best motor oil?

[Anonymous-0]

I am debating switching motor oils and want to hear your oppinions. I used to use Deere 15-40. One of my tractors started burning oil. I switched to Case 15-40 and the tractor no longer neede oil added. Now I have heard good things about Shell Rotella 15-40. Only reason to switch now is that it will be easier for me to pick it up at WalMart instead of driving farther to the case dealer. I guess another reason is all my tractors are Deeres. What do you use and what should I stay away from. Thanks!

 

[RobMD]

Heck, i've noticed that Deere 15-40 motor oil burns in my 770 tractor!

I quit using that stuff and opted to use shell 15-40 right out of the good 'ol red and yellow barrel. That stuff is like amber colored, and it does not burn in my 770.

Rotella all the way!

 

[Doug in Illinois]

I am a Amsoil dealer, but use Rotella 15-40 in the tractors and Rotella 30w in the small engines. Just go ahead and use Rotella 15-40, it is about the best non synthetic made. Archer and Cen.pe.co also make some very good products, but Rotella is a lot easier to find. DOUG

 

[Bob Huntress]

I have found that more than what brand of oil is the actual grades and features. For newer equipment, I tend to use the recommended 10w30 for gas and 15w40 for diesel. I have no heartach with the synthetic, though I change my oil too frequently to appreciate it's resistance to breakdown. Some of the gear that I run is fifty years old, and I doubt that anyone has ever rebuilt the engine. Consider my 8N Ford. I use a 20w50 to help compensate for what must be well worn bearings. The two big factors that I use in considering which oil viscosity grade is the amount of wear, and the expected operating temp. The more the wear, and the higher the expected operating temp, the heavier the oil that I prefer. Detergent is another feature that comes to mind, even more so now that it's cold out. While the detergent is marketed as helping to keep your oil passages clean, it also emulsifies small amounts of inevitable condensation that comes from an engine sitting idle during the winter months. To recommend an oil, I would need to know what type of engine, atleast whether it's gas or diesel, how old it is, what operating conditions you expect to operate in. I'll tell you what my old A school instructor would tell us, "Bad oil is better than no oil". Now, I don't recommend that you neglect your oil changes, or that you put oil into your tractor, that you feel is poor quality, but I wouldn't worry much about which brand of oil you use. By the way, be cautious regarding oil flushing your equipment. If you regularly mix an oil flush and run it through yopur equipment, since it is new, that's not bad. The problem with oil flushing starts when we attempt to flush an engine that has been neglected. Sludge and particles that are adhered to the walls of oil passages tend to become cleaned off the surfaces, and lodged in places that restrict oil flow.

 

[dlplost]

I use the Rotella 15-40 in everything.

 

[super99]

OK, After reading your post, I have 3 tractors, 2 gas & 1 diesel. 1850 diesel, IH400 and JD 70. I'm overhauling the 70 right now, and the 400 used some oil. Have been using 30wt diesel in the 1850, and whatever wallyworld has on sale in the gasers. What would you use? 1 oil for all 3? Chris

 

[John M]

At one time both oils were bottled in the same place, dont know if they still are or not. Rotella is an excellent oil and easy to find as well. Ive run it in just about everything I have.

 

[Janicholson]

Rotella 15-40 JimN

 

[Don L C]

Yes ,one oil for all three.......Shell Rotella can be used in gassers also....it surpasses the needs of gas engines.....you might try 15w 40w...you can also buy standard weight oils in Rotella......look for a dealer that sells to farmers in 55gal. barrels.......I have used it for years.....

 

[Steven f/AZ]

We run the CaseIH/CaseNewHolland 15w-40 in all of our farm equipment - from Farmall C up through the 4450 JD and everything in between. No problems after several years...

 

[trucker40]

Shell Rotella 15-40 in everything.Years ago I worked at a place that used Cummins Blue,trucks were burning oil,switched to Shell Rotella,oil consumption went way down.Tank of oil lasted twice as long as with Cummins Blue 15-40.You maybe wouldnt want to use it in a DOHC Ford 4.6 in a car,but in most everything else it works.Old,Old Cat motors made for 30 weight or series 3 would leak 15-40,probly other stuff as well,but with new seals they will be ok usually.

 

[Mark]

I have never owned an engine that burned one brand of oil and mysteriously quit because I poured in another brand. Personally, I cannot envision a motor oil that is the so called "magic bullet".

Oil burning is mostly contributed to worn rings and or valve guide seals. No oil on earth, repairs worn parts.

Any of the oils you mentioned are quality products. I put Deere branded oil in my new tractor just to make sure no warranty issues arise. The fat guy at the Deere parts counter plainly told me that Shell (Rotella) bottles Deere oil...but of course, JD oil is superior to Rotella. I say BS! I wouldn"t be a bit surprised to learn Shell bottles Case/IH oil too.

Regardless of who bottles the oil, if it is a quality product from a major producer, you will be well served. Rotella and Delo are excellent diesel oils and lubes a gas motor just as well.

In 30+ years of operating all sorts of equipment and vehicles, I have NEVER had an oil related engine failure....ever! I think folks are absolutely nuts about this subject and every week, a new thread is started on the subject.

I also think people change their oil too danged often...scared to death some gremlin is going to destroy their engine. They harp...oh, it"s just good preventive maintenance. I agree...you should change your oil. 7500 miles is often enough in a vehicle and if you use synthetic...15,000 is about right. In most farm tractors, once a year is fine. If you are running a row crop operation and tilling 5,000+ acres, change it every 100-200 hours. If you have to add a quart here and there, so be it. 200 hours isn"t very long if you are working a tractor everyday.

Consider oil a consumable. It isn"t magic in a can. Machinery wears...even if it is properly lubed, just a fact of life.

Have any of you ever referred to 1950"s IH owner"s manual? They plainly state in there, that just because oil turns black, doesn"t mean it"s bad. That, the carbon suspended in the oil is a lubricant in itself. The oils on the market today are light years ahead of what they had 50 years ago.

WalMart doesn"t own a refinery (yet!) and whatever they sell, is refined by some major producer and squirted in a bottle with their label on it. I know a man who has 240,000 miles on his Chevy truck and it has never had anything but walmart oil in it. It is obviously a quality product. Why is it cheaper to buy? Not because they leave out secret ingredients, but because they don"t have millions in advertising to recoup. I have a friend that worked in a Shell refinery in Oklahoma. He said they bottled oil for many, many different retailers. It all came from the same source...just different labels on the bottles.

So, choose your brand..if you feel better paying $3.50 a quart instead of $2.50, go for it. I apy $5+ for synthetic and change my car oil once a year. At 134,000 miles on the Pontiac, 114,000 on the Dodge pickup and 180,000 on the toyota pickup, I"ve yet to have any problems. That"s called empirical evidence...seeing is believing. The old Super A gets whatever is on sale and the new Deere gets JD oil until the warranty expires. Then, it"ll get a diesel rated synthetic.

Now, call me a fool and continue doing what works for you. That"s all that matters anyway.

 

[HENRY E NC]

I am a retired ME aIn my tractors I have added a nd spent my time on industrial machinery, pumps and AC. However, I believe whole heartedly in synthetic oils and do as Mark does, change oil once a year and have run my cars and trucks as far as 160,000 so far on it. My 95 ford 357, my 98 chrysler 318 and the 97 Lincoln 4.6??? on it. All have over 112000 miles without incident. Seldom do I add oil in between. In my tractors I am using synthetic blend until next changeout and then full syn. I also have been using a quart of Lucas in each. Henry

 

[Bruce Hopf]

I used to use Shell Rotella in my highway tractors, used to use Valvoline 30W in my farm tractors, until I worded at my local Case IH dealer, as a parts person. After working there, I had a chance to read their literature on oils, and their lab tests, that where conducted compairing oils af about 10 brands of oil, there additives,and formulas. Case IH oil was the leader of all, and there additives where extremley higher than the rest. Valvoline was about 4th or 5th, Shell Rotella was about 5th or 6th. Since then I switched all my equipment to Case IH 15W40, and Case IH High Trans oil, and the convience you cannot beat. Pay for packaging once, and take your containers back to be refilled. I get my oil in 5gal pails, in bulk. Its a whole lot cheaper this way, for the packeging .
I had an opertunity to go to a one day trainig seminare for Stihl Power Equipment to become a Technition to repair, and to service, Still Power Equipment. Castro Oil out of Detriot Mich., makes the oil for Stihl, and with Stihl's formulas, and additives, surpasses even Castrol's own line. Castrol Oil, after making the oil for Stihl, They state that oil is mot oil. Just my thoughts on the subject. Do some reasurch on oil brands. Convience is not just everything. Facts and Results are. If you have good luck with a brand and type of oil, stick with it. Like the old rule, If It Aint Broke Don't Fix It. Just Leave It.

 

[Anonymous-0]

i won't buy oil at wal-mart. a valvoline man told me that walmart bought their oil at their specs which was less than valvolines regular oil. the same with the tires they sell. lighter built with a brand name on them.

 

[guido]

Hello JD
I use mobil 1 on everything, zero problems!
Guido.

 

[guido]

Hello ROBMD
A 60 series Deroit Diesel was experiencing poor oil presuure 45 lb. hot while pulling 80.000. lb. Load.
The driver /owner was using Rotella T.
I personally changed the oil with Mobil Delvac 1300 series diesel oil, change the oil filters as well. The pressure went up to 60 lb.!
Guido.

 

[John M]

Thats funny right there!!!!!!!!! Valvoline bottles some of the oil for WalMart. Just a con to get you to buy his oil, and not Wally Worlds. Same for the tires, unless your walmart sells other brands than mine.

 

[John M]

WHAT???? Please.Case IH doesnt own an oil refinery, and neither does Stihl. Shell, AT ONE TIME, was bottling the Case IH oil.

 

[Andy Motteberg]

I'd stay away from WalMart oils, they are not as good as they used to be. Me and my Dad have used RotellaT from Wal Mart in our vehicles for a long time, but after a while in 3 different vehicles the engine started to run "clattery". We have drained out that oil and pt in another brand and they work fine. We get our oil from L&M Fleet Supply or Menards, it is better and even cheaper too. In my tractors, I use Harvest King engine oil, I use All Season and I have never needed to add oil yet.

 

[John M]

Very, very well said. My wifes Buick has now nearly 200000 on the clock, and the oil only gets changed every 10 -15000 miles, or whenever she decides to get it cleaned up. While I dont normally trust these "jiffy Lube" type places, the guy who owns this car wash / oil change place IS a mechanic, and decided to expand so to speak. My wifes van gets the oil changed every 5000, only to keep the warranty up, and yes the book calls for it every 5000. My truck gets it at 10000 running conventional dino, and the OA i had said I could probably go 12000. NONE of my engines have synthetic though, but some of the more "less accessable" items do like trannys and rear ends. I just cant believe all the "misinformation" out there. I commend your responce.

 

[Mark FL]

Our 3 cars have between 120,000 to 140,000 miles on each of them and have had only WalMart oil and filters. None use oil and have had no problems with any of them.

 

[Keith in Iowa]

It's simple,if you change oil regualy,don't worry.Run what ever you want.The only thing you need to worry about is dirty oil and water.Myself I use Rotella 15w40.1.2 million miles on this engine only replaced head gaskets and injectors.N-14 Cummins.

 

[Mark]

John,

Obviously, the use of Logic is a lost art....or perhaps, it is yet to be discovered by most.

Stalin proclaimed that religion was the opiate of the masses. While I disagree in toto with such a blasphemous statement, I am inclined to believe that lubricant advertisements are indeed, an opiate for their target.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

It dosen't mater who bottles their oil, or what company, Case IH, Stihl, John Deere, Mack,
Detriot Diesel, Catipiller, NewHoland, it does not matter. They have their own formulas, for of oil. They take these formulas to oil refineries, and hire them to make their oil for them, with their formula recipie. If you read in my last message, where Stihl oil is made by Castrol Oil, not by Stihl. All oil manufactures have to follow with what they are hired for. Every Engine manufacture out there has labs that do testing on oils, and add additives in the oil to see what works best for their product, and then hand them to the oil companies to blend and to package. If you don't believe this, get off your butt, and do your own reasurch, instead of critisizing sombody else. I have done resurch on oils, engine companies, read lab tests results, took oils to independent labs for testing on oils. I used to make my living owning and driving my own trucks, and done all this to protect myself, and my investment. Every oil change, had a lab test done on my used oil for break down. Cost me a bit, like i said protecting my investment. Have you? If you haven't, I Strongly sugest you do the next time before you try to pick an argument. Have all your facts straight.

 

[Leland]

The best oil I have found is Schaffer oil ,I am running there 5w30 9000 mile synthetic in my chev 4.3 and this is the only oil that actually increased mpg's and lowered my operating temp 20* .And besides this company make a lot of arctic oils and greases for shell .they are from St louis .

 

[John M]

Im not going to start a war or words with you, buddy. But I will say I was in the business, so to speak, and you can believe what you choose to believe. ANY company, will tell you want they want you to hear, just to sell more of their product, and if its by ear or word of mouth so be it. I appreicate the fact you drove a truck for a living, and t osome degree you have be knowledgeable of oils, and no I dont need to research it, as I said, I was in the business.

 

[Bruce Hopf]

As I said before, I didn't just listen to what oil companies had to say. I hired independent labs to get results on oils to protect my investments, as extra insurance, and compaired the oil companies lab test results, and compaired their lab test results to mine. Now that I am farming, I do the same thing with oils, for the same reason, to protect my investments. Also if I was in the oil business or not, I'D still do reasurch, and hire an independent lab, to find out which oil blend is better or worse, to protest my investments. Enough said.