Time between oil changes

There is a post below about the miles or hours between oil changes. What is a reasonable time between oil changes on very low use vehicles and equipment? My concerns are moisture contamination from condensation or blow-by, and oil additive breakdown. Some sources recommend oil changes as often as every 3000 miles or 3 months, others recommend every 7500 miles or 6 months. On a vehicle that is used less than 1000 miles or 20 hours per year I'll change the oil annually or every two years and change the filter every second oil change.

Does anyone go a much longer time between oil changes on low use engines?

Thank you in advance.

Little use and stored inside, I would not worry as long as the oil looks clean and not milky after being run..

How OLD do you suppose that oil really is, anyway..?
Oil can be stored for many years and it does not deteriorate in the original containers...

Ron..

I change both oil and filter anually after last use in fall in equipment used little.

Dean

With all of the vehicles, tractors, and small engines around here I can never keep track. One old car probably gets 200 miles a year on a really busy year. Regardless, every truck, tractor, small engine, and limited use vehicle gets fresh oil every spring. I can't keep track of when they need done without getting confused. I just change them all so I know it gets done. I know it's overkill, but at least I have oil to start brush piles. It works out right for all of the field tractors. When I was in Deere Saturday they had a sign announcing that with their new Plus 50 formula tractor oil changes could be moved to 500 hours. I just rolled my eyes at the service manager. He said he wouldn't be waiting that long, either. Mine end up being between 100-200 hours yearly.

I change mine on low use engines once a year in the spring after the temperatures stabilize. I have always changed mine at 3000 miles and will continue to do so. In 200K miles and $30 a change it only adds another $1000 or so. For me that's less than $100 a year. It might be wasted money but I've never had any engine trouble. On my tractors I change at 150 hrs or once a year in the spring, whichever comes first

It's been in the ground a couple of million years already anyway!!!!!!!!!

Well , at least your brush piles are environmentally sound. :>(

I have 2 GM cars and 1 GMC truck. Ranging form a 2004-2007. Miles range from 50K-100K. All get oil changes at dealer, mobil oil. All will not use a drop of oil in the first 3000 miles, oil looks new. Do 4000 miles and they will be down 1/2 qt, oil is turning dark. Push them to 5000 miles and they will be down 1 1/2 qts and muddy looking oil.

I have a 20 hp kohler command. 50 hrs not a drop oil looks new. 60 hrs oil turns dark. 75 hrs down a 1/2 mark on dipstick very dark oil. I try not to go past 60 hrs.

Oil will look milky is it has water in it. I may let some lawn mowers go 2 years, 25 hrs/year, before changing them at 50 hrs. No signs of condensation, milky. So for me time isn't that important, just go on hrs for tractors and 3000 miles for cars/trucks if I don't forget.

My tractors at 100 hours as posted under the hood, my gas trucks 3000 miles, my diesel truck, 3000 to 4500 miles. The kohler 27hp command??? Priceless! Lol. What I love are my 21" toro commercial hand mowers that are 2 cycle, gas and oil mix, air filter and fuel filter, 17 years old and they run like a top still. Suzuki engines! That's even more priceless! Lol

Buy a $2 spiral notebook and a 20 cent #2 lead pencil with eraser.
Make an entry every 4-5 pages for each vehicle. Draw four columns vertically on each page.
Enter date and whatever maintenance was done, mileage and cost. Will help reduce your taxes to have that money spent all itemized.
Notebook should last you 10 years at least.

You just do what makes you feel good and sleep sound at night. If it's monthly or every 2 years or whatever, it's your money, your stuff, and your sloppy, messy, stinking task....usually.

While we are talking about a sloppy, messy, stinking task, besides being extremely careful with all the right equipment other than a sunken service bay, I cannot change the oil on my truck without making a !@#$%^&*()_+ mess. And at my age just getting down on the floor and creeping under my truck is a pain and you always forget something so that you have to get back out and up and do it all over again.

So along the lines of the sloppy, messy, stinking task, don't forget the lowly CHASSIS LUBE. Thank goodness highway vehicle mfgrs have really reduced the zerks, but the farm stuff still needs it. I get out the blue rubber gloves and plenty of rags and 3 different types of guns and adapters for all the variances and still, before I'm finished I get it on me somewhere.........remember when grease guns didn't have the cartridge refill? You had to get a can of cup grease and load the gun by hand.......yucko! Course even with the cartridge, sometimes the top pops off before you can get threads lined up, or the plunger jumps out of it's niche and pushes the stuff all over you and the floor, and then the thing hangs on the wall and pukes all over everything between lubes. I HATE GREASE AND GREASING.....................but I suck it up and keep my stuff greased anyway.

I change oil in the Tundra every 5,000 miles; it took me 2 years the last time I changed oil in the truck. However, we live in dry humidity, so I don't have to worry about water condensation in the engine, so 2 years works fine for me.

In cold and higher humidity climates, you'll have to make an educated guess what is right for the area.

And I thought I was the only one with oil and grease mess issues. Thank god

I go by oil appearance on the low use pieces. You know that it is not going to wear out or consume the additives, it's all about the condensation in it. It doesn't make a lick of difference weather it is stored indoors or out, unless you keep it above sixty degrees, because at 55 degrees you can have a moisture laden warm front come through and get condensation all through everything contaminating the oil.

Can't keep track of when a piece of equipment needs an oil change? I stick a piece of masking tape on the engine and write the hours/miles on it at the last change.

For cars + trucks I go once a year or 5,000 miles. For tractors I go once a year or 100 hours.
I use a paint marker to write the mileage at the top of the windshield for the vehicles, and mark it on the filters for the tractors.
Pete

I was hoping for a reply. As you said, surely I'm not the only one that can't do that messy job without getting messy.

After I posted it the misses and I came back later and got a big chuckle out of it. Sad but true.

Mark