DarkBlack
Elite Member
My Massey Ferguson manual states 150 run hours. There’s no mention of chronological days. I wait for 150 run hours on the indicator
Depends on what kind equipment you're talking about. For cars, pickups, CUTs, etc. the analysis is likely to cost as much as an oil change.I always do a oil analysis with Blackstone simply because it will alert me of any impending issues that may arise down the road.
good point, but all it would take is a few analysis reports to give a general pattern of one's specific use. frequent analysis would not be necessaryDepends on what kind equipment you're talking about. For cars, pickups, CUTs, etc. the analysis is likely to cost as much as an oil change.
I agree. When I posted the question, I knew there would be a lot of anecdotal input. It was a moment of weakness, sorry. Consider it a rhetorical question if you will. I had pretty much decided to change the oil and filter as soon as it warmed up. Positively hate laying on snow wet ground to get both drain plugs. Roughly 250 hours rather than the 400 called for in the owner's manual. That is almost 20 months of tractor use. I feel it's a good compromise meeting service requirements and my inner concerns and worries.I was perusing the "today's posts", saw this thread and thought: Here we go!!
I was not disappointed.
"Oil is cheap - I change it before every use!!"(Slight exaggeration)
"I go 10 years between changes!!" (again - slight exaggeration)
and everything in between.
Haha - I go by the book. My 5240 says every 200 hours - that's what I do.
My cars have oil interval notifications and that's what I go by. When the vehicle/engineers that designed the vehicle tell me to do maintenance, that's when I do it. So far so good.
Tractor is ~15 years old and going strong.
Cars have anywhere from 75,000-170,000 miles on them and they are going strong.
Oil is cheap, but it's not free.
I change the oil annually, as its cheap insurance.My L4701 just went over 200 hrs. Did the initial 50 hr. oil and filter change. I used premium oil and Kubota filter. The owner's manual says to change oil every 400 hrs. It has been 15 months since the original 50 hr. oil change. Oil still looks okay, darker, but not coal black from soot. Note to those engineer/techno types - Not going to send it out to get it analyzed, cheaper and easier to just change it. My question to folks is, at current usage rate it will be 3+ years on an oil change. Seems like a long time, maybe too long. Tractor sits a lot lately, due to ongoing health issues. (Getting old sucks!) Just wondering what others are doing in similar situations. I'm leaning towards changing it sooner rather than later. Don't figure it would hurt anything. Oil and filter are not cheap, but when compared to cost of tractor or engine re-build, dirt cheap!!
If your owner's manual specified "every 200 hours" I would not interject "or every x-number" of months. Hours is tallied by usage, not age.My L4701 just went over 200 hrs. Did the initial 50 hr. oil and filter change. I used premium oil and Kubota filter. The owner's manual says to change oil every 400 hrs. It has been 15 months since the original 50 hr. oil change. Oil still looks okay, darker, but not coal black from soot. Note to those engineer/techno types - Not going to send it out to get it analyzed, cheaper and easier to just change it. My question to folks is, at current usage rate it will be 3+ years on an oil change. Seems like a long time, maybe too long. Tractor sits a lot lately, due to ongoing health issues. (Getting old sucks!) Just wondering what others are doing in similar situations. I'm leaning towards changing it sooner rather than later. Don't figure it would hurt anything. Oil and filter are not cheap, but when compared to cost of tractor or engine re-build, dirt cheap!!
Thinking back through all the machines I've owned in my life, quite a long list, I can't think of a single one that didn't specify something like "200 hours or annually, whichever comes first". For examples, the Yanmar diesel in my Deere 3033R specifies "200 hours or annually", and the Kawasaki V-twin in my Deere 757 Z-Trak mower specifies "100 hours or annually". How many engine or equipment manufacturers actually specify hours only, with no maximum time interval?If your owner's manual specified "every 200 hours" I would not interject "or every x-number" of months. Hours is tallied by usage, not age.