Vintage service - What oil?

[Nick14]

I’m servicing my old Nuffield DM4 and Ford 3000 and wondered what oil to use in the engine and back end? I heard 20W 50 was better because it’s thicker?

are there oils you can use in both transmission, hydraulics and engine?

 

[76masseyman]

Universal 20w/30 would have been mainly used in machines of that era, pre wet brakes and turbos, and still available. If you do have a wet brakes machine, then a super universal 15w/30, again, still available.

 

[Nick14]

Fab, can it go in the back end, transmission and engine or do I need specific oils for each end?

 

[Cowabunga]

If you have newer tractors or ones with wet brakes and IPTO, like a Ford 4000, then get a super universal 15w-30 which will be suitable for just about everything except perhaps that era of power steering reservoirs.
If you only have crash box, dual clutch, drum brake or dry disk brake tractors, a straight engine oil will be fine in the back end as well as the engine. Obviously the engine oil needs to be suitable for Diesel engines. Not sure how low a spec of engine oil you can get these days and even a CE or ACEA E1 class will be difficult to source. I'd just get a cheap 15W-30 super universal as it will exceed all your requirements for engines and transmissions up to most year 2004 models.

 

[ford 7810]

The original type universal 20w30 (agricastral multiuse ) will probably very good in everywhere other than the ford 3000 engine they liked a higher spec oil.the 15w30 super universal tractor oil(suto) will do everything .but not really sure on the Nuffield gearbox /rear axle.

 

[Tonym]

Older Nuffields specified EP 90 I the gearbox. I have a 1962 460 and that is what it says in the handbook.

 

[Qman]

In my IH 414, which I use every day to pull my feed snacker, I use JD Plus11 in the engine and JD Hygard in the hydraulics. I use a 80W-90 in the gearbox. She is still going strong after 60 years. Oh and I use red Shell EP2 grease!

 

[Nick14]

I have 20 litres of 10W30 SUTO left over from another Nuffield back end I changed, would that be ok? Otherwise I have 20lt 20W50.

 

[H200GT]

Put 20w50 in my TE 20, both engine and back end and it seems happy with it