Here's a "Talk About Anything" - II

[Doc]

I would think he could go 150 or 200 hours with syn.
However. Oil degrades after 12 months of use.
If he puts less than 100 hours on it each year AND he plans to change oil annually it really does not matter which oil he puts in. Might has well go with cheaper dino. Rotella is great for diesels.

 

[geohorn]

I would think he could go 150 or 200 hours with syn.
However. Oil degrades after 12 months of use.
If he puts less than 100 hours on it each year AND he plans to change oil annually it really does not matter which oil he puts in. Might has well go with cheaper dino. Rotella is great for diesels.

I’m curious about when folks say oil degrades with time. I had a pallet-load of Mobil “Red-Band” SAE 50 aircraft oil given to me by a distributor who was retiring. (It was a lot easier for him to give it to me than it was to try to dispose of 50 gals of unused motor oil.)
That oil was last produced in the late 1950’s…so I’m guessing it could be maybe 70 years old. A different oil distributor told me not to use it for anything other than door-hinges because it is “deteriorated due to age”. Mobil Oil Co. (now Exxon-Mobil) refused to comment on it.

I used it over a 15 year period in my Ford 9N tractor, lawn mowers, etc etc without any trouble at all. I figured that if it sat underground for 20-billion years before it was refined…it MUST be ”OK” AFTER for at least another 100 after it was refined and put into metal quart cans.

Shell Oil Co. states that aircraft engine oil (a product not nearly as sophisticated as automobile engine oils) has a shelf-life of 2-years. I’ve got several cases of that sort of stuff varying between 3-4 years old which I bought in quantity and use regularly in two personal airplanes without any qualms whatsoever.

Any reliable proof that refined motor oil degrades during ordinary storage?

 

[bczoom]

I'm with you @geohorn
AFAIK, it doesn't degrade until it goes in an engine and meets all the impurities and temps in the engine itself.

 

[Doc]

I'm with you @geohorn
AFAIK, it doesn't degrade until it goes in an engine and meets all the impurities and temps in the engine itself.

Exactly. that's what I said. It degrades after 12 months OF USE.
And I think 12 months is a rule of thumb. I read this on Bob's the Oil guy page. And abide by it.

 

[bczoom]

Exactly. that's what I said. It degrades after 12 months OF USE.
And I think 12 months is a rule of thumb. I read this on Bob's the Oil guy page. And abide by it.

Was thinking about this yesterday when mowing the lawn.
Yea, it would be nice to change the oil every year but for me, it isn't practical.
I took an inventory of my 4-stroke and diesel engines (2-stroke don't count for this subject). I counted 26 engines. 25 of them are in running condition, one is down for an electrical issue. Changing them all annually would be a bit much. Some of the engines are rarely used.

 

[bczoom]

I was outside doing chores today. Neighbor came over and asked if I could use my tractor loader to do a lift-gate unload a new hitch for his 5th wheel. No problem. A semi truck pulls up with a 28' trailer. Getting ready to unload and here comes a combine down the road. Now we have a semi and a combine each using up all of the barely 2-lane road.

I told the semi driver that he needs to get his rig off the road PRONTO to get allow that combine to pass. He didn't understand the urgency but I laid into him hard to get that damn semi out of the way so that combine didn't have to break stride going pass us. He got in his truck and got it into a side driveway and the combine passed.

A) I don't think that truck driver ever saw a combine up close. He looked in awe at how big it was as it passed his 18-wheeler.
B) I explained to him the urgency of how a combine works this time of year and that minutes count and his 18-wheeler is absolutely second-string work and to forevermore stay out of their way. With his draw-dropping awe, he now fully understands.

 

[Doc]

Hey Greg, I have been looking at used mini excavators or maybe just renting one. But my land has a lot of hills and slopes and those things look a little top heavy or unstable. No outriggers either. how you ever used one like that?

Did you ever find a mini excavator to buy?
I just saw this video on a pull behind one from harbor freight.
I wondered if it might fit the bill for doing trenches like you wanted.

 

[Ohio_Pawpaw_Grower]

Hey Doc, still working on the purchase. Have narrowed it down to either this one https://jansenusa.com/product/towable-backhoe-mb-300/ or this one https://www.gofordigger.com/.

The MB300 is the most beefy construction of the towable backhoes.

But the Go For Digger is great because it can towed at highway speeds and driven to the jobsite under its own power. It also has hydraulic outriggers. It is also $20K new so I've seen a few used ones in the 6-10K range.

Things are changing with my work so I may be retiring sooner than planned. So for right now, its either the shovel or give Jimmy a call. Great of you to check in.

 

[Smilingreen]

Hey Doc, still working on the purchase. Have narrowed it down to either this one https://jansenusa.com/product/towable-backhoe-mb-300/ or this one https://www.gofordigger.com/.

The MB300 is the most beefy construction of the towable backhoes.

But the Go For Digger is great because it can towed at highway speeds and driven to the jobsite under its own power. It also has hydraulic outriggers. It is also $20K new so I've seen a few used ones in the 6-10K range.

Things are changing with my work so I may be retiring sooner than planned. So for right now, its either the shovel or give Jimmy a call. Great of you to check in.

The Go For Digger is kind of intriguing.

 

[Doc]

Hey Doc, still working on the purchase. Have narrowed it down to either this one https://jansenusa.com/product/towable-backhoe-mb-300/ or this one https://www.gofordigger.com/.

The MB300 is the most beefy construction of the towable backhoes.

But the Go For Digger is great because it can towed at highway speeds and driven to the jobsite under its own power. It also has hydraulic outriggers. It is also $20K new so I've seen a few used ones in the 6-10K range.

Things are changing with my work so I may be retiring sooner than planned. So for right now, its either the shovel or give Jimmy a call. Great of you to check in.

Interesting. Digger does look like a heck of a machine. Of course it costs 4 times as much as that other one.

Once again I'm going through the internal argument, I'd like to have one but can't say I really need one. lol

Best wishes with your work and retirement.

 

[Ohio_Pawpaw_Grower]

After the first quarter of this year, I should know more about my employment. Seems like when you reach 30 years service, people suddenly disappear. I still have lots of work to do but I can see signals that they want younger and cheaper people. One thing I would contribute to your internal argument: Life is short and you should seize every opportunity to make yourselves happy and make your life a little easier.

 

[Doc]

After the first quarter of this year, I should know more about my employment. Seems like when you reach 30 years service, people suddenly disappear. I still have lots of work to do but I can see signals that they want younger and cheaper people. One thing I would contribute to your internal argument: Life is short and you should seize every opportunity to make yourselves happy and make your life a little easier.

Sad but that is the way of business nowadays. I felt similar pressure when I got close to retirement.
What I need is a 30 to 35hp excavator. Going to small might get me injured if I try to do things beyond the scope of the machine, which I have a tendency to do. So I'm probably best off to wait till I hit the lottery .... I just have to remember to buy a ticket.

 

[Smilingreen]

Sad but that is the way of business nowadays. I felt similar pressure when I got close to retirement.
What I need is a 30 to 35hp excavator. Going to small might get me injured if I try to do things beyond the scope of the machine, which I have a tendency to do. So I'm probably best off to wait till I hit the lottery .... I just have to remember to buy a ticket.

I just take a week off of work and rent a 45,000 pound excavator/thumb about once every 2 or 3 years. I seriously looked at several CAT 308CR excavators last summer. I just couldn't quite justify that kind of cash expenditure this close to retirement. So, what did I do? Bought a RTV X1100C instead.......

 

[Doc]

I just take a week off of work and rent a 45,000 pound excavator/thumb about once every 2 or 3 years. I seriously looked at several CAT 308CR excavators last summer. I just couldn't quite justify that kind of cash expenditure this close to retirement. So, what did I do? Bought a RTV X1100C instead.......

I had a Kubota 33 hp excavator and sold it since it sat more than being used. I planned to rent like you, for a week or a month as rates were not to bad. Then the rental place changed their requirements. You have to be a licensed contractor with contractor insurance before they will rent to you. foiled my plan.

 

[Ohio_Pawpaw_Grower]

I just take a week off of work and rent a 45,000 pound excavator/thumb about once every 2 or 3 years. I seriously looked at several CAT 308CR excavators last summer. I just couldn't quite justify that kind of cash expenditure this close to retirement. So, what did I do? Bought a RTV X1100C instead.......

Well at least you spent some money Green!

 

[Smilingreen]

I had a Kubota 33 hp excavator and sold it since it sat more than being used. I planned to rent like you, for a week or a month as rates were not to bad. Then the rental place changed their requirements. You have to be a licensed contractor with contractor insurance before they will rent to you. foiled my plan.

I buy the damage waiver when I rent mine. So far, they are more concerned about having a paying customer than if I am a licensed contractor with a big insurance policy. But, the place has sold recently to Herc Rentals. We'll see what they say. Is the sight of the almighty green (money, not me) stronger than some dumb rental policy a over priced lawyer dreamed up? Time will tell. If nothing else, we have a heavy equipment auction place a couple of miles down the road from our farm. If I got a big project that needs an excavator, I'll just buy some clapped out excavator at auction, use it for a week or two on my farm for projects, then send it back up to the auction place to be sold. I see that happen up there a lot.

 

[bczoom]

Tis the season for outdoor projects.
If you need mulch, Lowe's has it on sale for $2 per bag. (1/2 off). I got something like 75 bags (3 pickup truck loads).

 

[ItBmine]

I'm with you @geohorn
AFAIK, it doesn't degrade until it goes in an engine and meets all the impurities and temps in the engine itself.

Exactly. It's not so much that it degrades, it picks up contaminants and condensation when used in the engine. And shears down.

After years of oil sampling my Cat engines you learn things you would never think of. Like one time after an oil change after winter my S.O.S. sample showed higher than normal sodium levels. So I asked why that was and they told me....road salt ingested through your air filter driving on the highway.

 

[ItBmine]

Did you ever find a mini excavator to buy?
I just saw this video on a pull behind one from harbor freight.
I wondered if it might fit the bill for doing trenches like you wanted.

I can't see how these could be of any use at all unless you are digging in pure sand. My biggest mistake was wasting 10 grand to buy a backhoe for my Kubota B2620, because the tractor is too light if you get into rocks or stumps, and you spend more time repositioning than you do digging.
I would have been way smarter to put that money towards a min-ex, even if I had to buy a used one.

Sure my backhoe has saved me a lot of work, it just wasn't the best option in my opinion.

 

[bczoom]

Is anyone/everyone watching the Northern Lights?
Last night, they made it all the way down to Alabama. The next couple nights are supposed to be pretty impressive as well.
I live deep in a valley so I couldn't get a good view without driving but I could see the glow in the sky. This morning, the lights were reflecting off the clouds so the clouds were reds, pinks, greens...