Kubota engine oil -- a quality product?

[familyman]

Today I did my first oil change on my Kubota L2800. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I replaced the factory fill with Kubota SAE 30, 6qts., purchased as 1 gallon and 2 single quarts. The oil in the first quart bottle was nearly colorless, with no noticeable odor and I thought, "Wow, this must be a quality product." /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Then to my surprise the next quart and gallon were dark brown in color, with a strong smell. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Has anyone had this experience with this or any other brand of oil? Thanks!

Charley

 

[Henro]

From my first oil change I have used Shell RotellaT diesel oil and never looked back...seems like a good product at a fair price to me.

It is a little on the dark side as it comes out of the container if I remember right...I think it is good stuff though....

Never considered Kubota engine oil for some reason, but use nothing but Super UDT for the hydraulics...go figure... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[familyman]

I picked up Rotella but had second thoughts due to the hot weather. I've heard that a single weight oil is a better, more durable lubricant because it doesn't have the viscocity extender and polymer packages that multi-weights have. In cold weather, however, the multi's have the advantage, especially the synthetic ones, when it comes to cold flow (pour-point) at startup. The Rotella went into the Jeep.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( had second thoughts due to the hot weather )</font>

I certainly have no technical knowledge, but all my neighbors, whether small tractors used occasionally or big tractors run 10 to 12 hours a day in the Texas heat, ran 15W-40 oil. Some used Rotella and some (including me) used Delo 400.

 

[familyman]

Hi, Bird!

I'm not an engineer or anything either (just a lowly project super) but years of sifting through auto/motorcycle/machinery tech articles leaves certain notions stuck in your head. One of these is that additive packages, in general, wear out before the oil itself does and what remains of them contributes to the "gunk" buildup in a motor. This may be old info -- I've got some of that stuck in my head, too!

Charley

 

[Egon]

You are right Charlie. Oil itself does not wear out. The cost of oil may be an indication of of the addative package and usefull life span of the lubricating oil.

Egon

 

[cup149]

I've been using the one gallon 10w-30 Kubota oil for almost 4 years. It's never had much smell until the last gallon I bought. It must be from a different supplier, as for the first few hours, it had a lot of smell from the breather, which the old oil did not. I notice the same thing with my car, Even though the system should not vent to atmosphere, I get oil smell from Penzoil, but not from Castrol, for the first several hours after changing oil. I was reading something on the Dodge Cummins message boards about complaints of oil smell after an oil change. There might have been a TSB saying that it is normal for some formulas of oil to have this smell, but it goes away in a short while, and not to worry about it.

 

[Soundguy]

With regards to kubota oem oil being a 'good' product. With today's level of technology.. I can't see -any- oil produced at one of the big refineries as being anything but quality. And in any case.. it should be superior to anything that was used back on the first tractors in the first part of the century.

Soundguy

 

[wvhillbilly]

I would have to agree 100 percent with soundguy. Look at all the different labels on motor oils. They all cannot come from their own refineries. After all, It all comes from the same place.....the ground.. The way I see it, with advanced technology of today, It would be a fatal mistake for a company to put an inferior product on the shelf or on the lot. Too much competition and word about a product's inferiority would spread like wildfire.
Dave

 

[BobCorazza]

I recall (vaugely) that kubota's oils are repackaged Valvoline products. While likely a reasonable quality oil, one could certainly find a comparable quality oil at a lower price. Personally, I prefer synthetics for my Kubota. Synthetic multi-grade (10w40 etc...) oils use little or no viscosity improvers / polymers to achieve spreads that were not possible even 10 years ago. So the reality in my case is that the 10w40 synthetic I use (no VI / polymers) is as stable as a straight weight 30. Some, if not all, synthetic straight weight 30's could also meet a "(W)inter" classification of perhaps 10-15w - they are just not marketed as a multigrade.