Tractor Oil (series 3 ??)

[txrhino]

I have a '07 farmtrac with a 4 cyl mitsubishi diesel. The owners manual states to use a 15W-40 SF / CD series 3 oil. I have never heard of series 1, 2, 3, etc. can anyone shed some light on this. Furthermore, I know the CD rating is obsolete, so I was thinking of going with M1 High Mileage for the higher levels of ZDDP, any thoughts on this as well?

thanks in advance

 

[jsharp]

I'd use any of the current HDMO's - Delo, Delvac, Rotella etc. They have better diesel specs than the Mobil 1.

I'd go with the latest spec and wouldn't worry about the ZDDP level either. The CJ-4 oils have lower levels than the older CI-4 and CI-4+ oils but it's likely their wear protection is as least as good as the older oils if not better. Shell claims substantially less wear with their new Triple Protection CJ-4 Rotella vs. the older formulations.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
txrhino - IIRC "Series 3" was a variant of CAT's basic HD oil Specification which was followed by the Mil's MIL-L-2104B variant too I think

Any early specification HDEO will do. You need to be careful when the engine is new and perhaps it might be wise to initially use an HDEO with an API specification of CE/CD CF>CD or CG/CD

It is unwise to use a synthetic in this engine before some hours are put on it and an oil consumption record established

Regards
Doug Hillary

 

[txrhino]

Thanks for the replies !!

 

[Jim Allen]

Which Farmtrac? My understanding is that they use a Perkins four, not a Mitsu. Oh, wait! Doesn't Mitsu build the Perkins under license?

In any case, I'm not really sure how picky you need to be. IMHO, any good HDEO will do very well, even the new CJ-4. My two tractors and older diesel pickup transitioned over pretty well, though I still must get UOAs on them. Overall, the worries about CJ-4's backwards compatibilities seem to be for naught, though it may be too early to call it for certain. If you are worried, there is still some CI-4+ oil around. I just saw some 5-gallon buckets at Wal-Mart, for Pete's sake.