Tractor engine oil changes?
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=133200
Printed Date: 08 May 2025 at 5:09pm
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Topic: Tractor engine oil changes?
Posted By: nick121
Subject: Tractor engine oil changes?
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 9:36am
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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 How about combines? Do you just change it at the end of season? (combine hour meter doesn't work) It is a gleaner F2 with 4 cylinder turbo. Thanks, Nick
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Replies:
Posted By: Ky.Allis
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 9:57am
| OH GOSH HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!!! |
Posted By: Dave Wisc.
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 10:31am
| 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 |
Posted By: BenGiBoy
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 10:39am
I just change the oil when I look at it and think that it looks black enough. Which is usually not very black, so I spend a bit more than I maybe need to on oil, but hey, I haven't had any problems.  ------------- '39 Model B Tractors are cheaper than girls, remember that! |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 10:40am
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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 ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: nick121
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 10:40am
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I only put 100 hours this year, and 12 hours of that was driving it from where I bought it. I will probably only put 100 hours next year too, So regular oil will be just fine. But I was curious of the benefits of synthetic? I know it helps with cold starting but I don't start mine in the winter. Im guessing there is close to 200 hours on the oil in her now.. So it definitely needs changing.
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Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 10:54am
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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. |
Posted By: Dave Wisc.
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 11:05am
| Check with the guy you just bought it from for the brand that he used and use that in the tractor. It is not as important as it was not to change brands as it was, just use a good grade of oil. One thing is oil is a lot cheaper than a major overhaul at least that is my thinking. |
Posted By: TimNearFortWorth
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 11:10am
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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. |
Posted By: bryan/silex
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 11:25am
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in the tractors that get used regulary once a year ,,,the main one only get about 100 hours on it,the others that sit most of the time well that's another story,,,I use 15-40 in the big diesels and 30wt in others,,,,this might sound crazy but my 4030 deere has been changed often enough that the oil doesn't turn black anymore lol ------------- WD's and 45's B's and c's and a few red ones , ALLIS EXPRESS also |
Posted By: jiminnd
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 11:46am
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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. ------------- 1945 C, 1949 WF and WD, 1981 185, 1982 8030, unknown D14(nonrunner) |
Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 1:08pm
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I was always told to never store a tractor with dirty oil as it will contain contaminants from the combustion process and those over time will deteriorate seals, gaskets and bearing surfaces. Better to change it in the fall. Now as to synthetic. Is it better, yes it is but you would be splitting hairs to determine just how much better it is. Now if you ran it in extreme conditions of hot or cold or if you were lax in changing it on time then maybe it would be worthwhile. Maybe. ------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: BigBadAllis
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 1:20pm
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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 |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 1:48pm
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I wouldn't go longer than a year between changes, regardless of hours. Time diminishes an oils ability to fight acids, regardless of hours. Otherwise, change every 100 hours or so. |
Posted By: 210Postin
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 4:43pm
| 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. |
Posted By: DiyDave
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 5:52pm
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Get yerself one of these, and avoid the guesswork... [TUBE]http://youtu.be/OBGiXE1ha1Q[/TUBE] I generally use synthetic oil, but I check each fall, with the lubricheck. That way I can change the oil over fall and winter, and have some fire starting oil, for the woodstove...
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Posted By: JD Dan
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 6:17pm
| 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 |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 6:24pm
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Extended drain interval oils typically have a high TBN. AMSOIL Signature 5W-30 has a TBN of 11 if I remember. Some oils have a TBN of about 6. |
Posted By: TimNearFortWorth
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 7:51pm
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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. |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 9:23pm
| I changed my oil/filters on my working tractors and combine every 100 hours. I also would change it before they sat all winter long. fuel filters every spring and fall. I also change the fuel filters on my pickups in the fall too. oil used for everything is 15-40 Rotella. gas and diesel. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2016 at 9:32pm
| 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. |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2016 at 4:40am
| I don't want any sediment settling out to the bottom of the oil pans. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2016 at 4:43am
| When you pull the plug doesn't that sludge come out in the spring? |
Posted By: nick121
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2016 at 7:51am
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first thing in the spring will be a oil change, too cold to do it now no barn/ shop to work in. I already have the shell rottela 15w40 Just need to get filters. I will probably get the fuel and air filters too.
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Posted By: Ranse
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2016 at 5:44pm
| 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. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2016 at 5:48pm
| I had a friend who did that with ford Rangers said they would make 80000 without an oil change and he was just trading them in at 80 anyway so why do it. He did that for years made me think i didn't want to go buy used from a dealer. |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 31 Dec 2016 at 11:25pm
| 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. |
Posted By: Ted J
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2017 at 11:50am
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My tractors that I use over winter get the oil changed in first part of April and again in the last part of September......every 6 months. I figure it's CHEAP insurance....... Tractors I DO NOT USE over winter.........April LOTS of uses for used oil, so it's not a waste.... ------------- "Allis-Express" 19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17 |
Posted By: BigBadAllis
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2017 at 7:39am
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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
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 |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2017 at 8:47am
| My neighbor refuses to change farm oil in fall....He says he ain't paying for the next guy in case he dies over the winter.You gotta know him to appreciate him. |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2017 at 10:23am
Very true! Our Massey 165 used to be black about as soon as you hit the starter. "Diesels do that" was my dad's answer.... |
TimNearFortWorth wrote:Posted By: BenGiBoy
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2017 at 4:21pm
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Ya, this is a gas...... That's what I do, anyway. ------------- '39 Model B Tractors are cheaper than girls, remember that! |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2017 at 4:46pm
| Every 100 hours in season and 1st thing in the spring using F/S 15W40. Got the oil and filters sitting on the bench waiting on warmer weather. |