Just wanted to let you all know I appreciate your comments. I think it's pretty clear I was being abit paranoid re a couple marginally cold starts. But like many on this board, I'm OCD about my truck!

 

The most wear comes from starting cold and driving right off hard.... best to remote start and let it get warmer for a while..

 

There are a lot of engineers who would disagree with that.

Is Warming Up Your Car Bad? - Road and Track Magazine

Nobody suggested driving hard the minute it fires off, but idling is the worst way to warm an engine up.

 

Driving right off after start up, doing it gently, will get the motor up to operating temps faster, thus reducing wear.


Letting it idle for lengthy periods will increase the time to get to operating temps, if it ever does.

 

Kubota dealer recommends 15w40 all year round. I questioned him, he insisted. I have run it year round in my tractor without issue...but the "low oil pressure" light does stay on for about 1 second or so when starting in cold weather.

 

Yes I understand what op was looking for. And I agree with you, he won't have issues, but...IMO, even a few cold starts at 10° using 15-40 dino oil, is more wear and tear on our engines than when using the correct oil for the temps. Will it kill the motor, probably not.

Would i go out and change it,? well, since I only use synthetic oil in all my engines, like you and many others here, we probably would never be in that position. But if I bought a used truck that had 15-40 dino oil in it, and knew I was going to be for multiple days in temps <20°, yes I would go out and change it to 5-40. Wouldn't you..?

My right foot puts more than enough extra wear on my motor, so anything I can do to prevent excessive wear is what I do. And 5-40 synthetic does it for me.

What I'm saying is, why not use a 5-40 (T6 ?) for what,$5(?) more a gal jug and not have to worry about it all year long from -20° too >100°. Cheap piece of mind for most, no...?

IMO, even though Ford says 20°> for 15-40 is ok, to me its pushing the envelope for that heavy of a weight dino oil. Many manufactures only go to 32°> for 15-40.

jmo

 

The old school flat tappet or solid lifter engines need a better oil these days, what I discovered drilling down into this in my "research" online is a lot of folks run 15w-40 year round in everything they own, from weedwackers all the way to roadgraders. It simplifies things, that's for sure.

 

I'm very familiar with Kubota, and disagree with your dealer, as does Kubota... Your in NH, it get below -0 ° many winter days up there,, no..?
Must be Kubota dealer job security in NH...lol

http://www.kubota.com/service/LubricantMaintenance.aspx

KUBOTA OIL VISCOSITY RECOMMENDATIONS

OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE
Below 32° F (0° C) 10W-30
Above 32° F (0° C) 10W-30 or 15W-40

jmo

 

That's OK, all the Ford dealers here say 10W-30 FoMoCo oil and to keep the coolant at 50/50 even though the manual (which I showed them) disagrees... So I do things myself.