B2650 cold climate engine oil - Rotella T6-5w40 or Semi-synth 10W-30?

[nbryan]

It's 400 hour service time and with temps dropping outside it'd good timing to get the machine freshened up for winter.
I have 5w40 Rotella T6 and 10w-130 Semi Synth oils in stock, and have heard that many Kubota tractor owners prefer the 5w-40 full synth oil, but is anyone here running it in Canadian prairie winters?
5W for easier starts, but 40W is a heavier running temp viscosity, and with my temp gauge never going above 2 bars that I've noticed in the winter cold (even when blowing heavy snow) would the 40W be too heavy? Btw 3 bars on temp gauge has never been exceeded on hot days working hard.
I like the idea of using full synth lubes if possible in my machines. And the Rotella I can get 5 gal pails at our farm supply store for a really good price, better than the 10W-30 semi-synth from C Tire.
Suggestions, comments?

Thanks!

 

[cjh]

I have been using the 15-40 Rotella for many years throughout the winters in whatever machine I have been using to do snow. The oldest is my 430 Deere that has close to 2000 hours with no problems. This will be the first winter for my 2650, and I anticipate no problems either. As long as your temps fall within range of what the manual says for oil viscosity, you should be good. We average around 20F here in NW Pennsylvania, but I would imagine that you are a bit on the colder side.

 

[UpNorthMI]

If you take a look in your operators manual you will see what Kubota recommends, I believe it is 10w-30 or 15w-40. For really cold temps it is 10w-30.

I’m not saying that Rotella T6 5w-40 is not a good oil but it is not fitting the recommendation from Kubota.

 

[85Hokie]

5w40 Rotella T6 all the way in your neck of the woods - in the cold temps.

Wear on an engine is most extreme on the turn of the key - once the oil is up and running and up too temps most wear is very very minimal. The difference between a 10w and 5w is not that extreme, but on that real cold start up - there would be a difference in the ability to flow.

You have to understand that this is 5 weight oil...... and full synthetic. The 40 is what is behaves like when at 100 c, it is not a 40 weight oil. Modifiers are added to basically "thicken" the oil as it get hot.

As for what Kubota recommends .... the book does call for a 10 weight oil.

This is an age old conversation - during the 50's, tractor companies would recommend straight 30 weight oil, and if realllly cold, add a 1quart of kero to thin out the mixture - presto, they just recommended a less viscous oil! Then again - multi viscosity oils were not available at that time. My point is that what the company said to use my be true at the time of design.

As for temps on your engine - one of the worst things that can happen is the engine NOT getting to ideal temp while working - in your case 93c - a cooler running engine is not how it was designed to run.

Most if not all car companies are using 0w-20 or even 0w-40 now ....but they are concerned with gas mileage - not a consideration in a tractor per se.

 

[ki4dog]

Why not just get 5w-30 synthetic oil? That said, I run T6 in everything, but I don't have the extreme cold to deal with.

 

[NHSleddog]

I run T6 in the diesels year round here.

 

[Thunder chicken]

I’m not far from ya nbryan, I’ve struggled with this question too. But I run T6 5w40. I feel that 10w will be too stiff at -25c/-30c if I can’t get plugged in.
I run T6 5w40 in my VW Tdi (emissions deleted) my Honda atv (T6 has moly for wet clutch) and I run it in my Tacoma in the summer. (Taco calls for 0w20) T6 5w40 lost its SN/SM gas engine rating recently but that’s just legal nonsense/ shell not paying for the exemption anymore because of a slightly high additive content. Some brands just pay. I do believe T6 comes in a 5w30 now but it’s not in pails locally.
Oil is such a fun topic
Of course our UDT up here is ‘premium UDT’ canadian only apparently, which seems to be the same as the UDT2, or Petro Canada Duratran XL...... sorry not to get off topic but that’s all stiff in the cold too!
Now to get back to insulating my shop..... $8.26 for a 2x4x8’......

 

[bird dogger]

nbryan, if you're interested, here's how I solved my cold operating temp/problems with my B2650 in our harsh North Dakota winters:

Kubota B2650 Winter Front Grille Cover

The Kubota Derby: The Engine Temperature Competition & Making of My Winter Front Covers Before the Race There might be enough "saddle time" accumulated to now post the findings and fixes for operating in subzero temps and above with my new B2650. It may also apply to or help any other smaller...

www.orangetractortalks.com

I also couldn't get the temperature gauge to register anything close to normal operating temps in anything below 0°F or in your case -18°C. And as 85Hokie noted above, it concerned me not being able to get the engine temp hot enough to prevent any ill effects from operating in extremely cold temps and then parking the tractor inside.

The side benefits were that the covers also kept the hydraulic oil warm, the fuel and everything under the hood warm, and kept any snow from freezing that found its way into the engine compartment. And as a few have noted, their cab heaters functioned much better as well. On the coldest of days here I can get my temp gauge to register mid range but even that requires loading the snow blower heavily.

A number of sets have gone to Canada, and one very close to you. I'm sure you could ask any of them for their thoughts on the matter. Send me a PM if you have any questions also.
best regards,
david

Edit: correction on my temp conversion. Thanks to 200mph!

 

[200mph]

I also couldn't get the temperature gauge to register anything close to normal operating temps in anything below 0°F or in your case 18°C. And as 85Hokie noted above, it concerned me not being able to get the engine temp hot enough to prevent any ill effects from operating in extremely cold temps and then parking the tractor inside.

Wouldn't this be -17.78?

 

[SidecarFlip]

When I'm plowing the road with my M9, a piece of cardboard between the rad and the oil cooler works nicely.. Cost, nothing.

 

[bird dogger]

Wouldn't this be -17.78?

Whoops! You're correct. I need to clean my computer screen as I didn't notice the negative sign on the conversion chart. Thanks for the heads up. I'll correct my earlier post!!
david

 

[Orange1forme]

nbryan, if you're interested, here's how I solved my cold operating temp/problems with my B2650 in our harsh North Dakota winters:

Kubota B2650 Winter Front Grille Cover

The Kubota Derby: The Engine Temperature Competition & Making of My Winter Front Covers Before the Race There might be enough "saddle time" accumulated to now post the findings and fixes for operating in subzero temps and above with my new B2650. It may also apply to or help any other smaller...

www.orangetractortalks.com

I also couldn't get the temperature gauge to register anything close to normal operating temps in anything below 0°F or in your case -18°C. And as 85Hokie noted above, it concerned me not being able to get the engine temp hot enough to prevent any ill effects from operating in extremely cold temps and then parking the tractor inside.

The side benefits were that the covers also kept the hydraulic oil warm, the fuel and everything under the hood warm, and kept any snow from freezing that found its way into the engine compartment. And as a few have noted, their cab heaters functioned much better as well. On the coldest of days here I can get my temp gauge to register mid range but even that requires loading the snow blower heavily.

A number of sets have gone to Canada, and one very close to you. I'm sure you could ask any of them for their thoughts on the matter. Send me a PM if you have any questions also.
best regards,
david

Edit: correction on my temp conversion. Thanks to 200mph!

I bought a set and they are GREAT!!!!!!!!!

Interesting now that Kubota has some for sale, maybe they did before and I just never saw them.

You can, and I did, try a homemade remedy but these were well worth the cost and they look good.

 

[200mph]

If coolant temperatures are not coming up to temperature wouldn't the thermostat be allowing coolant flow prior to when it should? I've never had an engine not come up to temperature if the thermostat is functioning correctly (assuming rpms above idle). Only time they didn't is when the thermostat failed open or partially open. Replacing always solved the low coolant temperature issue. Probably replaced 20 plus thermostats replaced over the years, only one failed closed and the rest failed open... Symptom was always prolong warm up times or never achieving normal operating temperatures.

 

[nbryan]

So I went conservative and used the Kubota brand 10W-30 synth blend.
The old hydraulic and front axle oils looked dark enough. Good to freshen them up for sure!
So yesterday got the hydraulic oil and filters replaced, and engine oil and filter. All Kubota brand.
Today will complete the 400 hour services!
I'll probably try out using something to cover the rad grill this winter. But 2or3 bars on the temp gauge should be normal range, no? I'm not worried about the thermostat, it's working fine it seems. Just takes a bit of working out in the winter for the engine to get to temp, or 2 bars.

 

[85Hokie]

I gauge with bars only tells a range of heat - it would be nice to know HOW hot at a certain time.
Pick you up a infrared thermometer - and shoot the top NECK of the radiator when running it a good bit.
YOU should she a number between 175-200F - under 175, that engine is not getting hot enough to burn off all the condensation that gets into the oil.

 

[mattwithcats]

I run T6 too, nut the 0W-40 flavor.

Shell ROTELLA® T6 Full Synthetic Heavy Duty Engine Oil

Shell ROTELLA® T6 Full Synthetic heavy duty engine oil with Triple Protection Plus™ technology is our hardest working engine oil yet. It has been enhanced with synthetic base oils plus advanced additive technology to protect against wear, deposits and oil breakdown.

www.shell.us

The cost is the same as T6 5W-40, but it takes two weeks to get from my supplier..

Also, instead of the HH164-32430 oil filter, I am using Wix 51515. Twice as long, half the cost...

 

[NHSleddog]

Also, instead of the HH164-32430 oil filter, I am using Wix 51515. Twice as long, half the cost...

Actually 1/2 the filter for 1/2 the price.

 

[Glenn S]

I use T6 0W-40 year-round, I put about 150- 200 hrs on my Kubota and New Holland equipment and I do a complete oil and filter change every fall.
I've been in the equipment business 37 yrs and have a lot of respect for the T6 oils.
You did not mention it but I believe that it's important to use an OEM filter, perhaps more important than the brand of oil. I have seen some real horror stories involving cheap filters.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I use T6 0W-40 year-round, I put about 150- 200 hrs on my Kubota and New Holland equipment and I do a complete oil and filter change every fall.
I've been in the equipment business 37 yrs and have a lot of respect for the T6 oils.
You did not mention it but I believe that it's important to use an OEM filter, perhaps more important than the brand of oil. I have seen some real horror stories involving cheap filters.

Exactly. Never use any filter but the OEM filter in all situations, oil, fuel and air. Kubota engineers designed the engines and filter systems and they know better than you do. Besides, Genuine Kubota filters are not that much more expensive.

Lubricants and filters are the cheapest replacement parts you will ever replace on your tractor.

Use the best lubricants you can buy and genuine Kubota filters.

 

[NEPA Guy]

I use Mobile 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w 40. It appears to meet the classifications showed in the manual.

CF, CF-4, CG-4, CH-4 or CI-4

Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40| Mobil™ Turbo Diesel Oil

Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 is a fully synthetic diesel oil that helps extend engine life for modern diesel engines operating in severe applications.

www.mobil.com