Bypass for a tractor?

[Lazy JW]

Howdy,
I am a nooby to this forum. I have never used a bypass filter but have heard about them from several older folks. My father-in-law has an old Frantz (unused) sitting on his workbench, so I am aware of what they look like and how they work.

I own a compact diesel tractor that I purchased new 3 years ago. It has 360+ hours on it, I had always used Delo 400 15-40 in it, also Napa Gold filters. I intend to keep this tractor forever. After reading BITOG for a while I recently switched to Rotella T 5-40 from Wal-Mart, I noticed an immediate improvement in cold cranking and quicker oil pressure on startup.

My question is: would the Motorguard TP filter in conjuntion with the Rotella T oil be suitable for annual oci? This tractor gets started frequently but seldom gets long run times (except in the summer or when plowing snow). It usually gets run at least long enough to open the thermostat (185º).
Thanks in advance,
Joe

 

[Gary Allan]

What's the factory recommended OCI ..and what's the OEM filter number (just out of curiosity).


If you're going to keep something "forever" ..then sure ...put one on. You do get something out of it besides longer sump exchange intervals. You get finer filtration.

 

[Lazy JW]

The dealer suggested 100 hour oci. It is a Chinese built tractor so filter numbers don't mean much. The dealer recommended a Wix 51626 filter.
Joe

 

[Gary Allan]

Okay ..Honda thread stuff. I was just interested due to the need for the oil to get somewhat warm for the bypass filter to be fully effective. If it had been a 3/4-16 there would be stuff that you could add cheaply to make that happen sooner. Nuff said on that.

Okay ...so you basically do 100-120 hrs a year right now. In that case you're only going to get the added filtration of the bypass filter. You're not extending your sump swapping. That is, unless you've been doing it at 50-75hrs.

I don't know how long a roll of tp will last in your usage. It may last the whole year.

I didn't see you mention any consumption. This should be factored into the package. Depending on the sump, if you're adding x quarts of oil for makeup and x quarts for tp replacement ..when you were already swapping the sump out at 60hrs ..then

Again, the tp filter will give you about the finest filtration available for the money.

 

[RalphPWood]

You asked about a Motor Guard. You should never need to drain the oil again with a Motor Guard oil filter. How often you must change the Motor Guard depends on how much of a load your engine is putting on the filter. Condensation will put a load on the filter, also blow by,load and engine efficiency and other factors. With experience you can tell by the dipstick if the oil is clean.
The Motor Guard is the best and easiest to service of the submicronic bypass filters. The Frantz will filter just as good. The Rotella 5-40 is a beautiful oil when clean. There will always be a black tint in a diesel engine oil.

Ralph

 

[LargeCarMan]

If it's a compact tractor like a kubota, the franz will be hard to locate anywhere on it. I would go with the BP-80-A filter head, an Amsoil EA BE-90, and hook it up. The Amsoil bypass removes the soot in your oil from diesel fuel.

Pablo is in Washington and can hook you up with the parts. Heck, if you run Amsoil Diesel Oil, Full-flow, and bypass....I would never change it again, just filters and top off every few years.

 

[Lazy JW]

The engine uses very little oil between changes (50-75 hours). Mounting a filter will be simple on this tractor, they don't have the close fitting body panels that Kubota, etc. have.

Having learned about group 3, group 4, etc. oils on BITOG would it be preferable to switch to a group 4 if I were going to never drain the oil?

I have heard about fleet vehicles using TP filters and never draining the oil but have never talked to someone who has done it personally. Always hear-say. Being a natural skeptic, I have always questioned this. In theory it sounds good, but how do I know if it isn't working?
Always eager to learn,
Joe

 

[RJCorazza]

I have (2) Motorguards on my Kubota Diesel - one for oil, the other for fuel. I highly recommend bypass filtration on your machine if you plan on keeping it a long time. I put 200h per year on mine, change the TP filter every 50 hours and haven't changed the oil in 2 years. I have UOA's confirming the oil is in good condition, and although the oil is "black" it is really only tinted - I can still see through the oil on the dipstick.
As far as mounting, I have them on each (inner) side of the loader frame brackets.
I also filter the 10g hydraulic sump on the return line with a full flow 3 micron filter (97%) from Donaldson. That is a huge filter!

Do you tractor a favor & let it get up to full operating temperature (oil) with each use if at all possible.

 

[LargeCarMan]

I noticed on my Big Block Mopar engine that when I installed the bypass filter on it the oil cleaned up nicely. If your going to go to the trouble of installing a bypass filter and live in Idaho (cold and hot climate).....Run a full synthetic diesel oil.

 

[Gary Allan]

LazyJ,

What is your sump size? With a MG/Frantz type setup you're in perpetual freefall as far as regenerative additives and stuff. You would do a few UOAs "on the way up" to your terminal "steady state".

Look at it like a mortgage where you never pay anything into the principle. You're just paying the interest.

Let's say you had a 8 quart sump with a 50 hour intervals for the filter change ..and assume that you use one quart when servicing the filter (it may be less - but this is just an example)

Essentially it will take the entire sump multiplied by the number of filter intervals (assuming one quart per filter service) to reach the sump's "maximum maturity". That is, a state where you're retiring as much of the oldest oil as can ever be retired. In the case of an 8 quart sump ..and 50 hour intervals on the TP (@ 1 quart per service) ..you're looking at 400 hours before you're in perpetual condition situation.

So, you probably don't want to just wait until 400 hours to do your first UOA. I'd probably do one after so many filter intervals. Like halfway through the sump (200 hours).

Now you may be able to get more hours out of your tp filter ..and surely your sump may be smaller (or larger) ..but that's how I reason when the oil is as fatigued as it can be. The halfway mark is a good place to start with UOA.

 

[Lazy JW]

Thanks Gary,
It has a 6 qt sump. Gotta get my taxes done then maybe I can order a Motorguard. I like this idea.
Joe

 

[Ken2]

The problem would be possible fuel dilution in the oil. No filter removes fuel from oil. The only way is to change the oil and fix the problem.


Ken

 

[RalphPWood]

My old Motor Guard technical manual tells me that oil needs to be 150F to evaporate fuel from clean oil in a diesel engine, about 135F for a gasoline engine. If you are getting fuel in the oil faster than it can evaporate because of a leak that's another problem.
As far as I know they only filter that can compete with the Motor Guard is the Frantz. It's a matter of which design you like the best. It is sometimes better for the engine if you use a non synthetic oil and change the filter more often. I ran on to that with a Mazda diesel pickup.

Ralph