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.

 

[WinterDeere]

Doing the math, you are more like 200 hrs a year.

You’re assuming his hour meter is wrong, but his guess at daily usage is correct?

I’m assuming the hour meter is right, and that he’s really not using it as many hours per week as he had guessed.

 

[RayIN]

OK, Does 200 hours per year make any difference from 500 hrs per year. Sounds like worrying about condensation is over thinking. So T4 and TS premium hyd oil is fine?

You cannot prevent condensation in any space with air and vented. You're doing the best practice, which is operate the machine long enough to bring fluids to normal operating temperature for at least 30 minutes. This allows moisture to return to vapor and be pushed out the vent by heated fluid expansion.
An example: Onan generator states in the owners manual to run the genset for 2hrs/month under ½-load. This heats the oil enough to evaporate all condensed moisture in the crankcase
Cummins engine states, low idling is very hard on an engine; if one of their engines is started, run it on the road long enough to reach and maintain normal operating temperature for at least 20 minutes for the same reason.
Allison transmission has the same practice.