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Bud - I’m not an oil expert. However a friend at work is a tribolobist (lubrication engineer) – he shared this: Unlike gasoline, motor oil doesn’t get old or go stale from just sitting. Nor can oil degrade or “wear out” with time/use. What happens is oil becomes contaminated with unburned fuel and products of combustion - moisture, acids, carbon. It also picks up microscopic wear products (metal) from rubbing engine parts. This contamination reduces the lubricity of the oil which in turn hastens wear and corrosion. If an engine sees only infrequent short runs under light load so it never fully warms up (light chores, parades, etc), oil may need to be changed after a few hours of running. Steady running under load is actually better for crankcase oil life. Under these conditions an oil change can be good for several hundred hours. My approach: For light duty use change the oil & filter once a year. Figure the cost of oil and a filter is inconsequential compared to the parts/labor for an engine rebuild! On the other hand, for a working tractor (one that is operated for several hours at a time at temperature) I’ll change the oil per hourmeter readings and mfr’s recommendation.
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