Low Usage Tractors And Oil Change Frequency

Howdy, boys:
I don't put over 50 hours per year on my Farmalls and I keep them in a closed, insulated barn when not in use. I mention the insulated barn because the temps in there do not change rapidly, which might otherwise cause condensation. I use a very high quality (diesel grade) oil.
Under these circumstances, do I need to change the oil annually? Seems a bit of a waste, yet I don't want to be "penny-wise and pound-foolish". I'd rather change the oil every two years if that would be okay.
Thanks in advance for your opinions.
mike

I too put only 40 - 50 hours a year on each of my 3 old tractors. And for the last 10 years or so I have been changing the oil/filter only every 2nd year.

My tractors stay under cover in an unheated shed when not in use. Since most of their running occurs in December (with temp's usually below freezing) I use 180 deg thermostats and keep winterfronts covering the grilles so the engines (and hence the oil...) becomes thoroughly warmed each time they are run.

So far this strategy seems to be working. When drained the used oil still looks good (no entrained water droplets, no sign of emulsified condensation, etc).

I use only good quality 15W40 oil and Baldwin filters. Keep in mind also that modern oils and filters are far superior to what existed back when these tractors were designed.

I say go for the 2 year change interval!

Howdy to you!

Fifty hours altogether? If so, for how many? OR fifty hours apiece?

I treat my tractors like I do my generator (you know, the 'lectric start one that doesn't even come with a pull rope) and run them periodicaly if they're not being used otherwise, just to keep the batteries up and the juices circulated. And any time I start them, whether it's just what I call a maintenance run or to work them, I make sure they get warmed up well, and run for while afterward. The point of warming them up is to try to evaporate out what moisture I do pick up in my oil from condensation which, around here can be considerable.

As far as the condensation factor, some folks pooh-pooh the whole idea but around here it's bad enough generally, and especially in early and late winter when we get some pretty wild swings in the weather. Enough so that if I don't keep the fuel tanks full on everything, I've got to deal with water in the gas, as well. (Some would say that the ethanol in the fuel is a factor there, and it may be, but water is enough of a pain in the neck in warm weather and I sure don't like having to stop to thaw and treat a frozen gas line when I have snow to clear.)

Your space is insulated where mine is not but, to give you an example, twice in the last two weeks we had a cold snap, nights within a few degrees of either side of zero, followed by temps around 30 the next day, followed my rain and temps in the 50s the second day. Cold snap was fine. By the next day, I see hard frost on the fuel tanks of the tractors. On the rainy day, I go out and my BN, the one parked on cement, is sitting in a puddle of it's own sweat -- the concrete looks just like a shadow of the tractor, and the tractor is soaked from stem to stern.

Now I know the crankcase air is relatively static, but it does breathe in and out a little as things warm and cool and, with condensation that extreme on the outside, I've just gotta believe she's pickin' up condensation (though not as extreme) on the inside, as well.

Since it sounds like all your tractors are under cover, a little test for you would be to see how much water your trannies pick up over a year or two. That'll give you an idea of what your motors are picking up.

As a final note, one of the "selling points" for this generator I've got was a two-year oil change interval, as if that was something new-fangled. IH had some wonderful innovations in their day, but I don't think there's anything on a tractor that says IH on it that we would call new-fangled any more.

I vote for one year.

I have a couple older tractors that probably don't get 20 hours a year. Have Farmall M with a cycle mower that mows around the pond bank once or twice a month during the summer. I always change oil/filter every spring. Don't know if I have to or not but I do.

..............Mark

Let the condition of the oil tell you when to change. If it is extremely black or milky white, then change it.

I run one H about 50 hours per year and the other about 20 hours per year. Every other year I change oil on the 50 hour tractor, and every third year I change oil on the 20 hour tractor. Oil comes out looking pretty decent, not black or milky.

The F12 and F14, which get started once or twice a year haven't had an oil change in probably eight years. Oil still looks new to me.

Whats an oil change?

Seriously, I dont think Ive changed the oil except in one or two of my tractors in the last 7 or 8 years. They MIGHT see 30 hours a year, if that. I do change the oil in my 154 Lo-Boy about once every two years, since I use it.

"I dont think Ive changed the oil except in one or two of my tractors in the last 7 or 8 years"

Is it any wonder the motors need rebuildin' after 40 years? ;8^)

Back in school we had representative from one of the oil companies come in to talk about lubrication. One of the points he made about oils, any oils is that they deteriorate over time from moisture. This is why they say change your oil (in most cars) every 5km or 3 months. The three months being the time it will take for the moisture to effect the oil. I don"t have any diesel machines, and I use the cheapest oil I can find since I figure it"s better then what was available 50 years back. I also don"t know what advances have been made to combat moisture in oil. I know some cars now go for 15k with a change. I agree that it is painfull to change your oil even once a year for equipment that really doesn"t get used much. I guess you have to ask yourself this: Am I going to ever use it, or need to use it where the risk of doing damage outweighs the cost. For me, I do my oil 2 times a year, maybe it"s over kill, but I feel that if I"m gonna have these toys, I should do what I can to protect them, otherwise, don"t use them at all and properly store them. I remember changing the oil on one tractor that had sat in a garage for about 4 years. Before starting I drained the oil and found about a cup of water (maybe not that much). From that point on, it changed how I felt about time/oil.

Brian.

PS. My father and I would have gentlemanly debates on "buring off" water in the oil. I believe that once the oil has moisture in it, you can"t just "burn it off". Others may argue, and be correct, it"s just my opinion.

All of these posts are correct.
By that, I mean use your own common sense.
If you use the tractor a lot, change the oil a lot and vice versa.
Check the oil and see what it looks like. I was going to say and smells like, but I swear the oil coming out of the container today smells like it has already been used.
Side note, I have a small lawn mower that I use around buildings. It has a 3.5hp Briggs engine. I have had it for about 15 years and added oil but never changed it and it starts and runs smooth with no smoke. So go figure. And I"ve sharpened the blade the same amount of times that I"ve changed the oil.

Mike: I have been changing my Super A and 140 yearly. I change the filter in my 130 yearly and use the used oil from other two in the 130. My 130 engine is not great.

My personal feeling is that the limiting factor in the durability of these engines is usually the cleanliness of the incoming air (IOW the oil-bath filtration).

Relative to water intrusion...the engine oil emulsifies water pretty easily, so it "disappears" instead of puddling underneath the main oil level ala gear oil in a transmission.

However...once you get to the boiling point of water, 212F, there's nothing that can really hold it back from turning to a vapor. There is no chemical bonding between the oil and water, just fine mixing.

Newer vehicle engines use positive ventilation (PCV) which is actually metered leak around the throttle blade on a gasoline engine. These older engines just have a vent/breather ...so there's not a "driven" airflow.

I'd worry a little bit about the combustion acids building up over time...but the modern oils are very well equipped to deal with them....much moreso when the engines were new.

I have 2 LPG forklift engines which get used moving pallets and machinery around my shop, probably mostly about 20 hours of idle per year...the oil comes out pristine...golden/clear like it just came out of the bottle, yet I still change it once a year out of principle.

I change my SMTA when I think about it, try not to go more than 2 or 3 years and it will still outlast me.

It may be worth the cost to you to find out for sure. Send oil samples in to be analyzed in a lab. Wix filters has a program, and your local truck dealerships and service centers likely have similar capabilities. send in 3 samples: new, 1yr and 2 yr.

karl f