Hobby Farmer Tractor Lubricants

[WinterDeere]

Moisture can be a problem in a hydraulic system. Ask me how I know.

Same. The only times I've ever had trouble with water in oil, other than the catostrophe that is a blown head gasket, has been on hydraulic systems. I can show you old HST garden tractors with hydro oil that looks like Welch's strawberry jelly, due to the amount of water that's been collected in the ATF.

 

[big bubba]

seems to me, moisture in the engine oil & moisture in hyd are 2 slightly different issues. thinking engine oil moisture is due to cold runs when engine temp doesn't build up enough.

hyd moisture builds up around housing during temp/humidity changes. in terms of engine, run your diesel long enough to burn it off, in hyd, i agree, let the machine sit several days, crack drain plug to determine moisture build up & address with just purge or filter/fluid change

 

[michaelbuck]

I think you make a valid question one thing I see too much of is tractors engines running way below their operating range.I can hear so many engines lugging away. SPIN that motor!! your not going to hurt it.If you bought a 40 HP engine why run it below its range all the time.Look at your HP torque chart for your motor.Many folks are running their engines at half power or below.

 

[thelanterns]

I am the normal hobby farmer. May only use the tractor once a week but then use it for 3-4 hours. Normal use is 500 hours per year. I am concerned about condensation in the crankcase and the hydraulic system from the heating and cooling. Will the use of synthetic(T5) or simi synthetic motor(T4) and hydraulic oil help negate that problem? The synthetic hydraulic oil it double the price of TS Premium, is it worth the extra expense? Or am I overthinking again?

My tractor is 3 years old and I only have 102 hours as of yesterday. I do change the oil and filter every spring and fall though. I use either Amsoil or Rotella T6 which are both full synthetic, with Kubota or Amsoil filters.

 

[WinterDeere]

My tractor is 3 years old and I only have 102 hours as of yesterday. I do change the oil and filter every spring and fall though. I use either Amsoil or Rotella T6 which are both full synthetic, with Kubota or Amsoil filters.

Wow... that's every 15 hours! Definitely overkill, but you're the sort of owner every used tractor buyer hopes to find!

I change my oil yearly, whether it needs it or not. That's 100 hours on average, for me. I think the manual specifies "200 hours or yearly", but I'd have to dig it out to verify.

I grease the loader and front trunion 2x per year, because the manual says every 50 hours. But loader hours are a funny thing, since they're not exactly moving all the time the tractor is running. Mower spindles also get grease 2x per year, since I do about 65-70 hours of mowing per year, but I have to admit I did them only 1x per year for many years.

 

[Balazar]

Doing the math, you are more like 200 hrs a year. If you get up to operating temp and stay there for 3 hours, condensation should not be a problem. Type of oil has no bearing on condensation. Compact tractors are like grandmas Oldsmobile, they are used so little that they will pretty much last forever as long as you change the oil and filters. In 10 years the paint will be faded and it won't even have a dozen service intervals on it.