I am thinking of switching oil for my 1946 Ford 2N tractor from a conventional 15w40 to one of the synthetics. Since I've owned the machine (2years) it has been run on Mobil 1 10w30, and Rotella 15w40 conventional. I am looking at the John Deere Plus-50 0W-40 and Delo 400 5W-40 synthetics. When I bought the tractor, it had a fresh overhaul and was being run on the Mobil 1 with no seal leaking issues. Original spec was 10,20,or 30 straight-weight mineral oils for these machines, but it seems foolish to go with 50-60 year old oil technology when good synthetics are available at reasonable cost. I have been putting about 100hrs per year on the tractor, and cold-weather starting is a consideration since it is a slooooowwww turning 6 volt. Thanks for any inputs and opinions.
Synthetic HDEO for Ford 2N
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Thanks for the responses guys. I am really looking to use a 40 weight oil. Summertime temps here can reach 100+F and the 30 weight M1 seemed way too thin at operating temp. The Rotella has worked well, and after 25-30 hrs of operation it still looks like new. Cold starts are another matter with the 15w40 (We've had -10F here this winter), and block heat is not an option so that's why I'm looking toward a 0W/5W-40 synth.
IIRC, Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme 5w-40 is a one of the most cold-friendly HDEO's.
Dave
Dave
In all honesty, even after a rebuild I don't think you'd see any real benefit running synthetic in an N series flathead engine. Low compression and low RPM motors don't work the oil that hard and tolerances for that 60 year old engine (even after the rebuild) are loose anyway.
Conventional oils today are so far superior than the ones made 60 years ago that even the lowest quality oil will serve you well.
I run Castrol straight 30W in my 47 2N (SN 300943) year round with no starting issues even at sub-zero temps. Keeping it tuned up will do more than oil will. Don't worry about the sound of that sloooowwww 6V turning it over-we're just not used to it in our 12V world.
I rebuilt mine about 2 years ago and have no doubts that it will outlast me using dino 30 weight. As you know these engines are pretty bulletproof with minimal maintenance.
Conventional oils today are so far superior than the ones made 60 years ago that even the lowest quality oil will serve you well.
I run Castrol straight 30W in my 47 2N (SN 300943) year round with no starting issues even at sub-zero temps. Keeping it tuned up will do more than oil will. Don't worry about the sound of that sloooowwww 6V turning it over-we're just not used to it in our 12V world.
I rebuilt mine about 2 years ago and have no doubts that it will outlast me using dino 30 weight. As you know these engines are pretty bulletproof with minimal maintenance.
Philip,
Like you, I'm looking for an oil which I can use year round. Changing back and forth from summer to winter oils is needlessly expensive even with the cheaper conventional oils. I have gotten much good advice on this forum. The one thing that is for certain with these old tractors is that there probably is no wrong answer. I know of one old timer who uses 20W-50 in his 8N year round.
Like you, I'm looking for an oil which I can use year round. Changing back and forth from summer to winter oils is needlessly expensive even with the cheaper conventional oils. I have gotten much good advice on this forum. The one thing that is for certain with these old tractors is that there probably is no wrong answer. I know of one old timer who uses 20W-50 in his 8N year round.
I have been running Mobil 1 synthetic in my rebuilt (engine) 1950 8N for over 10 years now. I used to run 10W30 in winter for snow removal, and 15W50 in the summer for mowing and all other tasks, changing the oil twice per year. Now that M1 has released a 5W-40, I will use this oil year round with only one oil change per year. I live in central Indiana, with winter temps as low as 5F and summer temps as high as 95F. The Deere 0W40 is a great oil. We had to install this in a diesel engine we sold to Sibera where the ambients temps ranged from -40F to 100F. This is the only grade of oil Caterpillar would allow for such a wide operating range. Philip.
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