Small Diesel Tractor oil

OkieG · Feb 19, 2003

Hello to all here at Bobistheoilguy. I am new to this site and know very little about oil. My tractor is a '97 model 24hp diesel compact. Last oil change I used Rotella 5W40. WalMart price was ~$12, but is now ~$19.

Is that still a good enough price to continue using it? I have read a few posts on this forum and some think other oils may be a better value in this price range. What do you think? I could use some help! Thanks.

OkieG

MolaKule · Feb 19, 2003

For about $10 more you can buy the Delvac 1 full synthetic oil.

Bio-T · Feb 19, 2003

OkieG,

First of all welcome to the site, nice to have you here. The Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W40 is no longer a good value at $19 for a Group III dino. For all the naysayers, I said not a good value, it is still a good oil.

I feel you can get the same results with Delvac 1300S, Delo 400, or Pennzoil all in 15W40 and available at Wal Mart.

For top performance the Delvac I as MolaKule mentioned is great, and about $20-25 a gallon for a full synthetic. Also you can go to your local CAT dealer and their 5W40 full syn. Part Number 141-3339 is rebadged Delvac I and usually cheaper. If you have access, Amsoil 15W40 HDD is the best buy in a full synthetic.

Another good oil is the 15W40 Long Rider Royal Purple, at some auto stores.

For a semi-syn Schaeffer's 15W40 is a top choice. Good pour point, additives and alot of good analysis on this oil in the diesel oil analysis section.

Again Welcome>>>>>>>>>

[ February 19, 2003, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]

pruntyc · Feb 19, 2003

I use Rotella T 15W40, and change it every 100 hours, which is what most of us tractor guys do. You can check it out on the tractorbynet site, its all about tractors and what they use in them and a LOT of other information there. But the site is down as of right now, probably weather conditions. Give it a check in a day or two and I think you can get a lot of helpful info there, as that is what the site is all about.

blano · Feb 19, 2003

Your crazy to run Rottela t 5/40 when it cost $19 per gallon. Delvac 1 synthetic can be had for $18-24 per gallon in my area.Delvac is a PAO ester blend VS a VHVI mineral oil for Rotella.

dragboat · Feb 19, 2003

OkieG
If your interested in the Mobil Delvac 1 5/40 send me a PM and I will tell you where and who to contact in OKC where it can be bought for 4.90 a quart. That is if you come to OKC,,,I also can tell you about a source in Tulsa.

Another thought might be the Citgo Syndurance PAO Blend,,less than 3 bucks a quart. I think this oil might be a Dragon slayer in some usages like yours which I presume is relatively light duty although this is not a light duty oil.

Welcome to the forum

Neil Womack · Feb 20, 2003

OkieG

Are you over from tractorbynet?

I too have a compact 30 hp tractor. After much reading here and on the tractor sites I decided synthetic was over kill.

I'm lucky to get 150 hrs per year and the interval for the JD is 200 hrs using mineral oil with JD extending the interval to 300 hours with JD synblend or better oil.

Well I did not want to change my oil every other year. Putting the green machine to bed in the winter with contaminated oil did not seem smart to me.

I'm now using Schaeffer's 15w-40 in all my stuff. The JD 790 an old Massey 135 plus my F-150 4.2L and the wifes Saturn. I believe the Schaeffer's 7000 series to be the best synthetic blend oil around. Better than most Group III oils in-fact.

My cost for ordering a $250.00 minimum order was $3.00 per quart. Making the cost to benefit ratio pretty good.

If you want to try the Schaeffer's a guy in Texarkana, Tim Mills 870-772-7061, can sell you the stuff in less than jobber quantities. Although I'm sure It costs more than $3.00 a quart.

Look over at the oil testing area for more info.

You might even like the John Deere 0w-40 synthetic. Maybe Dragboat would want to part with 4 or 5 quarts from his case.

edited for spelling by neilw

[ February 20, 2003, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: Neil ]

OkieG · Feb 20, 2003

Neil,
Yes, you caught me. I've been wanting to familiarize myself with oil, so I slipped

on over here. Most of my "education" time is spent on TBN.

You could be right about the overkill

. I, also, average about 100 hrs. a year and change oil about once a year. Dragboat, 59 Vetteman and others are being very helpful to this newbie. I appreciate your input, too. Schaeffer's sounds like a good product.

OkieG

widman · Feb 20, 2003

I also think you are on overkill. Tractor oil changes vary depending on dust more than anything else, so one procedure is not a fixall. I don't like to see any oil in an engine more than 6 months for the risk of moisture and acid buildup. Of course using it 2 solid hours a week would mean it heats up nicely each time and give 100 hours, so an analysis might say fine, good habit. I have well over 1000 tractors (of customers) running non-synthetic oil in their tractors, changing between 400 and 550 hours based on analysis and correction of bad maintenance procedures. We have found a Group I CI-4 quite satisfactory for 450 hours in many brands, and Delo will easily pass 500 hours in anything. The group I tends to oxidize in the air-cooled engines (normally on sprayers).

dragboat · Feb 20, 2003

FWIW the tractor is his pride and joy,,it has a capacity of 3 quarts and he could change oil once a year with 20 buck a quart and be OK with the thickness of his wallet,,IMO of course

To add,he will be starting this tractor and using it when the ambient is 5F if he needs it so in lieu of a 10/30 HD oil a PAO blend or full synthetic of some type makes pretty good sense for all year service here in Oklahoma. Again IMO

Bror Jace · Feb 20, 2003

I was going to say something along the lines of what dragboat did. I don't think people stateside are putting theirs through the paces like our southern agri-business neighbors.

Boys and their toys.

Still, Widman makes a good point. Nearly any diesel 15W40 (including Delo 400) should be more than up to the task of taking care of your motor for a year. Probably the thing to do is to look at all of them and see which one has the lowest pour point for ease of starting in cold weather.

I use Schaeffer 15W40 in my liquid-cooled 18hp Honda ... but it's a gasser.

Still the combination of a synthetic blend base oil, a stout additive package and a $3-per-quart price are hard to beat ... if you don't mind going out of your way to find it.

--- Bror Jace

OkieG · Feb 21, 2003

Of course, I expect tractor activity puts an engine through a different set of stresses than a car engine. But, to try to liken somewhat to a car...100 hrs. at say 40mph average would yield 4000 miles a year. My tractor idles at 1500 rpm (which is highway speed for some cars) and typically is run at between idle and 2500 rpm. Usually more like 2500 rpm for most things. I'm not sure how the rpm profile plays into the mix.
My tractor (at 100+/-hrs. a year) is more or less like a 4000mi/yr car with a combination of stop and go, and highway miles.
Which parameter of that useage profile is most likely to be putting pressure on the crankcase oil?
I get the feeling, from some of your replies, that just time in the crankcase (eg Widman-no more than 6 mo. for the risk of moisture and acid buildup) rather than high use is the main item for me to consider re: time to change the oil? Thanks Bror Jace, maybe any of the oils recommended here, changed at once a year will work fine.
Is there an oil parameter that addresses time in the crankcase? Activity level for the tractor varies a lot...from a few minutes to few hours at a time. Cold start capability in a year round oil would be a plus. Nobody likes to overspend, but at 3 qts. once or twice a year, I don't mind spending a little more for the better oil, per Dragboat.
Does that change what should I be looking for? Thanks.

OkieG

[ February 22, 2003, 05:33 AM: Message edited by: OkieG ]

Bror Jace · Feb 21, 2003

OkieG, for any engine which is at low RPMs and under load, I favor a stronger additive package (specifically barrier wear adds like moly) over the quality of the base oil (Group II vs. II+ vs. III, etc ...).

As everyone here pretty much agrees, you are not likely to over-stress the base oil (heat and/or RPMs) with your application. Any Group III or genuine Group IV or V synthetic component would only be helpful for cold starting, not the other extreme of the temp range.

As for time in the crankcase, take a look at the used oil analyses (UOAs) on this site and see which oils maintained their total base number (TBN) the best.

So, I'll stick with my fave Schaeffer 15W40 as a 1st choice ... with Pennzoil Long Life right behind it (no synthetic but can be bought for $1.54 per quart at Walmart) and Chevron Delo 400 right behind that. Sorry, have no experience with Rotella or the Delvac oils although they're probably fine.

--- Bror Jace

Johnny · Feb 22, 2003

Well, I'm sure someone is running our Pennzoil Long Life 15W40 in small hp tractors somewhere, but I can tell you I have a lot of potato farmers here in Wisconsin running it in their John Deere's, Massy's, IH, Case, and anything else they can pull out of the wood shed. It is a very good diesel engine oil.

ED P. · Feb 22, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny:
Well, I'm sure someone is running our Pennzoil Long Life 15W40 in small hp tractors somewhere, but I can tell you I have a lot of potato farmers here in Wisconsin running it in their John Deere's, Massy's, IH, Case, and anything else they can pull out of the wood shed. It is a very good diesel engine oil.

So does, amsoil, amalie,schaeffers,delo,rotella and god knows who else..

Johnny · Feb 22, 2003

Not my potato farmers. I took them all off of Schaeffers, Delo, Mobil, Shell, and Texaco. But there are plenty more. I have work to do.

OkieG · Feb 22, 2003

Johnny,
Sorry, I don't know enough to ask a bunch of specific questions, but what makes Pennzoil Long Life 15W40 "a very good diesel engine oil", compared to the others ED P. mentioned? I am trying to learn. Thanks.

OkieG

OkieG · Feb 22, 2003

TooSlick,
Thanks for the input. I plan to look into both Amsoil and Devac.

OkieG

Johnny · Feb 23, 2003

OkieG: There are several thing and I will list a few of them.

1. Very highly refined Group II+ base stock.

2. An extremely good Chevron additive package.

3. A decent amount of moly.

4. Shell Vis VI improver. This particular Shell Vis was made for us 8 years ago and it is the only oil on the market with this particular VI improver. I'm not sure what the Shell Vis number is, but I can get it if you want to know. We have the rights to it until 2010. Not even Rotella T uses this VI improver.

This particular 15W40 (from test that I have seen, but that I do not have on hand) is more shear stable than any other mineral based 15W40 on the market at this time.

All of the products listed above would work just fine in your tractor, but if it were mine, I would use the Long Life 15W40.

What part of Oklahoma are you from. I am originally from Chickasha.

TooSlick · Feb 23, 2003

I'd run the Amsoil Series 3000, 5w-30 or Delvac 1, 5w-40. Both are going to hold up better than the Group III stuff you are using now. You'll burn less fuel with the 5w-30 in particular ...

Changing three quarts of oil a year isn't going to cost you much, regardless of what you run in there. The Amsoil Series 3000 is made to replace 15w-40 oils in HD diesel engines ....

TooSlick

Small Diesel Tractor oil

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