I just bought these 1970's era Case 580B backhoes. I've been babbling about them for the last couple weeks on this forum. The seller was remarking how you need to be careful starting them in the winter because the crankcase oil gets so thick. My instant reaction was, why not use synthetic?His reaction was that good old Drydene has served him well for 30 years and he sees no reason to change. I got a similar response when I mentioned bypass oil filters. "what happens if a piece of toilet paper breaks off and clogs an oil port...etc" I think that bypass oil filters originated on diesel road tractors as a way to keep the oil clean. I have to think that this would be a good idea on heavy equipment like a backhoe as well. The seller mentioned that the crankcase oil on a diesel gets dark almost immediately- you can put in new oil and filter and it will look dark within less than an hour of usage. This tells me that there is a lot of dirt running around in there. The bypass oil folks also suggest installing their filters in the hydraulic system to remove contaminants and moisture from the system, which sounds like a fine idea to me. So, my question is, how many of you folks use bypass filters and/or synthetic oil in your diesel equipment?
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