B as in Billions to spend on research. The maker of my little can of unknown goop has what? Don't even want to answer that. Spend the goop money on the best oils you can as they already have the proper balance of expensive additives you can buy and/or need. Just sayin'

 

[TripleR]

OK, no joke this time. Here's the thought process.

Yeah, there was a time when a lot of us fell prey to the marketing of additives. But stop a minute and do the math. When you do, you realize you probably did not buy the highest grade of oil, fluid, filters, etc and now just wish to compensate with a small can of goop. Just blew what you saved and you are now relying on the "little can of goop" for its protection.

Bah! Much better to buy/use/change on schedule the very best, highest quality oils, fluids and filters you can buy. The Shells, the Chevrons, the Exxon-Mobils types of the world have B as in Billions to spend on research. The maker of my little can of unknown goop has what? Don't even want to answer that. Spend the goop money on the best oils you can as they already have the proper balance of expensive additives you can buy and/or need. Just sayin'

I agree 100%. I am from a family of mechanic, engineers and such who work on machines for "fun" restoring cars and trucks and not a one of them uses additives in ATV's, motorcycles, cars/trucks, tractors. Use a good quality oil and filters that meets the manufacturer's requirements, they know what they built and what it needs better than anyone and they have a vested interest in making your machine last so you will be a repeat customer.

 

[veresjwv]

Well, thanks again! I was hesitating about asking this question on TBN but I am sure glad I did! I never fail to learn something when I come here. I guess I've been duped all these years and I certainly will not use any of that stuff in my tractor. I have no problem spending the money to use the best oil. I do want my tractor to last as long as possible and I plan to take very good care of it! Thanks again everyone.
Joe

 

[westcliffe01]

I once had to make a long trip in mid summer (over 100F) in a car that I knew was burning oil. I started out with 2 gallon cans of regular oil, but had burnt through a lot of it after 600 miles. By that time I was in a pretty remote area (had to wait hours for another vehicle to pass) and was getting close to nightfall. I threw caution to the wind and used SAE 80-90 hypoid oil in the engine. I did the next 600 miles through the night in the remote area and only had to add another quart.

Granted, that was a pretty extreme situation and I rebuilt the engine at my destination before heading back home over a month later. I had tried the additives and they didn't do much for my situation. It turned out that the valve guides were very worn and the valve guide seals were shot and that was the route most of the oil took into the engine.

Nowdays I try to run synthetic oil in most of my vehicles. Its "cheap" insurance.

 

[firefighter jim]

Reminds me of the sixty's when STP had a strong marketing campaign. For me, a good quality oil of the proper viscosity and filter only. Changed on a regular basis. No additives.

 

[krackerjack9]

The L3400 is a great tractor I had one put about 60hrs on it and then spent then next 3yrs in Iraq. Left it for my neighbor to look after it and he put on about 500 or so hours. Needless to say it was just the same as I left it. I ended up trading it in for a L4400 and dont regret it. I dont really like that next oil change at 200 or so hours after the 50 so what I do is change the oil at every 75hrs and every other oil change I then change the filter. I got about 256hrs on it now and it runs great. My grandfather passed years ago but he had a 1964 Alais Chalmers 60hp tractor and I think if I remember right it has about 9200hrs on it. It still starts up no wierd sounds and just a bit of smoke at start up but thats it. Transmisson went thur a rebuild I think back in 93 or so. But its still running, working a 9ft sickle mower and small round bailer. He pretty much changed his oil about every 2 months.

 

[Ductape]

I only had a bicycle back then but remember the STP stickers that decorated many lunch boxes, bicycles, wagons or anything with a big enough surface to stick them on. That was about the same time ESSO advertised "Put a tiger in your tank" and gave out all those tiger tails to decorate handle bars and bicycle seats. I am sure others have memories of these too!

Not only did I have the STP stickers on my Schwinn (hey, if they were good enough for Richard Petty........), but I also had the playing cards clothes pinned to make that cool motorcyle sound !!

 

[megaboz]

I don't buy into the additives all that much, but I do only buy name brand oils. As long as they meet the requirements of the manufacure all is good.

But I do remember having bought a used Nissan Sentra, and my grandfather bought me a bottle of Slick 50. I am not sure what was in that can, but after I changed the oil during the winter, I have to take a road trip. I could not get that car to heat up in 5th gear. I had to run 4th just to keep from freezing. Never had a problem with it before nor the next winter (of course I never dropped in another can of that stuff either).

I do belive that some of the oil treatments do have some merit, the detergents in a quart of oil can only last so long.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I don't buy into the additives all that much, but I do only buy name brand oils. As long as they meet the requirements of the manufacure all is good.

But I do remember having bought a used Nissan Sentra, and my grandfather bought me a bottle of Slick 50. I am not sure what was in that can, but after I changed the oil during the winter, I have to take a road trip. I could not get that car to heat up in 5th gear. I had to run 4th just to keep from freezing. Never had a problem with it before nor the next winter (of course I never dropped in another can of that stuff either).

I do belive that some of the oil treatments do have some merit, the detergents in a quart of oil can only last so long.

This appears to me to be more of a coolant issue than a lubrication issue. You may want to consider that your thermostat had some way stuck fully open or had malfunctioned which would have nothing to do with the lubrication of the engine. (Slick 50) It may have later become unstck and started working right. Engine thermostats will do that and drives people crazy. A lot of times we relate a malfunction or a fix to something totally unrelated to an occurance or event that actually has nothing to do with the problem or fix. I have had this happen to me many times through life. I rocked my B7800 one time on a hill because it wouldn't start and decided rocking it was the answer then I unplugged and reattached the lugs on the seat safety cutoff switch and decided that was the answer but later figured out that it was probably the foot pedal not being dead center the whole time. When I tried the other fixes I was touching the foot pedal and recentering it which let the tractor start. I hear people tell of problems and fixes which puzzle me because I logically know that problem and the fix they describe can not be related but they swear to it.

 

[ctgoldwing]

Reminds me of the sixty's when STP had a strong marketing campaign. For me, a good quality oil of the proper viscosity and filter only. Changed on a regular basis. No additives.

This whole thread reminds me of ANY one of the several motorcycle or car forums I frequent(ed)

Oil seems to be a universal topic for any forum relating to a motor. My last 2 motorcycles had over 100K miles on each (a fair amount for a bike). I never had a mechanical failure on either. Just change the engine oil with decent quality regular oil and the same with the rear drive every 4000-5000 miles. I expect the Kubota to be no different, though on my last tractor I did oil/filter changes every 100 hrs after 50. But I only put 100-150 hours on the motor in a non-commercial enviornment.