Synthetic oil is a source of contention amongst Kubota tractor owners—and most tractor brand owners for that matter—because synthetic oil is not what is stated in the Kubota user manual. So, what type of oil do you use in a Kubota tractor?
The fact is, you can use synthetic oil in your Kubota tractor. According to most Kubota tractor manuals, the best oil to use is 10W-30. It’s superior to standard mineral oils in almost every way that matters. For example, it helps your engine run cooler, provides more stability, and is more resistant to ambient temperatures.
It is a source of contention because there is no clear-cut messaging from Kubota or anyone else as to whether or not using synthetic oil will void the warranty. So while synthetic oil won’t damage a Kubota engine, if something goes wrong, the fear is that it could be used as an excuse to void the warranty.
What Makes Synthetic Oil the Better Choice for a Kubota Tractor?
No one just up and decided one day that synthetic oil was the superior alternative for Kubota tractors. Instead, it usually happens through direct observation or linking Kubota tractor performance to vehicle performance.
Synthetic oil is better because real-world testing and countless real-world experiences have proven that is the case.
Kubota diesel engines are known for their high degree of durability and longevity, so you want to supply it with the best available oil on the market, which happens to be synthetic oil for various reasons.
Better Protection
The entire purpose of engine oil is to keep moving metal parts from touching and grinding down. But unfortunately, it lacks stability across the board when it comes to the molecular structure of standard or conventional oil.
Precise Manufacturing
With synthetic oils, the oil is manufactured with far more precision, removing any potentially harmful additives.
In other words, conventional oil is what it is. In contrast, synthetic oil is created with precision, including removing anything potentially harmful and only including the things that are beneficial to the engine.
Benefits of Synthetic Oil Over Conventional Oil
- Less friction in moving, metal parts
- Improves overall fuel efficiency
- Retains its strength in the long term
- Resists extreme temperatures
- Improved stability
- Reduce friction at a higher percentage over conventional oil
- Protects more efficiently
It makes sense that synthetic oil is the superior choice in a Kubota engine and is also a superior choice in all tractor or vehicle engines. However, one of the most significant drawbacks to synthetic oil is the existence of myths.
Synthetic Oil Myths
One of those myths is that if you have always used conventional oil, you should only introduce synthetic oil at high operation hours and only in increments.
With that sort of thinking, it’s as if the Kubota tractor is a dog, and you have to introduce new foods in increments, so it doesn’t negatively impact their digestive systems.
It’s ridiculous, of course, because the Kubota tractor isn’t sentient and doesn’t have digestive system problems when you switch from conventional oil to synthetic. So the only thing that might change is that the synthetic oil might reveal an existing problem in a Kubota.
A problem that would have gotten worse over time without you realizing it needs to be fixed rather than sticking with conventional oil. The other myth is that if you switch to synthetic, you can never switch back.
Where do these things come from? Who knows? But you can stick it in the ridiculous category and safely move on.
Using Synthetic Oil Reduces Oil Consumption
Synthetic oil is far more stable than conventional oil. Since it can resist temperature extremes far more efficiently than conventional oil, synthetic oil will not burn away at heightened temperatures.
Conventional oil will foam and burn away as the heat increases, and its overall viscosity increases rapidly as temperatures plummet. This ultimately means you won’t experience oil loss over the long term.
Since synthetic oil is far more resilient, it also lasts far longer. So, you won’t have to change the engine oil nearly as much, and you won’t spend much time topping it off as the engine gets older.
Ultimately, it will also save you a lot more time and money. Although synthetic oil is a little more expensive than conventional oil, it’s not a huge difference, and you are going to get a lot more hours out of the synthetic than you will with conventional mineral oil.
Changing the oil less often translates to money staging in your wallet, which you can use elsewhere.
What Oil Does Kubota Recommend?
Kubota tractors (all tractors, for that matter) recommend using their manufactured brand oil instead of a competitor brand.
Kubota recommends 10W-30 synthetic blend oil. So it’s not as if Kubota is against the idea of using synthetic since their own recommended brand is a synthetic mix.
Synthetic blends are of better quality than conventional mineral oil brands for all the reasons listed above. It’s like taking a good thing and watering it down a little bit and what you get is a synthetic blend.
What surprises most Kubota tractor owners that have professionals change their engine oil is that the professionals don’t even use the recommended Kubota synthetic blend. They don’t even use 10W-30 most of the time.
You will often see professional tractor mechanics put 15W-40 conventional oil in a Kubota. It is most likely because there is nothing wrong with using it, and it is much cheaper to stock and use than synthetic or synthetic blends.
When it comes to 15W-40, it is a premium oil, after all, because most professionals stick with Plus-50 II, 15W-40. This type of oil exceeds API standards. However, it’s still not on par with synthetic oil, and it’s not even a close call.
Will Synthetic Oil Void Your Kubota Warranty?
Of course, it will not matter what you use if you are past or well past your warranty coverage on your Kubota tractor. However, Kubota owners are often worried that switching to synthetic oil will void their warranty, especially if something goes wrong.
If you look at Kubota’s recommendations, you will see that they only have two requirements where oil is concerned. The first is that it meets or exceeds API standards. The second is that it has a CF rating or higher.
So long as the synthetic oil you are using meets or exceeds those standards, your synthetic oil cannot void the warranty on your Kubota tractor. After all, it meets or exceeds the standards set forth by Kubota themselves.
Also, there is nothing in the Kubota literature that is against the use of synthetic oil. Kubota should probably reference it or at least add its recommendation.
That would go a long way toward convincing those on the fence that it is an excellent oil to use and will better protect their Kubota.
Final Word
It’s perfectly fine and reasonable to use synthetic oil in your Kubota. It won’t harm it in any way. In fact, it’s a far better alternative than conventional oil.
Synthetic oil will provide your Kubota engine with better lubrication and longevity and improve the overall quality of operations.
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