Oil & Fuel For the Texas contingent; Oil grade?

[johnrex62]

A question for the operators in the Texas climate zone on engine oil.

I am a long way from my 50 hr service, so this is a "file for future reference" type question.

What engine oil is everyone using? Also curious as to what other fluids brands/grades are most prevalent in this area for this climate.

My operator manual indicates the proper grade oil for this temperature zone is either straight 30wt or 10W40. On a trip into TSC recently, I took a gander at what they were selling and to my surprise almost everything they had on their shelves was 15W40. The only only 10W40 was quart cans in one brand. They only had one brand of straight 30wt in gallon jugs and not much shelf space allocated to it. It seems odd to me that the two grades recommended for temperatures over 77 degrees would have so little retail space allocated to them.

 

[bp fick]

At your local TSC or WalMart you won't see an awful lot of oil in those SAE classes. The much more commonly stocked oils will indeed be 15w-40.

WalMart stocks 15w-40 in three or four brands. You'll also find 10w-30 semi-synthetic and 5w-40 full synthetic under the Rotella label.

No bad choices there.

 

[jinman]

What engine oil is everyone using? Also curious as to what other fluids brands/grades are most prevalent in this area for this climate.

My operator manual indicates the proper grade oil for this temperature zone is either straight 30wt or 10W40.

There is a lot more difference between HD 30W and 10W40 than there is between 10W40 and 15W40. I've used Rotella 15W40 dino since my tractor was new. Rotella and Delo make very fine oils designed for diesels. I'm sure their synthetics are suitable too, but I've never felt the need to use synthetic in a tractor that will outlive me on dino oil if maintained properly.

 

[DiezNutz]

Because Diesels can take a long time to completely break in, and these engines weren't designed to be broken in on synthetic, I waited until 200 hrs before I switched over to synthetic. By 50 hours, I didn't really think I had worked it enough under load. Something you might want to consider.

If you were to stick purely with Kubota oil, your two choices would be 10W-30 and 15W-40. So in your situation, I would choose 15W-40 weight, and not give it a second thought. :thumbsup:

Obviously you want Diesel oil, most will have up to a CJ-4 service category since nearly every fuel available now is ULSD.

 

[ritschner]

Ditto on the 15W40 or 5W40 synthetic. I use Shell 5W40 synthetic just because of the time between oil changes, for the times the tractor sets unused, and because I keep it on hand to use in the pickup. Walmart carries the Rotella synthetic at $19 a gallon when they have it in stock. Started using synthetic at the second oil change at 100 hours. I would not hesitate to use any of the other brands. The first oil change was at 65 hours with Kubota 10W30, but that was in December and I knew the second change would be before March. A little side note, the Kubota jug of oil I have has a note saying "Questions Call 1-800-ASHLAND", which is the maker of Valvoline.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

30w is your best choice for a warm climate. Multi-visc motor oils are designed with a light base mixed with long chain polymers that get thicker as they warm. Some of them break down and form sludge in the engine. That said, engine wear is rapid at startup, before the oil gets to the bearings. Multi-visc pumps quicker,and in any cold weather will give you a second or two less bearing wear. Texas is not always hot. If you are going to start your tractor in cold weather, a dipstick heater is a good idea with 30w.

Just be sure you have a diesel rated oil, and don't worry about it. Synthetics are more stable under very high temperature use, but a plain old 30w and regular oil changes will keep any diesel running for thousands of hours.

 

[PHILIP8N]

That quart of 10w-40 you saw at TSC, make sure it is rated for diesel engine service per the C? SAE rating required in your manual. I cant think of a 10w-40 that is rated SAE C? for diesel service. Engine oil factory fill for my Kubota engine was 10w-30, and probably is for yours too. I changed mine out at 18 hours. For Texas, I think any good 15w-40 diesel rated oil would be fine, plentiful and inexpensive. In Indiana we go from 0F to 95F, my personal preference is Mobil 1 5w-40. Philip.

 

[DiezNutz]

30w is your best choice for a warm climate. Multi-visc motor oils are designed with a light base mixed with long chain polymers that get thicker as they warm. Some of them break down and form sludge in the engine. That said, engine wear is rapid at startup, before the oil gets to the bearings. Multi-visc pumps quicker,and in any cold weather will give you a second or two less bearing wear. Texas is not always hot. If you are going to start your tractor in cold weather, a dipstick heater is a good idea with 30w.

Just be sure you have a diesel rated oil, and don't worry about it. Synthetics are more stable under very high temperature use, but a plain old 30w and regular oil changes will keep any diesel running for thousands of hours.

LC, while your basic explanations are true, some of your concerns/recommendations are well out-of-date.
There isn't any reason to think that a modern highly-refined MV oil still suffers from major polymer burning & breakdown. There's junk still circulating on the internet from 10 or more years ago that help to perpetuate this phobia.

Most modern MV oils actually enhance lubrication vs. a straight oil. Is straight weight being specificied as the primary lubricant by the manufacturer? Does Kubota even distribute a straight oil for their engines? No, and no. I'm not aware of anything that primarily specifies SAE oil anymore except some outdoor power equipment. If you use 15W-40, you're already starting with a heavier base, so less VI polymers are needed to achieve the 40 index anyway. Why would a guy living in Texas even want to fool with a dipstick heater?

These tractor engines are not air-cooled or operating under extreme rpm, load, or heat, so most concerns about "polymer breakdown" are insignificant. Especifically if you're following your maintenance schedule, you're simply not keeping it in there long enough to break down.

What I just said goes double or 10X for synthetic, which naturally has a high VI and doesn't need as many polymers to begin with, besides being extremely shear resistant. Synthetic is simply superior to everything, including straight weight.

15W-40, dino or synth, is entirely appropriate for Texas, which is why it's no accident that that's what the OP sees everywhere on the shelves.

 

[Bird]

I used Chevron's Delo 400 in the 15W-40 weight, and everyone I knew with a diesel tractor and/or truck used either that or the Shell Rotella 15W-40 as jinman said. Kubota just got a bit behind in updating their oil recommendations in their manuals.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

These tractor engines are not air-cooled or operating under extreme rpm, load, or heat, so most concerns about "polymer breakdown" are insignificant. Especifically if you're following your maintenance schedule, you're simply not keeping it in there long enough to break down.

What I just said goes double or 10X for synthetic, which naturally has a high VI and doesn't need as many polymers to begin with, besides being extremely shear resistant. Synthetic is simply superior to everything, including straight weight.

15W-40, dino or synth, is entirely appropriate for Texas, which is why it's no accident that that's what the OP sees everywhere on the shelves.

I have a compact tractor, and in the summer I'm running it all the time under conditions of extreme load and heat. The throttle is wide open almost all the time. The temperature gauge is frequently above operating temperature, and I have to be careful not to overheat the engine. The big weakness of Kubota engines is the radiator, and Texas is hotter than where I live, so I assume lots of Texas tractors are running really hot.

Because the weather here gets colder in the winter, when the Kubota gets used for utility work, and because there is no electricity where the Kubota gets parked, I run Delvac1 5w-40. You are right about the synthetics, but they are very expensive. Our big field tractor starts up and runs 18 hours between shutdowns, plus it gets parked near electricity and has a factory block heater, so it runs straight 30w.