Question about oil for L185

[thirtyacres]

First diesel tractor I have owned.

On the oil cap it reads........ Use 10W30 DS Class

Since the API classifications have changed since the 1970-1980's, what kind of oil should I use?

Regular engine oil or oil labeled for diesels?

Thanks...........bob

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I'd go with Shell Rotella-T 15-W40. Its a heavy weight oil and works well in both gas and diesel. Here shortly Bulldog will be along to sell you some Amsoil so you have his info to look forward too.

 

[Bulldog]

Here shortly Bulldog will be along to sell you some Amsoil so you have his info to look forward too.

Eric is almost correct in saying what he did. I am a Amsoil dealer but I have never tried to sell it to anyone at OTT. I became a dealer just so it would be easier for me to get for my own use.

Judging by the what Eric said that I guess I must be boring him Sharing a few things that Amsoil has done for me; Saving $500 every 10,000 miles, Transmission temp 70 degrees cooler, Over 6,000 hrs on B 71000 and still running, ect... Sorry Eric, I didn't mean to bore you with things that I have experienced while using Amsoil. All I am doing is try to help my Kubota brothers see that there is a better way to take care of our orange.

If every one here at OTT feels the same as Eric does just let me know now. I don't have to be here and I sure don't want to get everyone upset. All I have done is tell the truth about some of what I have experienced over the years hoping that maybe some one could learn from my mistakes and possibly gain from my victories.

I'm proud I heard about Amsoil. In the past 11 or 12 yrs it has saved me thousands of dollars that I could spend on other stuff. I would rather make my own desition about where my money gets spent. I sure would rather spend it on my family instead of giving it to the fuel company and they get to spend even more of my money. I give them enough already.

I know that I will always have the need to purchase lubricants. I would rather support a company that is American owned and was founded by a former Lieutenant Colonel Air Force jet squadron commander that was willing to defend us. I would much rather keep $$ in America instead of it going to Sheek Alibobananaramaroni the 10th. I think you get where I'm headed with that one.

To each their own, buy what makes you happy.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Nawh bro you wont boreing me with anything. I was just messing with in in hopes you'd be along with some info on Amsoil for this fellow. Nothing wrong with putting up the info on here about Amsoil for everyone to read. The more info the better and anyone can make a wise choice on lubricants.

 

[aquaforce]

First diesel tractor I have owned.

On the oil cap it reads........ Use 10W30 DS Class

Regular engine oil or oil labeled for diesels?

Thanks...........bob

Two things.
First: Shell Rotella has been a strong interest for diesel engines because it had the highest concentrations of ZDDP, which is the zinc and phosphorus content. Since the govt legislation, to reduce the ZDDP content in oil used in an emission compliant engine, Shell no longer has the highest concentration of these critical oil components for a diesel engine.
Second: I won't bore you with a long winded speach so let me suffice to say that oil weight is critical so don't use a weight different than the design the mfgr specifies because the clearances of the engine are set for that specific viscosity.

In modern oil ratings a "CF" is a high performance oil with high enough levels of the ZDDP to satisfy the demands of a diesel or high performance gas engine. Rotella T SAE 30 with a "CF" rating is super for your engine. I got some of this from NAPA for my L175.


The critical thing that the ZDDP satisfies is the metal to metal running relationship of flat tappet lifters and injection pump enviornments. Accelerated wear and premature engine failure is a given without the proper friction and scuff reducers that the zinc and phosphorus give.


ZDDP can also be added as an oil supplement but some of these supplements don't bond well and the oil will wash the additives of because they have high concentrations of cleaners also. The product that GM makes for this is perfect if you wanted to add some to your favorite oil. GM has what once was called E.O.S. (engine oil supplement) but now is known as "engine assembly lubricant" which is the exact same thing. Due to govt legislation it can not be called engine oil supplement so it is called something else and it is in a different labeled bottle of different fluid capacity. Nice trick huh.
I assemble all my engines with this GM product, incidently the new bottle has EOS on the label but no explanation for this designation, and it can be used as an additive for diesel and high perf engines. One engine that will die fast is a flat tappet cam with high spring pressures in the head. Often the cam lobes will not survive break in due to the lack of the zinc.


Hope this helps

 

[Bulldog]

I think Aquaforce makes a good point. I don't know what your manual says but niether of mine say anything about using 15w40 oil. 10w30 is listed as the best all temp oil and 10w40 in certain climates. Even though the dealer says that 15w40 is okay to run. The engine designer rated 10w30 for a reason.

I think the smart money would be to trust the designer.

 

[Sam427]

I think Aquaforce makes a good point. I don't know what your manual says but niether of mine say anything about using 15w40 oil. 10w30 is listed as the best all temp oil and 10w40 in certain climates. Even though the dealer says that 15w40 is okay to run. The engine designer rated 10w30 for a reason.

I think the smart money would be to trust the designer.

I think Kubota has something on their site that says the use of 15w40 is fine in the engine. I put the 15w40 in my L3410 GST and the engine runs more quiet than whatever the previous owner had in it. I swear I think it even uses less fuel, which is amazing, because it hardly uses any to begin with.

I also just did a service on the trans with Shell Donax TD and that is quieter for sure.

Bulldog, I'm curious what the Amzoil cost for the engine oil per quart, and what the hydraulic fluid cost in 5 gallon pales. It's seriously expensive to change oil these days, it really hurts the bank account!