Tractor engine oil changes?

Just curious how often you change the engine oil on your tractors? I have a 7040 and it is overdue for a oil change so first thing in the spring I will change it. What kind of oil you guys run? I have been using shell rottela 15w40... Is synthetic worth it for a old Allis 7040?  If it is worth running synthetic I Will. Tractor has 7000 hours

I would not change brands of oil, if you don't put a lot of hours on it as I don't on my D21 change it yearly as I do. I think that is good enough for the hours I put on my tractors. As for my A I change that every 2 years as the hours I put on that is maybe 20 a year and all it does is a few shows and my fall plow day. This is just my thinking so take it as that. Thanks Dave

Im with Dave... we use to figure a truck running a 50 MPH would get 50 miles in an hour.. So 100 - 150 hours of use would be 5000- 7500 miles .... that reasoning says tractors should get a change every 100- 150 hours if use hard. If your running 25 hours a year, I change every 2 years.  Oil can get humidity / etc from just setting.  15w40 is good heavy duty tractor oil..... smaller tractors can use 10 w 30

That is a detail that should be in the operator's manual along with a few dozen other hints of safe operation so you need to acquire a copy of the official owner's manual. Not the I&T shrimp manual. I&T never covers that standard operation detail.

I've had problems keeping full synthetic in some engines, I get along with Motorcraft semisynthetic now.

Gerald J.

Watch out using the turning black thing as many diesel oils will turn black pretty quickly.
Cold as all get out for us a while back and used the D15II gas unit to put out round bales (Rotella). Anybody watching would have wondered what I was smiling to myself about but I was hearing my dad's voice preaching about getting her up to operating temp for a while to cook off moisture. Took ten minutes to grab a couple bales so left her outside the shop for another 20-25 mins. at high idle before putting back in the shop.

I was always told not to store a tractor with dirty oil, I don't think it is bad with just a few hours but one with 100 plus hours I would change before winter storage, there are contaminants fromthe hours of use in that oil.

For most 1980 and newer tractors, anywhere from 350-500 hours depending on use and conditions.  Synthetics you can go longer but should do oil analysis to find the ideal drain time if your going to extend drains.

The reason some say to change the oil before storing or put a time frame instead if hours/miles is because the oil TAN (total acid number) will start to increase which in turn reduces the TBN (total base number)(oils reserve alkalinity to offset acid and oxidation).  Once the oil starts building TAN it will deteriorate seals and corrode certain metals.  A good oil analysis laboratory will report TAN & TBN levels on the report.

Also, If the oil is not turning black, that is a bad thing.  Diesels will turn black almost immediately while gasoline engines will take longer.  The dark discoloration is a combination of soot and other contaminates suspended in the oil.  Oil blenders add dispersant additives in the oil to keep these contaminates in suspension so the oil filter can pick them up and/or to keeps them from attaching themselves to internal parts.

If you don't put a lot of hours on, then once a year is fine.

Jason

First if or tractor has not been overhauled put the bottom end in and rod bolts. If you are trying to save 100 dollars think about the cost of the engine.Just my thoughts from a guy that has rebuilt every part of these tractors.

Nick, do you have any place that will run an oil analysis for you? It is amazing what you can learn from a few samples. Also, for a machine that will sit a lot getting an oil with a high TBN- if you are switching brands- will help considerably... My oil of choice has a TBN of 14

Edited by JD Dan - 31 Dec 2016 at 1:24am

Caution on the Lubricheck units. Neat idea but even they tell you about not using on higher end oils where zinc, moly and other additives are present.
Full on oil sample for analysis would tell you pretty much what you need to know.

Funny I read shameless comment about changing the oil in the fall and thought I was always told to change it in the spring to get all the cold weather water out.

When you pull the plug doesn't that sludge come out in the spring?

In 1978 my father bought a new 2-60 White tractor. In 2012 after he came down with cancer we was trying to rake hay with it. It kept over heating and not running good. It hadn't run good for a few years actually. We asked him when was the last time he changed the oil? He said he never had changed it, ever! He always thought oil changing was something oil companies invented to rip people off. I had the White rebuilt in 2013/14 and I still have it. It needed a new crankshaft among other things. Long story short, I now change oil at least once a year. I figure that's better than Daddy did, although he did prove you can run a tractor for over 30 years and never change the oil. I guess he saved a lot of money, and the old White lasted him as long as he needed it.

Dan...no the sludge don't come out, ain't you ever seen pics of them scraping the oil pans with a putty knife? and if you use/run the engines thru the winter, it won't be long in the spring til another oil change is due.

I think the thread overall has been hijacked from the original topic but has had some decent points come out.  The Lubricheck product is not a proper oil analysis device and is not reliable under any circumstances.  I don't even know what it is actually reading since all information is very vague.  To look at the real over all health of the asset and components like engine, transmission, gear and hydraulics you need to analyze much more.

The data really needed to make a sound decision is the following

• wear metals
• additives
• contaminates
• viscosity (preferably 40°&100° + viscosity index
• particle count (typically hydraulic, turbine and some gears)
• TAN/TBN
• glycol %
• water
• soot
• fuel dilution

A good oil analysis lab will product a report with a diagnosis taking all of these elements into consideration.  From there you can make your decision

I am a very long time Allis guy with long love for AC's.  If you want oil analysis I will make sure you get quality results.  visit apexoillab.com for information.  If you want to use the service call the office at (844) 273-9645 and ask for Jason