50 hour service at 35 hours?

[dieselmadman]

The season is over for my '07 BX24. I do not plan on using it for snow removal so it is ready to be put to bed. I currently have 35 hours on it. Does conventional wisdom dictate I do the 50 hour service now? Honestly, I would rather do it at 50 hours but if folks here think it is better to put it away with clean fluids and filters, then that is the way I will go. Plan on doing it myself, since after reading how it is done on this forum it does seem pretty easy. I guess I have no reason for not doing it except time and expense and not wanting to waste fossil fuels if it is unnecessary. The tractor will be garaged all winter...Any thoughts? Thanks, in advance.

 

[RobJ]

I'd wait, it's just money. But you'll probably tootle around on it over the winter doing something or the other.

Rob

 

[DmansPadge]

I wouldn't blame you for going either way... but if it was me... I'd go ahead and do it even though your a little shy on hours. Doing the initial service a little early isn't a bad thing anyway.

 

[TalonDancer]

Drop it off at my place tomorrow and I'll put those pesky 15 hours on your BX24 by the weekend and make your decision easier

Seriously I'd change out the engine oil/filters now, then wait till you reach 50 hours next spring/summer to do the full 50 hour service. FWIW I changed the engine oil & filter at 25 hours and again at 50 hours when doing the full service.

Talon Dancer

BTW I recycle everything I possibly can. My used engine oil & UDT is recycled as fuel for ship's boilers. And I pay a fee (50 cents each) so that my used filters will be cleaned and recycled as scrap metal.

 

[Buster57]

"I guess I have no reason for not doing it except time and expense and not wanting to waste fossil fuels if it is unnecessary. The tractor will be garaged all winter...Any thoughts? "

You want to perform the 50 hour service at 50 hours, not less. This will give the engine time to break in. Alternatively you could perform the service at 35 and 50 hours, but you have too much $ if you do that.

The break-in is more important then storage.

 

[ndnparts]

This is a very sensible compromise (not the dropping off part ). Changing the oil only is cheap, and you will remove the acids that do the storage damage. You can do the full service in the spring. I always do the stored engine services this time of year because of the high winter humidity and damage the acids in dirty oil can do to bearing surfaces. Also remember to store engines with full fuel tanks to avoid condensation problems. Stan

Drop it off at my place tomorrow and I'll put those pesky 15 hours on your BX24 by the weekend and make your decision easier

Seriously I'd change out the engine oil/filters now, then wait till you reach 50 hours next spring/summer to do the full 50 hour service. FWIW I changed the engine oil & filter at 25 hours and again at 50 hours when doing the full service.

Talon Dancer

 

[638]

What little acid, if any, laying in the bottom of the oil pan won't hurt the engine. Do your 50 hour service at 50 hours.

ron

 

[mswlogo]

I'd wait, especially if you plan to put synthetics. There's a lot of stories of VW owners (who tend to baby their cars like kubota owners do) that they put synthetic in too soon and the engine didn't break in properly and later burned oil. Some even believed that the oil shipped was special for break in. Not saying that's true for Kubotas but I'd stick to Kubotoa's plan. Let it finish breaking in before changing it and fire it up a few times over winter.

 

[TalonDancer]

What little acid, if any, laying in the bottom of the oil pan won't hurt the engine....

Say what bro'

The acids in engine oils do not separate like oil and water -- with the oil on top and the acids at the bottom of the pan. The acids are in suspension, hence they are distributed wherever the oil is. And we better hope SOME oil remains on EVERY lubricated surface over the winter. Otherwise come spring, we will have bone dry metal touching bone dry metal until the oil pump delivers some oil.

FWIW the idea behind having fresh oil in an engine which is being stored is to minimize the effects of the acids in the old oil which were introduced by the incomplete seal between the combustion area and the rest of the engine. There are two periods in an engine's life when this seal is weakest --
1 - when it is young and the rings have not fully seated and
2 - when it is old and the rings are very worn.

IMHO engine oil is cheap and very easily recycled. But everyone has to make their own choices

Talon Dancer

 

[ndnparts]

That's exactly the correct answer. I run my diesels hard, but I also treat them with respect and don't abuse them by letting natural occuring processes & elements degrade the parts prematurely. Change it if you want, or don't if you don't want, it's your tractor. I merely offered my opinion when requested, and explained the reasoning behind it. If 4 quarts of oil is too critical or expensive for some folks, don't change it. JMHO Stan

Say what bro'

The acids in engine oils do not separate like oil and water -- with the oil on top and the acids at the bottom of the pan. The acids are in suspension, hence they are distributed wherever the oil is. And we better hope SOME oil remains on EVERY lubricated surface over the winter. Otherwise come spring, we will have bone dry metal touching bone dry metal until the oil pump delivers some oil.

FWIW the idea behind having fresh oil in an engine which is being stored is to minimize the effects of the acids in the old oil which were introduced by the incomplete seal between the combustion area and the rest of the engine. There are two periods in an engine's life when this seal is weakest --
1 - when it is young and the rings have not fully seated and
2 - when it is old and the rings are very worn.

IMHO engine oil is cheap and very easily recycled. But everyone has to make their own choices

Talon Dancer