I know there is other threads on this matter but couldn't find a definite answer. Since I live in Indiana where it's hot in summer and cold in winter. Do I need to change my hydraulic oil weight for the the different temperature change, from hot to cold or vice versa. I read where you use heavier weight in summer and lighter weight in winter. Which means I would have to change twice a year or is there a happy medium. As I will be mowing in summer and plowing in winter. Twice a year seems little excessive. Since it also says change every 500 hrs then to me contradicts it's self as in picture.
Hydraulic oil when to change
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Winter/Summer hydraulic oil changes are primarily a performance and starting related question.
Most users find using 15W40 in summer provides fine performance and does not lead to starting problems in winter. Your results may vary. If you live in routinely deep cold winters further North, then it might surely be more beneficial.
In my opinion, if your engine starts fine with summer hydraulic oil, then don't bother changing it. Do give it a few minutes of idling to warm up both the engine and hydraulics ...
For most applications, we do generally recommend going to a winter oil for the engine ...
You don't say what tractor model you are working with, so post that and more responses will surely follow.
Brian
Most users find using 15W40 in summer provides fine performance and does not lead to starting problems in winter. Your results may vary. If you live in routinely deep cold winters further North, then it might surely be more beneficial.
In my opinion, if your engine starts fine with summer hydraulic oil, then don't bother changing it. Do give it a few minutes of idling to warm up both the engine and hydraulics ...
For most applications, we do generally recommend going to a winter oil for the engine ...
You don't say what tractor model you are working with, so post that and more responses will surely follow.
Brian
This is a recent oil discussion, if had not ran into it.
www.casecoltingersoll.com
The starting temp of your tractor should be your main consideration. As Brian mentioned the use of lighter weight oil in the winter is mainly for easier starting. Once warmed up it doesn't matter much.
I have run 15w-40 oil year around in my 4118's hydraulic system since new (1993). The tractor is in an unheated shed, cold starts routinely to 0°F. No issues, it's just a little stiff, just let it warm up good. That being said, I'm going to be switching to 5w-50 full synthetic to get easier cold starts winter and better summer heat performance.
Changing hydraulic oil for the winter
Hello, I've only used my 448 for occasional summer mowing and rototilling. When I bought it from my father-in-law I put in 15w40 oil for the hydraulics and straight 30 for the engine. Last week it was 60 degrees lower than today at minus 4. It stalled out on me several times, especially when...
www.casecoltingersoll.com
The starting temp of your tractor should be your main consideration. As Brian mentioned the use of lighter weight oil in the winter is mainly for easier starting. Once warmed up it doesn't matter much.
I have run 15w-40 oil year around in my 4118's hydraulic system since new (1993). The tractor is in an unheated shed, cold starts routinely to 0°F. No issues, it's just a little stiff, just let it warm up good. That being said, I'm going to be switching to 5w-50 full synthetic to get easier cold starts winter and better summer heat performance.
I have 4016 ingersoll vanguard
I have 4016 ingersoll vanguard which I didn't mention. Thanks Brian
Do I use same oil in hydraulic and engine?
I have 4016 ingersoll vanguard which I didn't mention. Thanks Brian
The Vanguard is generally recommended to use 10W30 year round for Indiana climate. Again, always a good choice to let it warm up a few minutes before going to work.
If you use it really hard ... tilling long periods, hydravac while mowing, etc ... then I might consider switching up to a synthetic.
Brian
If you use it really hard ... tilling long periods, hydravac while mowing, etc ... then I might consider switching up to a synthetic.
Brian
Hi Brian, (BHildret) at Salem Power. As you well know we have talked about oils for Case/Ingersoll GT's for years now in the forums. We both discuss extensively about this perhaps 3-5 years ago. I presented numerous articles on conventional vis synthetic oils and also weights too. Bottom line seems to be that no one here reads or searches anything! we go round and round the same subject every year! This information probable needs to be advanced to the info section and not downplayed into the question and answer. The first thing of note is members still keep trying to put engine oil questions together with hydraulic oil questions and so interpose that it can and does become confusing. Second when doing that it seems everyone is asking what oil for their engine, not even identifying the engine they are talking about!
Lets just go back to basics and ask the question AGAIN what is your issue? What engine are you enquiring about? do you live in a northern climate where temperatures are below zero and you GT is stored in an unheated space? To really get an answer here you need to give information.. Every engine has a summer and winter oil recommendation (indeed like B&S for instance they recommend 5--20 year round synthetic). Case Hydraulics recommends 5-20 for winter use in my area and 20-40 for summer conventional oil, etc.
Everyone here has their own opinion, and I get that but they are the recommended manufactures stated requirements. So whats the bottom line?
For me I want to change my oil as little as possible..
I want the engine to start easily even in the toughest temperature conditions (read less than 20F)
I want minimum strain on my engine and starter motor an also easy starting
I want maximum torque available to my snow blower too
Tall order
Whatever you may hear elsewhere some simple searches will tell you otherwise...
Lets just go back to basics and ask the question AGAIN what is your issue? What engine are you enquiring about? do you live in a northern climate where temperatures are below zero and you GT is stored in an unheated space? To really get an answer here you need to give information.. Every engine has a summer and winter oil recommendation (indeed like B&S for instance they recommend 5--20 year round synthetic). Case Hydraulics recommends 5-20 for winter use in my area and 20-40 for summer conventional oil, etc.
Everyone here has their own opinion, and I get that but they are the recommended manufactures stated requirements. So whats the bottom line?
For me I want to change my oil as little as possible..
I want the engine to start easily even in the toughest temperature conditions (read less than 20F)
I want minimum strain on my engine and starter motor an also easy starting
I want maximum torque available to my snow blower too
Tall order
- only if you let it be.. First - synthetic oil! The only oil that actually is designed that provides.
- You need low viscosity for easy starts
- you need high viscosity for maximum torque
Whatever you may hear elsewhere some simple searches will tell you otherwise...
Many recommendations apply, and hence so many broad discussions.
Chart on frame 6.
Brian
Chart on frame 6.
Brian
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Trust me, this will not be the last oil question. Forums would die quickly if every question could only be answered once.
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I agree with 95%. The 5% we may not agree is above.
1.) not exactly sure the desired meaning of the bullet item, but both both conventional and synthetic oils are designed to perform to viscosity ratings. The vast majority of our tractors were manufactured before synthetic oils was commercially available.
2.) the search function generally sucks. To really find what one is looking for it is better to use Google and reference the site. I forget the proper code to do so. Perhaps the crappy search function is by design. By not being easy to find what one wants it drives people to start new threads and thus more clicks on the site.
Just for info. Synthetic oil is designed to a specific viscosity rating where as conventional oil is manipulated to approximate a viscosity at specific toil temperatures only by adding additives. Big difference. The additives will breakdown over time. Not so with synthetic. Plenty of information online about all this if you are interested.
Oh, another thing on synthetic oils. The first synthetic oil was released on the general public in 1955 - years before Colt (the original GT) was released! It was very expensive, and not widely available. Like everything else, telephones for instance, the internet, even cable TV was developed after the first Colt GTs were released and has improved or been invented since.. The fact that synthetic oils were not included in the Case/Colt/Ingersoll manuals is frankly mute!
Guys this will be my last post ever on this site about oils..to me it is like talking about politics everyone has their own opinion, everyone their own experience, yet nobody wants to do the work and actually learn by research. I left this site a couple of years ago because of these types of arguments where so called experts knew better.. many described themselves as mechanics, etc.
Guys this will be my last post ever on this site about oils..to me it is like talking about politics everyone has their own opinion, everyone their own experience, yet nobody wants to do the work and actually learn by research. I left this site a couple of years ago because of these types of arguments where so called experts knew better.. many described themselves as mechanics, etc.
1973 Case 444, 1974 Case 644, 1976 Case 446, 1977 Case 646
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Ray at this point I believe we all have read enough about oil from everyone. If new member wanted to know about what kind of oil to use where they could easily find that out by looking in the manuals section or by using the search. I like having you on the site and hearing about your experiences with our favorite tractor brand. No need for anyone here to get in an argument on any subject. ✌Harry
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The fact is our tractors were designed for conventional oil. Perhaps I should have used the word "practically available" vs commercially available. That no way implies that I think conventional oils are better. In today's market where conventional and synthetic are roughly the same price I utilize synthetic.
Parsing the degree of engineering in each type of oil is not productive, so I too will drop it.
I do look forward to the next oil thread as it will come as certainly as the next spring day.
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I’ve read all of the above responses and there is plenty of good advise and reasoning behind their answers, so my reasoning/opinion may not contribute anything new to the subject. So I researched and read a lot of info on this topic and decided what seemed to work best for me.
First off, I have a 4020 PS tractor and a 4118 all hydraulic tractor. I live in Arkansas so I don’t see the colder temps that you northerners do, however we do see temps in the 20’s and even a few single digit days. We also have a lot of hot temps in the summer months, so we see a wide range of temps! I use the 4118 more in the cold weather and the 4020 more in the summer but still may use both in all temps!
Anyway, I use Castrol Edge 5w 50 (synthetic) in the hydraulic system and I use Schaeffer‘s 15W-45 (synthetic) in the engines. This offers a wider range of temp protections than I will see and will also make for easier starting in the cold winter days. It works year round for me and I don’t have to change back and forth from summer oils to winter oils in engine or hydraulic system. I know it’s not the only combo that works well but I’m satisfied with i!
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Why not just use the 15-45 in the hydraulic system as well, then you only need one oil around.
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I use 15w-40 in my hydraulics. It is in my garage in the winter which rarely gets below 20F. Starting is not a problem, but until the fluid gets warm the snow caster may take 15 seconds to set down.
My engine is a new rebuild, so with tight bearing clearances I followed Kohler's recommendations for winter engine oil.
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Mine sits outside with 15-40 in the hydraulics and it does fine even at zero degrees but you just have let it warm up before you get going. I wouldn’t run that in onan though, I run 10-30 cause that’s what I run in my vehicles.
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Manuals are good, But NOT the end all be all. They get updated and service bulletins issued all the time the general public does not know about or see.Things and technology change fast. And we are talking about manuals and tractors 10 to 55 years old....and so are their manuals.... Some of these manuals talk straight weight oil and leaded gas....We know leaded gas is long gone and wow the machines run without it, Also we know that there are far better oils and options now than straight weight oils.... This is Briggs recomadation for Vanguards, 15-50 Synthetic and has been for awhile now, so much so they labled their own Vanguard oil as it solves some issues they were having.... Discussion is good and so are experiences. Opinions well if they are backed by facts or real experiences they are helpfull then. Oil will always be a debate! And obviously there are many that work ok. I will say no Vanguard ever leaves here without anything but 15-50, 5-50 or 20 50 synthetic in them. And we use most of those as well as 15-40 and 5-40 in all the Onans and Kohlers period. No 10-30, 10-40, 5-30, 5-20 ever. But thats just what we feel an do. We get very cold and bellow 0 at times and as long as warm ups are allowed there are no issues. We have done a few videos on our youtube channel at Case Ingersoll Tractors Northeast about what oils we use in the tractors engines, rear and hydros as well as examples of oil flow of 5-40, 20-50, 15-40 flow at 0F degrees.
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