Change Filter?

[ch1ch2]

I have a NH tractor with 112 hours and 4 years on this set of filters and oils.

I was going to change all but $110 in filters got me to to wondering if I need to change the filters.

Help with your thoughts.

Would I be OK just changing the oils? (just do to age and condensation.)

 

[RickB]

$28 per year filter cost? 112 hours in 4 years? I'd sell the tractor before shortchanging it on filters. No more than you (appear) to use them, you might be able to sell 2 or 3 and use the ones left a little more. Your costs aren't in filters, it's in tractors.

 

[GManBart]

I can see skipping the air filters if they look decent, and you blow them out with compressed air. Many tractors have inner/outer air filters, and they recommend replacing the inner filter every other time, which makes sense since the outer filter gets most of the dirt. The oil/tranny/hydraulic filters are simply too important to skip. $110 every four years seems pretty cheap insurance to me.

 

[WilliamBos]

Change the oil and filters.

 

[ch1ch2]

$28 per year filter cost? 112 hours in 4 years? I'd sell the tractor before shortchanging it on filters. No more than you (appear) to use them, you might be able to sell 2 or 3 and use the ones left a little more. Your costs aren't in filters, it's in tractors.

Yes on the surface that would seem correct but I think I need all of the tractors.
IH 684 mostly scrap for parts on my 584
IH 584 works 30 acre farm and used by my wife.
NH 95 works same 30 acre farm used by me with bucket, hay spear, grapple.
NH 33D w/belly mower mows 2.5 acre home site.
NH 55 w/BH and FEL works 90 ranch 200 miles away.
JD 302 works same 90 acres with pulling and PTO.

 

[KYKub]

I don't think you're likely to get a definitive answer, and there are other threads covering this subject, but I believe most debate centers on whether or not change filters EVERY year if it's used few hours. I doubt many folks around here would be willing to let their tractors go 4 years without filter changes.

Granted, you are probably talking to an audience who, by their choice to spend time on a tractor forum, probably tilt toward the "over-do-it" end of the spectrum.

I once had a Cub Cadet lawn tractor that I hated. Long story, but it was constantly in the shop. Decided to intentionally do NO maintenance on it hoping it would die a speedy death. After about 7 years of NO maintenance (no oil change, nothing) I finally got a Kubota garden tractor (love it!) and gave the Cub to a friend. I don't think he's done anything to it for at least two seasons and the thing seems no worse for the wear. Hmm, maybe I gave the thing too little credit...

 

[davesl708]

With such little usage changing the fluid may be more important to protecting the tractors. Four years of condensation and contamination may be doing more harm than the filters.

 

[Texasmark]

First off I live in Texas. Second I'm retired on a smaller place and not all that much work required. Third, I never start a tractor unless I have time to allow it to warm up good and work all the levers before putting up. Fourth, when working in hot weather, I cool the tractors down with tap water over radiators (hyd, AC, radiator coils) and let them run a few minutes afterwards. Fifth I keep my tractors in the shop or shedded.

On my 2007 6530 I changed my engine oil/filter when it got dirty or once a year, using Rot T 5W-40 full syn. Cleaned out the air filters once but they have an indicator device on the air inlet that tells me if they are clogging and if it weren't for that and they clogged, the engine exhaust would tell me....black. Changed the hyd filter once (removing filter opens the whole hyd sump....gotta be fast with the swap), but figured if it clogged hyd things would slow down which they didn't. Fuel filter is the original but I keep my fuel clean and have an outlet filter on my fuel transfer pump and if it clogged the engine wouldn't work nor go to full 2600 rpms under load.

So, at 7 years and 1000 hours, I changed all the fluids and the hyd filter the second time. Now I feel better. How does the tractor feel? Seems the same to me.

 

[ch1ch2]

I am strongly leaning to going ahead and changing the filters. 112 hours is not much time on a filter but if harm is going to be done the choice is between harming the tractor or harming my pocket for $110. The harm to the tractor (not likely) could be much more than the $110. If I do not change the filters I will worry about it. If I do change them I can forget about it for at least a year.

 

[davesl708]

I am strongly leaning to going ahead and changing the filters. 112 hours is not much time on a filter but if harm is going to be done the choice is between harming the tractor or harming my pocket for $110. The harm to the tractor (not likely) could be much more than the $110. If I do not change the filters I will worry about it. If I do change them I can forget about it for at least a year.

Was the first 50hr service performed? If not you may still have breakin oil in it. Also the suction screens may have leftover debris from manufacturing clogging it up.

 

[ch1ch2]

Was the first 50hr service performed? If not you may still have breakin oil in it. Also the suction screens may have leftover debris from manufacturing clogging it up.

Yes all the maintenance has been done over the years (sort of). All are older tractors. 8 to 45 years old. I write the date and the hours on the filters when they get changed so I do not have to remember. I thought it was 2 years since I change the oils on this tractor and was surprised to see it had been 4 years.

 

[fishheadbob]

Time to change stuff. If I have a tractor that gets little use I let the intervals go by, but still change filters and oil every few years. Tractors are expensive compared to filters . I let hyd oil go forever as long as it looks OK, but I probably lose enough through leaks and breaks that overall the stuff isn't all that old. NAPA and similar places sell replacement filters for a lot less than OEM stuff.
Having said that I have to tell you about my uncle Jim. He never changed oil or filters on his car and would get amazing amounts of miles out of them back when anything over 70,000 miles was a relic; like 150,000. He knew oil better than most of us, he was a refinery manager for Mobil, then Aramco. ?

 

[kevin37b]

Change engine O/F AND HYD FILTER . HYD is a closed system but there are possibilities of machining contaniments . If you can afford those machines you can afford the filters ?

 

[ch1ch2]

Changed it all!
Fluids and filters.
Cranked it up and it ran about 15 seconds. Then it died. I changed the fuel filter, so I guess there is air in the line. The last time I changed the fuel filter it started to die and I went full throttle, it sputtered a bit but made it through and kept running.
I am older and slower now. I did not think about it until it died. I have not been able to restart.

 

[Texasmark]

Was the first 50hr service performed? If not you may still have breakin oil in it. Also the suction screens may have leftover debris from manufacturing clogging it up.

On the engine, if it did have BI oil it got changed out. On the hyd oil, Kukje specifies the oil to use (Premium with the orange dye due to the hydro shuttle and wet brakes) and never heard of break in oil in hydraulics/tranny/wet brake/hydrostat functions. Hear you on the particles but having run the test over the years, never found anything to amount to a hill of beans. Course a lot of engine and tranny drain plugs have magnets to catch those little critters and the more they catch the larger they are and the more surface area they have to catch more.

I think the real meat of the issue is as Ch1 said: "If I do not change the filters I will worry about it. If I do change them I can forget about it for at least a year." There is a lot of substance in that pair of sentences and years ago I used to be among the worst worriers. But having never had anything break to my knowledge due to lack of fluid changes, over the past 50+ years, I don't worry about it like I used to.

Same goes for going nuts with the grease gun. I still grease and use premium hi temp grease, but I am now tending to conform to the manual suggestions at a couple of pumps every 50 hours. I just got tired of having that nasty stuff all over me and my clothes every time I touch the gun or a piece of equipment that has been greased......course being nasty and staying put and goey and all is how it does it's job........but it doesn't take all that much. Besides that means I don't have to refill those nasty cartridge grease guns as often. I'll buy that.

 

[GManBart]

Changed it all!
Fluids and filters.
Cranked it up and it ran about 15 seconds. Then it died. I changed the fuel filter, so I guess there is air in the line. The last time I changed the fuel filter it started to die and I went full throttle, it sputtered a bit but made it through and kept running.
I am older and slower now. I did not think about it until it died. I have not been able to restart.

Which tractor was it? Does it have a manual priming system on the fuel lift pump?

 

[ch1ch2]

It is the TC33D. No it does not have anything from the filter to the pump except the metal fuel line about 8 inches in length.

I have never done it, but I understand I can crack open the injector lines at the injector, turn it over a few times to get the air out, then tighten them up and it should start. I will try that when the sun comes up.

 

[ch1ch2]

It is the TC33D. No it does not have anything from the filter to the pump except the metal fuel line about 8 inches in length.

I have never done it, but I understand I can crack open the injector lines at the injector, turn it over a few times to get the air out, then tighten them up and it should start. I will try that when the sun comes up.

 

[ch1ch2]

Crack open the injector lines and the engine would not turn over.
Corrosion on the + terminal. Cleaned up and cranked over the engine.
Got one line to bubble. Cranked and cranked and cranked and got the middle line to bubble.
Cranked and cranked and cranked. Nothing on the last line.
Engine sounds like it might want to try to start but it is not trying very hard.
Got to let the battery recharge for now.