I am looking at switching to Schaeffer 9000 my next oil change, but I have two questions. Can I run the 5W40 all year? How does this stuff hold up while towing long and heavy?

 

I run it year round (in hot Texas). I tow only occaisionally and when I do it is around 7000 to 8000 lbs. No issues for me at all. Hopefully someone w/ real heavy and frequent towing will come along and answer that for you.

It really does well in my UOA. My results are posted below:


I go 5000 miles between oil changes and the analysis looks good. I have seen UOA from folks where the iron numbers are lower than mine, but mine were a little high from day 1 and slowly came down. They are nowhere near a point of concern - just a note! The 3000 mile OCI's on mine were w/ Motorcraft 15W40 - went to 5000 miles w/ Schaeffer.


That being said, we have one member of FTE - JMcCarty - who has not seen it do as well in his truck. I promised I would post his UOA for him. Here are his results (hope the image is readable).



Jim went almost 8000 miles w/ Schaeffer 9000 and his lead numbers were up. He had had high lead numbers in the past with 10,000 and 12,000 mile OCI's. I will PM him to let him know I finally got the results posted and he can comment on his experience and which oils he used in the past for each of the posted analysis.

Edit:
Here is what Blackstone had to say about Jim's UOA:
Jim: Thanks for the note about the high idling. That may explain the increased lead that we found. We expected to find some fuel dilution but none turned up and no other harmful contaminants were present either. This isn’t the highest that we have seen lead so we aren’t too worried about it but it does show excess wear at the bearings. We suggest no more than 8,000 miles on the next oil, less if you do any towing. The TBN read 3.8, which shows that some active ingredient was left in the oil when you changed it, but not a whole lot. 1.0 is too low.

 

Thanks for your quick reply bismic. I have read all of your posts about this oil. My only issue is that in my 6.0 owners guide it states (on page 36) "Heavy Duty trailer towing with temps above 50* F requires 15W40". My trailer is 11k so I do not know if that is Heavy Duty towing or not to be honest. I really dont know anything about oils other then what I have read. Why would I NEED 15W40? I do see that they make the Schaeffer 7000 in that grade.

 

IMO the 6.0 does very well with 5w40 synthetic year round including heavy towing in hot weather... Although my oil analysis are using Mobil1 not Schaeffer which I would run if the M1 wasn't available. The key being to not go much beyond 5,000 mile OCI during the summer if you are towing heavy

 

Thanks for the help guys; I'll give it a shot.

 

I don't think the manual considers synthetics, this requirement is just to make sure you're using a 40w oil when towing heavy and not a 10w30. The synthetic acts as a 40w at operating temps, but goes down to 5w when cold, which makes it start better.

 

Very good info

 

Sorry for the delay in jumping in here. I'm at Texas Motor Speedway for NASCAR and internet takes fifth place behind eating, sleeping, beer, and races (those may not be in order).

After a string of high lead readings with Schaeffers, I'm now using Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel 5W40. I'll ask Bismic to figure out how to post that analysis as soon as I accumulate some miles. My plan is to try that, then Royal Purple, then AMSOIL, get an analysis on each and then figure out which oil I'll stick with. Everyone on this forum has an opinion, I'll have more faith in Blackstone. Opinions are nice. Results are better.

I make no bones about it - I work my truck very hard. I do large scale hotshots across the lower 48. I have hauled as much as 32,000 lbs GCW and the truck works great. Most common GCW is 26 - 28K.

Unfortunately, every Schaeffers oil change has resulted in high lead content. The Motorcraft 15W40 has, up to now, provided best results but I am looking for something that will go about 7,500 miles between changes. There's a common sense reason for that. I usually make a "trip" out and back of around 3,500 miles and I am trying to do all changes at the same place and do them every other trip.

As a side note to anyone wanting to haul very heavy loads, I took off my performance chip and I love turbo lag. When I take off heavily loaded, I drive with the boost gauge. I get rolling with 10lbs, then increase slowly to 20lbs once I reach about 2,000 RPM - the keep it at 20lbs until I reach the speed I want. Much less strain on engine and drivetrain. It may take me a little while to get to 60 - 65 MPH, but I have 99,000 miles on original tires and brakes so I am happy.

 

99k on original tires? Wow, I thought my dads tires were doing good, but he's only at 54k and I doubt they'll reach 99k. What brand/model tires did yours come with stock?

 

Exactly. Also, the bar graph for 5W-30/5W-40 in the 6.0L chart is meant more for 5W-30.

As of Jan. 2008 Ford started using Motorcraft 5W-40 synth as a service fill oil. I haven't tried MC synth, but I'll bet that Schaeffer's 9000 is at least as good as the MC.

If you tow, follow the severe service schedule (OCI at 5k miles or less).

 

I tried the Schaeffer's also. It didn't do so well towing 12,500#. I just had the truck in for a bed plate repair and will be changing to Royal Purple in another 1000 miles or so.

 

BFG AT 17" factory King ranch wheels and tires. I do have to question myself sometimes as to the cost effectiveness. When I rotate, and I do rotate often, if I need to I'll dismount as many as needed. This sometimes costs over $100.00. Could I save money by rotating less and buying tires more often? I don't know. I just want to see what's working. BTW, I keep all six tires at 75PSI cold, loaded or empty.

My goal is 115,000 miles and then I'll probably overlook the thousands of posts asking forum members which is the best tire and ask it again. If I had to buy new tires right now, I'd have to give heavy consideration to what has worked for me - BFG AT.