Will cheap oil ruin my tractor?

[5030]

That will work. I should have known Summit would have one. I buy from them. Good hot rod parts.

 

[art]

I've read most posts here but I didn't see to much of a good answer so I'll add my to cents. There is only one oil brand that I know of that tested at full throttle full load conditions to build their oil. The diesel test is not done on a current engine but still is not built to agriculture's needs but yet to the trucking and auto industry which is 1/3 throttle 1/3 load conditions. Your additives are the first to be used and worn out in the oil. After you spend the money to buy a good tractor why try to throw it away.

 

[RWEST]

art -
There is only one oil brand that I know of that tested at full throttle full load conditions to build their oil Which one /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[shady1701]

castrol agri-lube 15w-40 indicated they use a 90% load index when designing oils as most OTR and auto oil requirements are in the 12-33% load requirements tractors tipicaly are operated at rated speed and high load normaly close to 75-90% depending on (size smaller higher load). Maybe someone can probe the oil companys and see agri-lube by castrol is pretty much the only oil i know of besides oem's Jd,kubota etc.. not sure if there not just reformulated CI-4 oils. castrolagrilube is the only tractor targeted oil in the aftermarket i know of???

 

[slowrev]

No problem with Briggs. Just keep plenty of clean oil in them and they last a long time.

 

[5030]

I had a farmer neighbor tell me that too. I usually run my tractors at rated rpm (540)pto continiously. My big caterpillar in my Western Star rarely gets to rated rpm. Actually, short shifting the motor results in better fuel mileage. One thing about big diesels, especially the newer engines, they are designed to provide maximum torque rise at relatively low rpm. I'd think film thickness in an oil with an API rating of CC or SE (like delvac 1300) would be good enough for a tractor. The shock load as well the pounding from the low rpm/long stroke diesel would destroy any oil's film thickness unless it was especially fortified with additives to combat the breakdown. Maybe it isn't, however. I'd certainly like some opinions on this.

After reading opinions to my original post, I have put my "thinking cap" on!!

 

[shady1701]

the most destructive force i've seen happen to engine is when they begin to lug or in big engine drop a little rpm. on diesel's the huge pressure the more rpm you're out the less dwell time there is on the rods/crank when the rpm is slowed and load increases so does the pressure is realy punishing the bottom end. they tend to try and spread the stress/pressure out over multiple cycle events.

I think huge engines like the cat engines in trains and huge gen. sets use a different oil i think mostly for off-road sulfur but it's interesting question. Like a VW and PS engine that run 4500-4000rpm now vs on road engines and tractors which may run in the 1500rpm range seems like a huge extreme in oil engineering?

 

[5030]

Shady:

Here is an interesting scenario;

I have quite a bit of knowledge about locomotive engines. A few years ago I had a contract to haul the crankshafts for Electromotive in McCook, Ill. I used to deliver crankshafts twice a week to that facility. Anyway:
The engines that EMD built for locomotives are actually fabricated. The "blocks are actually 1/2 " steel plate, welded together. Inside the welded assembly are mounts for each "cylinder". The cylinders are called "power packs". A power pack is complete with valves, pistons connecting rod cap, etc. These power packs actually drop into the fabricated block and bolt down upon the mounts. If you ever happen to see a locomotive with the engine bay doors open, the round covers that are visible on the side of the engine are where the power packs are. That way, if the engine looses a cylinder from say a burnt valve, they just pull one out and put in a new one. EMD fabbbed blocks from 4 to 32 cylinders. Large diesel engines like these don't turn ver much rpm. Actually, rated rpm is somewhere around 800. One of the problems with a low rpm engine is that the exhaust gas flow is too low to spin a turbo charger and the turbo's on these engines are about 3 feet in diameter. Consequently, the turbocharging is compound. EMD uses a gear drive turbocharger that clutches out at a set rpm so the exhaust flow can take over and spin the turbo. Now for the good part:
Diesel locomotive's never have their oil changed. They have a "transfusion". The railroad will bring in a truck with a centrifuge on it. The truck pumps out the oil, spins the impurities out and puts it right back in. When the oil is put back in, the lost additives are added to the "transfused" oil. Same way with the coolant. Locomotive engines don't use antifreeze. They use normal water with anti corrosion additives added. If a locomotive has to be shut down in below freezing weather, the coolant will automatically dump so the water dosen't freeze in the engine.

 

[slowrev]

Wow,
thanks for the input on the Loco engines. Always wondered about them,the biggest ones I had fooled with were v16 diesels in very large rock trucks.

The lube requirements for an 800 RPM engine vs 3,000 + RPM engine would be a bit different I would think.

Oil testing is good just not cost effective for smaller equipment. I can change the oil for about the cost of the test.

 

[5030]

Slowrev:

When I posted about the locomotive engines, I did forget to put in another interesting angle, but the post was getting rather lengthy.

I used to watch EMD dyno test the engines. The had a siding that came down to a very large water cooled heat exchanger very similar to what you'd see on a commercial air conditioning unit, but about 20 times larger. They would park an engine next to the heat exchanger and plug a umingous UMINGOUS extension cord into a recepticle on the side of the engine, right above the fuel tanks (If you can get next to a locomotive sitting somewhere, look for a plug with a cap on it. The cap and plug is about a foot long X 6" wide with rounded ends). Anyway, they would plug in to this outlet and hook up the loco to the cooling tower. Inside the tower were banks of resistors. They would run the engine at maximum rated RPM and then start applying a load to the alternator. At maximum load, FIRE would be coming out the exhaust stacks and even though you heard very little actual noise, the shaking of the ground near the locomotive let you know it was busting it's butt!! Basically, a diesel/electric loco is just that. A diesel engine coupled to a very large alternator that provides the power for the traction motors in the wheel trucks. In front of the engine is a large compressor that provides air for the brakes on the cars that the engine pulls. In the roof of the engine are resistor banks that are actuated against the traction motors to provide dynamic braking. Behind the engine and alternator is the control house and behind that and under the floor is the starting batteries.