Kubota V2403-M-T oil recommendation

[Sean2202]

Greetings,

I recently picked up a Toro 4500D grounds master with a Kubota V2403-M-T engine serial number AN2500. In the operators manual of the equipment it states to use 15w-40 engine oil but in the service manual for the engine it states to use 10w-30 engine oil. This is not the first time I have found discrepancies on Toro engine manuals or stickers on the machines. So my question to you is what would you recommend? My thought and what I have done in the past is follow the engine manual.

Thanks
Sean

 

[mattwithcats]

Shell Rotella T6 full synthetic in 15W-40...
https://rotella.shell.com/en_us/pro...tella-t6-15w-40-full-synthetic-motor-oil.html

Oil filter should be HH164-32430,
But you can use Wix 51515, oversized, if you have the room...

Wix 51773 also works, but that’s double oversized...

 

[Bulldog]

If it was mine it would have Amsoil series 3000 5w30 heavy duty diesel oil and Amsoil or Donaldson filters.

 

[Sean2202]

Thanks for the tips, I really cant understand why the Toro manual states 15w-40. Please help me understand wouldn't a thicker oil especially in colder climates have more trouble going to the turbo and thus making its life span shorter?

I have used Shell Rotella T-4 10w-30 in other Kubota engines with success over the years. Some had turbos and some did not. Also I have used Schaffer 10w-30 recently with success. Never used Amsoil though thanks for the recommendation.

 

[GeoHorn]

If the unit is still under warranty.... use what the people servicing the warranty state to use.

If it’s fully “yours” ... use what the climate conditions dictate. I’ve found many times that (example) if the mfr’r recommends 10W30, that the manual appendix will often allow alternates depending upon local temperatures.

Example: My M4700 instructs to use:
Above 32-F: SAE 30, or 10W30 or 10W40.
Below 32-F: SAE20, or 10W30 or 10W40.
Below 0-F: SAE 10, or 10W30 or 10W40.

Go figure why anyone would use anything other than 10W30 or 10W40...

(It’s mine so I use 15W40 because that’s what cheap and readily available.)

Opinion: Any major brand is fine, unless you have a lot of spare cash, in which case buy the most expensive designer-brand your unknown buddies recommend online.

I must be asking for D I S A S T E R. heh?

 

[GeoHorn]

PS: Did I forget to mention that I’ve operated several vehicles in excess of 250K to 330K miles using nothing but El-Cheapo brand oil from WalMart? (I.E. SuperTech oil and filters. The oil is produced by SOSUS (which is Quaker State/Pennzoil and the SuperTech filters are Purolator.).

But throw your money at whoever you want if you have a lot of it.

(I do NOT recommend cheap hydro oil tho’. I used the genuine Kubota stuff there.)

 

[Sean2202]

@GeoHorn DISASTER? depends on who you ask.....Talking about oils is like talking politics...... For this engine I wanted to know the opinion of the Kubota community not what Toro thinks or has old stickers lying around so they put it on the machine. My old L305DT has all sorts of different oil values on the valve cover which I think include even a 20w....I even read in that old manual that you can use straight water in the radiator, just make sure to flush it out before freezing..... Says that too.

Now hydro fluid is something I will explore more in depth in the future. I do use cheepo stuff in that L305DT Kelly backhoe because its so old and has a few leaky seals that have yet to be replaced. At some point I want to investigate different hydro fluids and their effect on seal life and breaking down. For now in similar mowers in my shop I use Napa aw-46 with factory Toro filters which strangely are about 1/2 cost than napa ones. My next big purchase over the coming winter will be a 55 gallon drum of factory Toro hydro fluid. These machines are all out of warranty. The hydro pump in this is a Eaton 72400. This particular machine has 3000 hrs. I do have a V2003T Kubota with about 7000 hrs on it. Still runs 100%. Fingers crossed.....