Correct weight oil for Kubota Grand L

Marooned · Jul 19, 2006

Getting ready to do my 50 hour service and the owner's manual says to use 10W-30 weight motor oil. In talking with the local oil company distributor, he has the 10W30, but said most if not all of his agricultural customers buy the 15W-40 weight. Says it is better suited for the hot climate here in Southeast Texas.

Should I go with the 10W30 or 15W40??? Was going to use Mystik JT8 Heavy Duty Deisel Engine Oil, which distributor says is a good oil. Any one out there have any problems w/ Mystik JT8?

Sully2 · Jul 19, 2006

Marooned said:
Getting ready to do my 50 hour service and the owner's manual says to use 10W-30 weight motor oil. In talking with the local oil company distributor, he has the 10W30, but said most if not all of his agricultural customers buy the 15W-40 weight. Says it is better suited for the hot climate here in Southeast Texas.

Should I go with the 10W30 or 15W40??? Was going to use Mystik JT8 Heavy Duty Deisel Engine Oil, which distributor says is a good oil. Any one out there have any problems w/ Mystik JT8?

If it were mine? Id go with the 10W-30....BUT..almost ALL the 10W-30 oils that you READILY FIND....are NOT diesel engine rated!!!! I think? ( based on never having seen one that WASNT) that ALL the 15W-40 oild ARE diesel rated.

On a "small" diesel.such as I have in mine...I didnt want that heavy of an oil in it during "possible" winter usage..and I hunted and hunted for a "readily available" oil that would work...FINALLY came across Shell Rotella-T SYN oil...in 5W-40...that covers every spec Kubota calls out and a lot more..so thats wht Ive bought to use

Marooned · Jul 19, 2006

Sully,
The Mystik JT8 (made by Citgo, I believe, as it is on the Citgo Website) is diesel engine rated & comes in several viscosities, 10W30 being one of them.

From what I understand Mystik is a division of Citgo that is marketed towards the agricultural industry and has been around a long time.

Sully2 · Jul 19, 2006

Marooned said:
Sully,
The Mystik JT8 (made by Citgo, I believe, as it is on the Citgo Website) is diesel engine rated & comes in several viscosities, 10W30 being one of them.

From what I understand Mystik is a division of Citgo that is marketed towards the agricultural industry and has been around a long time.

If its diesel rated and meets the specs...run with it. No reason not to. Your supplier MAY be right on about many of his "AG" customers using 15W-40...but Id have to ask how LARGE a rig are they running..and how HARD are they working their rigs?? And I really dont have a grasp on how COLD it gets there during your winters either.

IF...your working the tractor HARD...and IF it doesnt get COLD there in the winter ( assuming that you'll use it during winter??) not a thing wrong with the 15W-40 oil.

Robertsen · Jul 19, 2006

The two Kubota dealers near my location both recommend diesel rated 15W40.

Hootie · Jul 19, 2006

Mystic is good stuff!!

texasjohn · Jul 19, 2006

Like Sully2 "Shell Rotella-T SYN oil...in 5W-40...that covers every spec Kubota calls out and a lot more..so thats wht Ive bought to use"

I, too, looked hard and have settled on the Shell Rotella-T Synthetic.. 5W-40. Be careful... there is a Shell Rotella-T oil but it does NOT say Synthetic... Few carry the synthetic... many carry the non-synthetic.. it's easy to not read the COMPLETE label.

I looked for ANY other AVAILABLE synthetic diesel oil meeting the specs... and could not locate any except the Shell here in central Texas... I even called dealers, etc... so, I have only one choice...

Sully2 · Jul 19, 2006

Robertsen said:
The two Kubota dealers near my location both recommend diesel rated 15W40.

And as I stated that MAY be a very good choice...depends! If you have a tractor that has 100 PTO HP..and kept indoors in the winter...no problem. If you have a "BX" model...that is in an unheated shed..and has a starter the size of a beer can...GOOD LUCK getting that baby fired up at 10 below!

To state simply that "15w-40" is the right oil because its a "diesel" is a poor choice of words.

Marooned · Jul 19, 2006

Sully2 said:
If its diesel rated and meets the specs...run with it. No reason not to. Your supplier MAY be right on about many of his "AG" customers using 15W-40...but Id have to ask how LARGE a rig are they running..and how HARD are they working their rigs?? And I really dont have a grasp on how COLD it gets there during your winters either.

IF...your working the tractor HARD...and IF it doesnt get COLD there in the winter ( assuming that you'll use it during winter??) not a thing wrong with the 15W-40 oil.

Well, I can't comment on the size of his other customer's tractors. I would assume it ranges from the very, very large AG tractors to smaller ones like mine, a L 4330. I live in an area that does have alot of farming & cattle. In regards to the COLD, it rarely gets below freezing here, just a handful of days per year and on those days I definitely don't plan on being out on my tractor as it has no cab. My bigger concern is the heat. It gets 95 - 100 degrees here quite a bit in the summer (and the summer heat seems to last forever!) Of course, the summer is when the tractor gets used the most: shredding, FEL work, limited ground engaging work, etc.

Still undecided on what to do. Think I'll call my dealer tomorrow and ask what they use when they do oil changes.