Farmall Cub

What is recomended for winter oil in a cub, straight weight or Multi-weight
Bruce T.

Most folks here will tell you to use whatever you use in your automobile.

redfin wrote:Most folks here will tell you to use whatever you use in your automobile.

Yep!

I run 10W30 all year round

Barnyard wrote:

redfin wrote:Most folks here will tell you to use whatever you use in your automobile.

Yep!

I been using Castrol syntec 5-30 in my cars, I thought a tractor should use a different oil maybe 10-30.
I have been using 30 wt. HD
Bruce

You will get nearly as many opinions as there are posters on this subject.

I run straight 30W all year. The manual says to go to 10W30 in winter. Maybe that's why she is a bit sluggish at first when it's time to move the white stuff!

Bruce:

As Michael said, as many opinions as there are cub owners. Owner's manual states:



However since I don't put a huge amount of hours on Ellie, I generally do not change the oil each season. I have been running straight 30w for almost 10 years now, the same during spring, summer, fall and winter. Ellie normally spends winters indoors except when plowing snow. I usually never have problems starting.

I guess the best recommendation would be to use what you have on hand on a regular basis. Your 30 wt should be sufficient.

I've been running 10/30 here in Maine and don't seem to have issues starting or running during any season.

I doubt that a "30W" oil exists. Since you are in PA, if you don't keep your tractor in a heated building and need to start it in the winter, you better use something with a "W" rating.

The owner's manual is old. I cannot think of any real disadvantage to multiweight oil and there are some advantages for a cub engine. I cannot think of any advantage with single weight oil for a cub. Synthetic oil is available in thinner winter grades and that may be one advantage to synthetics.

I believe Rudi was talking about 30 weight oil not 30 W(winter).

I use 10w-30 in all 4 cycle engines but you could put crushed bananas into a cub crancase and it would do OK. Other than ease of starting and early oil flow in the winter, I don't think the oil, single weight vs multi weight, makes all that much of a difference for a cub.

Landreo wrote:...you could put crushed bananas into a cub crankcase and it would do OK...

Great...you let the cat out of the bag...now OPEC will jack up the price of bananas on us.

The crushed bananas comes from stories told by Land Rover owners during their trips to the Sahara. Sounds like a tall tale but may be true. Single weight, 10W seems like it would help with cranking in the winter but would thin to much once the engine warms, SAE 30 would make starting harder when cold. Multiweight gives the best of each.

10W-30 bananas, single weight bananas, or the newest synthetic bananas are available at Trader Joes or any well stocked farmers market. Bananas are also high in ZDDP if you are worried about camshaft wear.

The newer manuals recommend 5W 30 and 10 w 30 Etc. When the multi weight oil came out IH upgraded the manual
That chart is from 1950 or so
Boss

Yes Jim
You can still get 30wt Non det. I buy it at TSC all the time. I buy 2 gallon at a time. IF you bring in your yard- tractor to my shop and I change the oil,U get 30wt. Unless other wise specified.
I use it in everything. They start alittle harder. but I have never had a problem in my Gravley snowplow or my snowblowers. I have one 4 hp Tecumseh/21in TORO walk-behind thats 28 yrs old and still runs every week.Of course not in the winter but Im still cutting yet at the First of Nov.
MY customer is still pourin on the water and it keeps growin. Hopefully not for long Im gettin tired.

I have a number of Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh engines. Roger my longtime small engine guru recommends only 30 weight oil in these engines which agrees with Roger's statement above. Since I buy this stuff by the 20 litre pail, it makes sense for me to use a single type of oil. Since I normally do not do my own oil changes in the van, there is no real need for me to stock 10w30 or any other weight than simple 30 weight oil.

Oil preference is an entirely personal thing. Get three buddies together who like many similar things and Oil, like Hockey Teams, Suds, Steak and many other things and you would be hard pressed to have them all agree on one of each This is par for the course I guess...

The point I guess is that there has been significant advances over the decades in the development of lubricants. So it pretty much becomes a personal preference as to which grade you use in your Cub. It makes a lot of sense to use whatever you use in the rest of your power equipment/vehicles/pleasure craft etc.

Oh I have no clue what 30 W is.. but I am assuming that Michael meant 30 wt and 30W may have simply been a typo.