Occasional users: how often do you change oil?

[Elkins45]

My 2013 L3800 only has about 150 hours. I wonder how often I should change oil...based on hours very rarely, but the thought of leaving the same oil over a couple of years makes me a little uncomfortable. What do other light usage owners do?

Kubota specifies 10w-30 for this engine, but when the dealer delivered the box with all of the stuff to do my 50 hour service it came with a couple of jugs of Kubota branded 15w-40. I was never really quite sure what to make of that.

 

[SDT]

Yearly .

Kubota 14W40 is fine for your location.

SDT

 

[JNA]

every year 0r 300 hrs

 

[JNA]

every year 0r 300 hrs 14w -40 delo 400 Iwas told it would last forever by my dealer

 

[JNA]

every year 0r 300 hrs 15w -40 delo 400 Iwas told it would last forever by my dealer

 

[George2615]

I have 3 vehicles, 1 motorcycle, 1 ATV, 1 Tractor, 3 Generators, 1 mower, 1 Air Compressor. They all get yearly oil and filter change regardless of miles or hours. This is just my routine and I use 5W40 synthetic in all except the Compressor which I use Compressor oil due to living in a colder climate. Tractor only gets about 70 hours a year, vehicles are each under 4,000 yearly, and minimal hours on the rest.

Those further south can use 15W40, 10W30, 5W20 or whatever is recommended in your owners manual. IMO engine oil and filters are pretty cheap insurance and yes, I'm wasting money by changing too often but that's how I do it.

 

[EddieWalker]

I do mine every spring when it starts to warm up, but the ground is still too muddy to do anything.

 

[oosik]

My owner's manual recommends 15W40. I change the oil & filter annually.

 

[Milo]

Never longer than yearly, with 5W-40 synthetic.

 

[Herkypilot]

The real answer is after an oil analysis says you need to change it. Yearly is a "feel good" answer and not scientific at all. Send an oil sample off to Blackstone to determine if you can continue past a set number of hours or need a change. Either follow the manual or do it by analysis, not by "feel good". That goes for every engine you have. That's the real answer. No, I don't work for Blackstone!

HP