Question for illflem? John Deere Oil

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In previous post of yours I have seen your loyalty to Chenron Delo 400. Curious what you think of the John Deere Plus-50 oil and why you choose not to use it, as I've seen you own a few Deeres. In my parts it is hard to find a JD without Plus-50 in it. I think both are good oils for non-synthetic's, just so we don't get the conventional/synthetic debate going here.

Any others have input on JD Plus-50 oil?

Jusy curious,
Ryan

 

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Cooker the JD oil is great,the only thing I don't like about it is the price. I go through three 55ga drums of Delo a year,when you get into the volume the bottom line changes fast. Same with the JD Hyguard fluid and JD filters,they are very good but the price just isn't right. I use Chevron THF 1000 and Wix filters. One JD has 22,000 hrs on this system,my oldest JD's hr meter portion of the tach when south ten+ years ago with 19,000 hrs,both start instantly use little oil or smoke,what more can you ask for?I also use the 15-40 Delo in all my cars in the warmer part of the year.

Since you're from Mich. I assume you're speaking of orchard tractors,not the 300+ hp field tractors,they may have different needs. I'm running 55-85 hp modified low and narrow for tree rows down to 12' wide drive centers, in some newer blocks the trees are only 2' apart,more like a vineyard than orchard. We're talking a tight fit. My widest tractor is 52" to the outside of the rears,narrowest is 46" and they're still too wide. Too expensive also since they're special,so I try to make them last and Delo has been fine in my book.

 

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No I'm not speaking of the big 300+ hp tractors. Talking about the same size you run 40 - 85hp. The line of work I'm currently in involves two things. We are a wholesale tree nursery, and a smaller agricultral dairy farm ( milk 70 cows and farm 300 acres).

I am suprised to hear of the long hours you have on the tractors. 22,000. We had one die with 7,000 and the gentleman who rebuilt it said that is close to the average life of a field tractor. I thought that seemed low, but the tractor does get worked hard. Also, with all the equipment around here (3 Bobcats, 7 JD Tractors) one would thnink they would be a bit more concerned with maintence, but they don't agree with my suggested maintence schedules. Their old school philosophy of, been doing it this way for years, and I can't convince them otherwise.

Thanks for the input.

 

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Cooker, I realize you addressed your concerns to IllFlem, but I'd like to support his observations and reliability for Delo-400. Coming from a farming background myself (dairy upstate NY) we used our tractors long and hard. Especially during the summer months. My Dad always said, "Don't start that diesel unless you plan to run it for one hour or more. " We used gas-powered tractors for short run times and general light duty work. That may have added to their life, but I believe preventative maintenance and proper oil was the key. We used Chevron oil ever since I can remember without one major overhaul. I use 15W40 in every 4-cycle engine on the place. All of my tractors (2 diesel, 2 gas) run year round with the same weight oil and haven't had one bit of trouble. Even started my ''99 Cummins and all the other family cars with this same product. I purchase by the 55-gallon drum along with Baldwin filters from my local Chevron dealer for all of my vehicles, at a tremendous savings, over the life span of which I run them. I'm pushing 78 hundred hours on one tractor that doesn't use any oil in between changes and starts easy. I wouldn't change to synthetic oils for longevity or engine ware, especially when time has proven to me Chevron works. I like a proven product and will stay with Chevron Delo-400.

 

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Big-D,

I appreciate the input. As far as conventional oil goes, it appears to me that Delo has the majority. I worked in Northern Florida for a while where there is a lot of peanut and cotton farms and they all seemed to use the Delo also.

Funny you mention the diesel runtime. I too was taught that if your gonna start it you better run it. I think this has a great deal to do with engine longevity, but unfortunately that isn't always the case with the Dodge. It's currently my daily driver so it suffers a lot of short trips. In the summer I run another vehicle so that helps with the short trips.

Anyway, thanks for the info.
Ryan

 

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Cooker... . short run times ya say on your Cummins. There isn't a good answer to that one, but more frequent oil and filter changes will help. Not running your engine up to operating temperature for a period long enough to eliminate moisture is a problem waiting to show itself down the road. If possible and as often as you can see your way clear, plug your truck's heater in. It doesn't cost that much in electric to operate the heater and will assist greatly in maintaining your engine's life along with frequent oil changes.

Question... I understand insurance and license costs for two vehicles, but why not a "beater" for the daily running?
Dave