Farmall Kerosene Oil Type

Everyone says that 15-40 DIESEL oil is best for a farmall H. Does this apply for kerosene motors or does it need a special type. I remember reading something about using Rotella brand oil.

Oil has made such vast technological advances
since the H was built, that most anything will
exceed the api requirements. I would run the 15-40.
Just dont let it get too diluted, depending upon how
much time you spend on kero. I have no functioning
kero attachments, so I really dont know how long it
takes to put X amount of kero in n the pan. Just
keep and eye on it. The owners manual
Should be able to give you lubrication guidelines for
operating on kerosene.

Here you go again, anyway, short answer is it will make
no difference. I do not know if you know this or not but
the Farmalls were equipped with that double set of
check petcocks on the oil pan for the very lm reason
of running the lower grade fuels. When using those
fuels the oil would slowly get diluted with fuel that
washed down the cylinders past the rings. At the end
of the day or start of the next the operator would open
the lower petcock and drain the oil down to that level.
Then close the lower petcock and open the top and fill
it to that level with new oil. This would keep the oil at
the proper lubricity level for it to last for the service
interval. If you really think it is important that you have
a tractor that will run on ..doomsday.. fuel you should
look up ..wood gasification..

What the others have said.

Simply put, just run what you would use
otherwise, as in if it were a gas. I don't
think the owners manuel specifies a
separate oil for kero. I have a kero burner
manuel, but don't have a gas burner manuel
to compare it to. Perhaps all tractors had
the same manuel. Used the same oil (I'm
guessing).

Oils of today, are of much better quality
than what they were pre-1952. Whatever you
use, probably be better than what was used
when it was new.

The big deal was the lower pet-cock on the
pan. When running kero, unburnt fuel would
leak past the rings. When tractor sat over
night, the fuel in the oil would rise to
the top in the pan. You'd drain this off by
opening the lower pet-cock and draining
down to that level, and then refill to the
upper one with new oil.
I might add, that I don't think people even
messed with doing this, unless they ran the
tractor all day, the day before. It might
even specify in manuel to only do every so
many hours of operating time.

The way fuel and oil prices are today, I'd
probably catch what I drained off in a
glass container. Let it re-seperate in
there. Skim fuel off and dump back in the
tank. Dump the oil back in the pan.
The old timers back in the day, probably
dumped it in thier squirt cans, and lubed
un-greasable stuff with it. Not a common
practice with our equipment of today.

Do youy have that motor assembled and ready to start?

I have never understood how kerosene mixed with motor oil would separate once it is mixed.

.... especially since some manufacturers recommended diluting the oil with 10% kerosene for consistent below zero operation

Yes, Shell Rotella is a brand of 15W-40 diesel oil.

Listen, you are working with a 75 year old tractor here. Oil is not critical as long as it is oil, and not, for example, sulfuric acid, or play sand.

If the bottle says "engine oil" it's ok to use.

If the bottle says "kitty litter" then it is NOT ok to use.

This only applies to ancient tractors like your H. Newer more modern tractors should use the recommended oil, especially if it is under warranty.

Anybody know if they've resolved the supply problem yet? Lots of people complaining a couple months back about how they could not find any Shell Rotella T4 15W-40.