Oil & Fuel Draining Clean Hydro. Oil Irresponsible?

[crackpot]

My wife says I can rationalize anything, no matter how absurd, if I can save a dime. But as I have been preparing to perform 300 hour maint. on TC40D, I have been pondering the fact that I will be wasting 10 gallons of clean hydraulic oil simply because the owner's manual says so. The service manager at NH dealer told me years ago that as long as the oil is free of water and debris that it should be run for at least 1,000 hours, with only filter changes for maint. We all know our attitudes about oil use must change from now on, and that is why I cannot help but beleive that "broad brush" service instructions are wasteful at best and possibly irresponsible in today's society. Not sure yet what I will do but I am not waiting on NH for guidance at $60-$70 for each 5-gallon bucket they sell. Nor am I in any way condemning those who feel it is a proper service interval. Kind of like what the Bible says about individual liberty; if a man believes something is sinful and does it anyway, he is commiting a sin. If he does not see anything wrong with it, more power to him. Tune in next week for another installment of "Sin and the Service schedule". {Sorry, it is getting late}.

 

[DieselPower]

How do you know your oil is clean? The appearance of oil is meaningless. By the time you can see water in the oil (it's milky) it's to late, you can't see dissolved water in oil. By the time you see dirt or metal in the oil it's way to late, you can't see particles in the low micron to sub micron range. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with extended drain intervals as long as they are done properly. If you want to extend your drain intervals they I would suggest that you perform a UOA (used oil analysis) and find out what the actual condition of the oil is. With a properly run UOA program you might be supprised how long you can extend your drain intervals, the key is your extending them and getting maximum life out of the lubricant in a safe manner not some arbitrary time frame.

 

[Soundguy]

If the change spec is 300 hrs.. that's when i'd do it. it's way cheape rthan a new transmission, diffy, and hyd system in your tractor.

70$ per 5g.. i wouldn't pay that either.. I'd pay about 22$ per 5g at the local walmart.. that's the cheap stuff I've been putting in my NH 7610s... been running fine.. and i use 3 pails of the stuff for that tractor alone.. i got a ford 5000 that uses near that much...

soudnguy

 

[crackpot]

If you want to extend your drain intervals they I would suggest that you perform a UOA (used oil analysis) .

How does one go about having a UOA performed?

 

[DieselPower]

Do a quick internet search for used oil analysis and youl find a list of providers. One reputable yet reasonable one that comes to mind is Blackstone Labs. Simply request a sample bottle from them, draw the small sample and send it into the lab with payment.

Check out this post for a general description of what a UOA is. It's on engine oil but the basis is the same for any oil test. Different systems and fluids have different contaminates and properties tested. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/99875-what-uoa-you-ask.html?highlight=uoa

 

[Skyco]

We all know our attitudes about oil use must change from now on, and that is why I cannot help but beleive that "broad brush" service instructions are wasteful at best and possibly irresponsible in today's society.

If you think the oil is "used" and "wasted" then consider this- In the big picture, lube oils are merely borrowed for awhile (sort of like the old joke about merely renting beer) not used up as fuel oils are.

If recycled/disposed of properly it gets re-refined and used again.

I change all lubes at or before recommended intervals. It isn't like they are consumed like fuels are....of course I'm not the direct beneficiary of the recycling but the world is.

 

[jinman]

I am getting ready to do an experiment with my tractor. I'm going to filter the used hydrauilc oil and then mix it 1 gallon to 10 gallons of diesel and burn it as fuel. I think at those dilution rates, the only difference will be that my fuel costs less and I have less disposal to deal with. If that works out well, I'll use leftover peanut oil from frying the same way. As a matter of fact, I'd probably be okay to mix at 1 part to 5 parts diesel, but I want to try it at less concentration before going that far.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I am getting ready to do an experiment with my tractor. I'm going to filter the used hydrauilc oil and then mix it 1 gallon to 10 gallons of diesel and burn it as fuel. I think at those dilution rates, the only difference will be that my fuel costs less and I have less disposal to deal with. If that works out well, I'll use leftover peanut oil from frying the same way. As a matter of fact, I'd probably be okay to mix at 1 part to 5 parts diesel, but I want to try it at less concentration before going that far.

I do this in my deisels with no problem. Performance seems identical. Id like to find a source for a really good pour thru type filter tho for peace of mind. Gravity feed is slow but whos in a hurry!
larry

 

[jinman]

I do this in my deisels with no problem. Performance seems identical. Id like to find a source for a really good pour thru type filter tho for peace of mind. Gravity feed is slow but whos in a hurry!
larry

I've thought about using coffee filters in a funnel or paint filters. Probably cheaper would be to use cheesecloth, but I'm not sure that would filter out enough of the large particles. A pressure pump through a hydraulic filter would be my choice if I was doing this in high volume. The plumbing for that should not be too hard by buying a filter assembly from Surplus Center.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I've thought about using coffee filters in a funnel or paint filters. Probably cheaper would be to use cheesecloth, but I'm not sure that would filter out enough of the large particles. A pressure pump through a hydraulic filter would be my choice if I was doing this in high volume. The plumbing for that should not be too hard by buying a filter assembly from Surplus Center.

I use coffee filters. Would like to go finer. It would need a lot of surface area to rely on a gravity feed.
larry