Oil change

Guth3

New member

Equipment
L3300, with front end loader, Woods Rotary cutter, box scrape, gill excavator,
Jan 9, 2012
3
0
0
Gibsonville, NC
How often should one change the oil if the tractor has low hours, a 98 model L3300 Grand, with less than 200 hours. I have been changing on a 50 hour basis. I purchased a new chevy 5.3 PU, with the oil monitor system, and they reccomend changing oil due to breakdown once a year regardless of mileage.

This got me to thinking about my tractor...I am not sure what I should do.

Steve
 

Toyboy

Well-known member

Equipment
BX2230D - RCK60-22BX - BX5450
May 18, 2010
647
969
93
Hayward Wi
I change mine every fall, and I only put about 70 hr a year on it mowing and snow blowing. I do my Chevy PU every 3500 mi also. Oil is cheap when compared to an overhaul. But then again, everyone has their own tried and true method that gives 'em that feeling of security.
 

bcbull378

Member

Equipment
GL3830,fel,brush hog,pallet forks,disc,gannon,auger,springtooth,plow,drag,ripper
Sep 6, 2011
579
27
18
Ventura Ca
I change the oil in my L3830 every 100 hours witch turns out to be about every 10 months, like the post said before oil is much cheaper than an overhaul.My Cats have the oil changed every 100 hours also witch is every fall I use the same oil in my tractors as I do my F-250 ROTELA- T. I have always had good preformance from ROTELA-T
 

Bulldog

Well-known member

Equipment
M 9000 DTC, L 3000 DT
Mar 30, 2010
5,440
78
48
Rocky Face, Georgia
Your not hurting anything but your wallet changing the oil at 50 hrs. As long as it's changed at least once a year even with low hrs you should be fine.
 

Kytim

New member

Equipment
B6000DT, B7100DT,Snowplow, RM360, Scoop, Cultivator, Carryall,Disk, plow
Aug 14, 2009
848
12
0
Western Ky
Yep, for my annual hours once a year is enough for me.
 

Orange Tractors

Member

Equipment
L175 w/Woods L59, Allis Chalmers WD
Jul 19, 2009
323
4
18
Butler, MO
I'll jump on the once a year bandwagon. Its not the oil that wears out, some of the additives might get depleted and the filter can get clogged.

The best way is to get your oil tested for contaminates, but it is probably cheaper to just change the oil and filter once a year. Oil changes are a heck of a lot cheaper than overhuals.

Robert
 

TripleR

Active member

Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
Sep 16, 2011
1,911
8
38
SE Missouri
I go by the manual as per hours, not going to dump oil by the calendar; always worked for me as the bigger tractors call for more hours than we put on in a year.

We have tractors up to 50+ years old and it has worked OK for us.

Not recommending what anyone else should do.
 

kuboman

Member
Dec 6, 2009
725
6
16
Canada
If the tractor sits all winter and not used I would change in the fall. If you use it year round then change when ever you reach the hours you feel comfortable with.
 

lreops

Member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3400DT W/ LA463 FEL and L235DT W/ BF400 Loader
Dec 26, 2011
306
0
16
Rising Sun, Maryland
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Attachments

TripleR

Active member

Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
Sep 16, 2011
1,911
8
38
SE Missouri
We have four Ag tractors, two John Deere and two IH in our barn that our renters use on our land and like most Ag tractors in my area the oil is changed by the manual rather than calendar; just too expensive to dump all that oil once a year.
 

bcbull378

Member

Equipment
GL3830,fel,brush hog,pallet forks,disc,gannon,auger,springtooth,plow,drag,ripper
Sep 6, 2011
579
27
18
Ventura Ca
I agree with TrippleR we go by the manual we have 3 cats on the ranch all 60+ years old and still run like a dream, Hopefully ill get half the service out of my L3830 Im anal when it comes to maintanance
 

Kytim

New member

Equipment
B6000DT, B7100DT,Snowplow, RM360, Scoop, Cultivator, Carryall,Disk, plow
Aug 14, 2009
848
12
0
Western Ky
I change the engine oil/filter in my B7100 each spring. it's used pretty hard each spring summer and fall but light duty only during winter. Moving trailers or the few times it snows enough to really need scraping. I figure it is better to change it then to get rid of the the slightest chance of condensed water from the heating and cooling of being run in winter only occasionally but really for the temp changes. Here in west Ky we spend as much time above freezing as below in the same day. Seems perfect for condensing water to me. I just want to get it out, probably more outta my mind, before pressing into heavy use mowing. Plus I know if I tried to do it in the fall I would put it off until it got to cold outside.



Tim
 

rongarrett

New member

Equipment
M7040 SU
Nov 10, 2011
55
0
0
Newnan Georgia
I'll jump on the once a year bandwagon. Its not the oil that wears out, some of the additives might get depleted and the filter can get clogged.

The best way is to get your oil tested for contaminates, but it is probably cheaper to just change the oil and filter once a year. Oil changes are a heck of a lot cheaper than overhuals.

Robert
I haven't gone thru a full year with my new M7040 yet. I do have 58 hours on it already though in this off season. This tractor is the workhorse on the farm. It does many chores. According to how much hay we baled last year, the Bota may well go over the recommended change interval. I just got thru changing the oil for my 50 hr first time. It was not very dirty, [sooty}. My manual sezs to use highway diesel, which I have been doing. Kubota recommends if ya use off road high sulpher diesel to only go half amount of hours. I think they have hit the nail on the head with that recommendation. I have used diesel vehicles in my former company and am familar with how dirty the oil gets. This tractor is the cleanest burning diesel I have ever experienced. Way better than anything else we have in the barn. I use no additives.
 

Sam427

New member

Equipment
L3410 GST, FEL, Bush Hog, Box Scrape, Spreader
Nov 6, 2009
194
5
0
Snellville, Ga. USA
I haven't gone thru a full year with my new M7040 yet. I do have 58 hours on it already though in this off season. This tractor is the workhorse on the farm. It does many chores. According to how much hay we baled last year, the Bota may well go over the recommended change interval. I just got thru changing the oil for my 50 hr first time. It was not very dirty, [sooty}. My manual sezs to use highway diesel, which I have been doing. Kubota recommends if ya use off road high sulpher diesel to only go half amount of hours. I think they have hit the nail on the head with that recommendation. I have used diesel vehicles in my former company and am familar with how dirty the oil gets. This tractor is the cleanest burning diesel I have ever experienced. Way better than anything else we have in the barn. I use no additives.
It may have nothing to do with highway vs. offroad diesel, I run offroad in my Kubota and the oil is still pretty clean at 100 hrs, both with conventional and synthetic oils, Rotella that is. It's probably just the fact that Kubotas have a very efficient engine that burns all or most of the fuel, instead of unburned fuel making its way past the rings into the oil.

Don't forget the fact that some equipment may have trouble running the new highway fuel, it has less lubrication qualities for things like the fuel pump!
 

Bulldog

Well-known member

Equipment
M 9000 DTC, L 3000 DT
Mar 30, 2010
5,440
78
48
Rocky Face, Georgia
Unless you get ahold of some old high sulfer fuel everything you buy is the same other than the off-road has dye. The sulfer level is the same. The days of good fuel are long gone.