Help - I'm an oil idiot.

[Sully2]

This sure sounds familiar!

"The Search For the Specified Oil"......kinda like seeking the Holy Grail....LOL

I finally setteled on Rotella SYN 5W-40 because of winter startup ( it sits outside) to plow snow etc.

 

[JJT]

This sure sounds familiar!

"The Search For the Specified Oil"......kinda like seeking the Holy Grail....LOL

I finally setteled on Rotella SYN 5W-40 because of winter startup ( it sits outside) to plow snow etc.

I'll second that for using 5W-40 Rotella syn. Easier cold weather starts and I only change the oil annually in both my Kubotas.

 

[shvl73]

I'm using the Rotella 5w-40 as well. I tried a 15w-40 once when changing the oil in the winter. It was below 10*F outside (I used my heater in the barn) and the oil poured like cold molasses. It didn't impress me as being good lubrication on cold winter starts.

 

[N80]

So a 15w-40 is a 'heavier' weight oil than a 5w-40? If so, for me that will probably be okay. In winter I rarely use the tractor at anything below about 40 degrees but during the summer it will often get used in the high 90's and it will get used in hot temps much more than cold.

 

[TrippleT]

You can't go wrong on Rotella 15-40. It is a multiviscosity oil and adjusts to temperature from fairly low to pretty extreme high temps. I use it here in Arkansas, and most of the dealers have it . Unless the temperature gets extremely cold there I wouldn't worry about it. It can get over the 100 mark here in the summer months. In the winter it can get as low as zero. But I am not going to be on a tractor in that temperature. I have operated in the 30-40 degree range. No problems at all, except with joint pains.

 

[Dargo]

N80, the only thing that confuses me some is using the cheapest diesel oil in a tractor that isn't the cheapest tractor on the market. It's been hashed out over and over here again, but the undeniable fact remains that Rotella is most definitely not a top tier diesel oil. If I'm going to cut any corners to save a few bucks, it won't be with the life blood of my engine. Rotella is sold almost exclusively on price alone.

 

[Bird]

Dargo, I wouldn't argue oil categories with you. I'll admit that I don't have the technical knowledge, so maybe Rotella isn't a "top tier" oil, but I sure knew a number of farmers who used it regularly in their big tractors that cost a great deal more than any compact tractor. Now admittedly they said they usually figured an engine overhaul was due somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 hours, so maybe they wouldn't have needed those overhauls if they'd gotten your advice on which oil to use.

 

[ronjhall]

Now admittedly they said they usually figured an engine overhaul was due somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 hours, so maybe they wouldn't have needed those overhauls if they'd gotten your advice on which oil to use.

If I can get that many hours on my CUT before I pass it on to my Sons, I will be about 150 years old. Should be good enough for the boys and Me.

 

[Sully2]

Dargo, I wouldn't argue oil categories with you. I'll admit that I don't have the technical knowledge, so maybe Rotella isn't a "top tier" oil, but I sure knew a number of farmers who used it regularly in their big tractors that cost a great deal more than any compact tractor. Now admittedly they said they usually figured an engine overhaul was due somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 hours, so maybe they wouldn't have needed those overhauls if they'd gotten your advice on which oil to use.

Bird: It doesnt require MUCH "techinical knowledge"! There are MANY top quailty oils on the market..but some are so brand blind its tough for them to aknoledge that FACT. Just ask 250,000 over the road truckers what oil they use in their rigs...and the VAST majority of them will put more hours on an engine that many other types of users will ever see.

15,000 hours....LMAO...thats more than "I'M" going to last..let alone my engine!

 

[Sully2]

If I can get that many hours on my CUT before I pass it on to my Sons, I will be about 150 years old. Should be good enough for the boys and Me.

150 years..? Isnt that the "half life" of cast iron?....