Best, Worst Farm Lubricants

Best, worst farm lubricants FARM SHOP Maintenance 11-6-26 What's your favorite brand of motor oil? Why do you think your brand is best? What's the worst brand of oil you've tried? Do you think there's much difference between the major brands of motor oil? Have you tried any miracle additives in your oil? What brands of grease and hydraulic fluid do you use and why? These are some of the questions we asked randomly-selected farmers in an effort to highlight those lubricants that perform with flying colors and to pinpoint the "lemons" that fail because of poor performance, or failure of the dealer or company to provide proper information or service. Here's how the survey shaped up. "As a mechanic in a GMC/Allis Chalmers dealership, we often see the results of poor engine oils. Multi-grades of some brands break down quickly, causing pressure loss. The worst engine oil is Standard. We can almost always tell if it's been used by the gray ash deposits we find in the engine pan and on heads from improper cleaning and breakdown," says Martin Sacks, Claypool, Ind. "I think the best brand of motor oil is Shell. It keeps engines clean, resulting in good engine bearing, cam, lifter, piston and ring life. Durability and pressure are consistently good. Regular oil changes at recommended intervals, along with the filter, are the key to good results with any oil or engine, however." "The biggest differences between oils seems to be between single and multi viscosities, even in oils of the same brand. Because I've had trouble with premature breakdown of multi-viscosity oils, I've used straight 30 wt. oil for the past several years with no problems. I think there are some differences between major brands. For example, Phillips is a better cleaning oil while Pennzoil has less sulphur and provides better lubrication," says George Matthesen, Moore, Okla. "I've sworn off all oil additives. I put B.G. Engine Oil Treatment in a previously good John Deere tractor and after 50 hrs. I had to replace all the bearings. Also, I think STP Oil Treatment sludges engines and restricts oilflow. If oils needed additives, I think the oil companies would recommend them." Thomas Brown, Atwater, Ohio, uses synthetic oil. "I think synthetics provide the best lubrication. I use Mobil 1 because it's the easiest to find. We tore a tractor down with 2,500 hrs. on it that had a bad piston from the factory. Aside from the piston, it showed almost no wear. In fact, machining marks from the factory still showed." "We've used Chevron motor oil for over 30 years with no problem. It may not be the best but we have never had a reason to change," says John Richardson, Orofino, Idaho. "I put a can of STP Oil Treatment in an oil-drinking combine motor on a hot day and near the end of the day, the motor threw a rod through the side of the block. I haven't tried additives since," says George C. Ruppel, Vincennes, Ind. "I use the best grade of Mobil oil in my diesel engines. It's the most widely available brand and we've had no problems." Willis C. Hansen, Roy, Wash., uses Quaker State. "My cars and trucks regularly run 180,000 to 200,000 miles. I also like the price of the oil. However, I don't think there's much difference between major brands if you change oil regularly. As for oil additives, I froze up a piston once with STP but it does do wonders for noisy fan belts." "We use 10-40 Pennzoil in our cars and pickups, which have over 100,000 miles on them, along with STP Oil Treatment. In our diesel tractors, we use John Deere oil be-cause the company recommends it," says Loren Pfau, Holyoke, Colo. "I've never had to overhaul a tractor in the 30 years that I've used Phillips 66 oil. And I've got 154,000 miles on a Chevrolet V-8 engine that still doesn't use any oil, even with a 6,000 mile oil change interval," says James L. Kruse, Colfax, Ill. "Our best buy oil is Unico Versatol, the "house" brand from Southern States Coop. We use it for motor oil, hydraulic oil, gear oil, or whatever. We carry a jug on all the trucks so we're ready for any kind of lubri-cation problem. It's p

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