What's with JD oil prices?

taem

Member
Starting spring servicing on my tractors and dropped by the dealership to pick up oil, filters etc. I have always been a little superstitious about using the brand name oil, so I guess I am making my own trouble, but ye gods, $99 for a 5 gal bucket of Plus II 50 15W=40? Last year it was $86 and the year before $79. I know because some of the old pails are kicking around. Crude oil is just at $50, nearly an all time low, inflation is barely moving for the last few years. What is going on? Just my dealership being greedy or what?
 
just another "put the screws to 'em"
crude dropped to $50 after (i feel) being unrealistically inflated so they could raise prices on all ol products. but did not trickle down to us. Whatever the market will bear
 
Hydraulic oil that was costing my dealership $29.65 this time last year is only costing $21.30 today.. 5 gallon bucket. Oil prices over all have dropped a lot at the parts stores in the last year.
 
There is big money in brand selling. Shop specifications and you will save a lot of money. I was once in the retail business selling brand specific oil. Once I looked in the back of the delivery truck and there were cases of 15 or 20 different brands of oil. I mentioned it to the driver and he said I pick all of it up at the same refinery.
 
Big oil greed. Gas prices spike instantly when the price of oil increases even though storage tanks at the refineries are full of gasoline produced a month ago while the price for a barrel of oil was cheaper at the time. Waite for a hurricane to enter the Gulf of Mexico and we will have an instant price increase. I know this as four major oil refineries are within 20 miles of my home.On a humid day the tank levels are visible with condensation on the outsides.
 
Hi, I priced a pail of oil for the transmission on my cat backhoe at the dealer. It was outrageous to me. So I asked for a spec sheet and took it to my bulk dealer. He pulled one out of the back and it said it was for several things and one was for cat transmission. Price? Less than half. Ed Will Oliver BC
 
I just opened barrels of 15W40 and hyd/trans fluid, I had purchased last Sep. from an oil distributor. 15W40 $7.17/gal. Hyd/trans $6.43/gal. delivered
 
This is the type of information you maybe shouldn't give out. I don't think anybody wants to hear that a 5 gal pail of UDT, that they pay $90 for, costs a dealer 21.30
 
Reminds me, I went to see oldest son at college two months ago, and motel H wanted $179 for one night. I usually stayed there, but I thought Gee Whiz! I went to motel S, for less than half that price, same room,same TV, same breakfast, same everything. Next morning I went over to motel H and politely and slowly asked, did you quote me the correct price? $179? Cause I just paid less than half that. Gal assured me, yes, that is correct. She said she was sorry I stayed at a budget motel, I laughed at her and said I wasn't, I was very happy.
Going again this weekend, and checked prices and motel H has dropped their rate to $129. You might explain this situation to Deere.
 
Why do they price it so high? Because they can. John Deere fanatics, and they're all over the place, and, nowadays very numerous, won't consider anything else just to have that JD label. It's really not likely that it's better than other brands. IMHO!!
 
It's a locality thing. They're charging what they can get out of you. The JD dealer is charging 85.41 CAD, and if they could get away with it, they'd charge more. I use Rotella for engine oil, and AGCO 821Xl Hy-Tran, because it's the cheapest, and is a brand name.(That, and it's being run in Allis) Ranges from 69.99-74.99, depending on what oil price is doing.
 
I'm told by oil distributors that the 5 gallon bucket is the most cost in-effective way to buy oil. So you could look at buying a drum or bulk. But if you only have one machine, that might be kinda crazy.

I don't use Deere oil in anything... and I have 20 plus Deere things around here. Some with LOTS of hours. Remember, Deere does not own a refinery... it all comes from someplace. And I really doubt Deere's consistency. I DID buy some Deere hydraulic fluid for a skid steer I bought last year new, and it was recommended I buy their oil til the warranty was up. I got two pails of Hydrau, some industrial hydraulic oil. The oil in each pail was a different color?!? The answer was, "Yeah, some of it is blue. We don't know why."

At least the stuff I buy (Mobil) is the same color every time.
 
I had a Deere dealer manager tell me ," I think if we sold John Deere underwear, some guys would buy it." That says a lot doesn't it?
 
There is a guy not far from me who does indeed purchase and wear only John Deere underwear. Probably pays double just get it.
 
KUBOTA UDT is higher,, that is off the truck same thing sold at Tractor supply, Rural king ect.
 

I am not gonna tell ya what I pay for lubricants but will say I have not see it this cheap in 30 years maybe more. It took a long time for it to get to were they beg you to buy it in bulk but its here...

Synthetics in bulk across the board are dirt cheap... I don't plan to lower my prices and spec Deere are anyone else to either.
 
my family has used farm-oyl since the early 60s the implement dealer that sold it went out of business in 1989. we kept buying it from another dealer until last year. the new dealers son made such a stink about splitting the bill between me and my dad that now i buy at the caseih dealer. i just filled my 30 gallon barrel of hytran ultra yesterday $2.87 a quart.
 

I'm just going to put Delvac in my 6100D, I buy it by the pail when they have the rebates. Don't put that many hours on it, so should be good to go changing the oil once a year.
 
So how many oil refineries does John Deere own? Wait a minute....you mean SOMEBODY MAKES IT FOR THEM??!!!
As for the comment about people being silly enough to buy John Deere underwear, about a year ago I saw a guy being buried in a genuine licensed John Deere coffin.
But then, I guess he really didn't care anymore, did he?
 
I had three lifelong bachelor uncles (brothers of my mother who farmed together) who were such John Deere fanatics they wouldn't even by any shortline machinery. If John Deere didn't make it, they didn't need it.

For that reason, my father flat refused to own a piece of John Deere machinery.

I owned a few pieces of John Deere machinery over the years, though. Still have a #5 sickle bar mower. (Doesn't everyone?)
 

I used to work in a refinery with a lube plant (makes lube oil). Not all refineries make lube oil. We made oil for most of our competitors BUT it met their specs for everything, ash, etc. And it got their additive package just like gasoline does. So, yes, the oil on the truck came from the same plant but it is not the same oil, necessarily. If you read manufacturer's requirements carefully, they will usually tell you acceptable substitutes to their high priced house brand. When they put it in their manual they are serious, it is not a second best choice.

I think for years Hy-Tran was about the only house brand that was really different. Then IH recommended putting it in where 90w was supposed to go. Let's see, they went under, didn't they?
 
(quoted from post at 21:00:44 04/20/17) my family has used farm-oyl since the early 60s the implement dealer that sold it went out of business in 1989. we kept buying it from another dealer until last year. the new dealers son made such a stink about splitting the bill between me and my dad that now i buy at the caseih dealer. i just filled my 30 gallon barrel of hytran ultra yesterday $2.87 a quart.

LOL!

Talk about brand names and who's blowing smoke (well, you know where) Cenex Harvest States bought Farm Oyl in 2007.

LOTS of Cenex places in your/my area to buy Cenex oil!



http://www.farmoyl.com/timeline

(Click on "2000's".)
 
$80.00 for a 5 gal pail of 15W40 at our local Case/IH dealer on Wednesday. Oil filters at the dealer were cheaper than Wix filters at O'Reilly's.
Cheaper than Napa also.
 
Just go look at the hundreds of threads on this forum where people ask "What oil do I use?"

The answers they get back are overwhelmingly to use ONLY the recommended brand and type of oil, and nothing else, because the engine/transmission/hydraulic system will blow up instantly.

Just look up "hytran" if you want some light reading, for example. I'm sure the same threads can be found about hygard or any other oil.

Keep in mind that using the factory oil is still a lot cheaper than a rebuild, IF using off-brand oil actually causes problems. The problem is you can't prove it one way or the other.
 
You really have to watch for the spring "sales" on JD oil and filters. Also prebooking sales.
My Dad has switched to running JD 15w40 in his Ventrac mower with a Briggs Diesel engine. He had been using Rotella T and maybe another brand too. I don't think he has to add between changes with the JD.
 

The problem is you can't prove it one way or the other.

I second'dat... I worked on a Bota Gluid shift the snap ring broke out of the clutch pack. It was a factory defect the big cost was they offered a bigger clutch pack the cost to upgrade it was 2K. I picked up a few 5 gal buckets of Bota oil in the end I did not put Bota oil in it. The dealer said if I did not use Bota oil I would destroy the transmission I said if it was so damm good then tell me why this guy is spending 4K to repair his trans that had Bota oil in it...

My Bota HST will get bota oil tho I will just pay up...
 
Tractor Supply Premium Trans-Hyd is spec'd for UTD and JD 20C and a couple dozen others including Cat. and Cummins and NH and Case IH and White and on and on.

I have a different take on this subject: You are Warren Oil, a US distributor of multi-badge lubricants. Each retailer you supply has different requirements and may be a major tractor badge dealer or a jobber or a national chain. So here we have some 24 specs to meet, like I said on the back of the TSC Premium, course there is the old spec for pre hydro/wet break/all today's goodies ois which is JD 303.

So you sit down and go through the specs and seems JD specs meet all the requirements, JD is a popular brand, and lots of customer base. So you setup 2 vats of trans/hyd fluid. One gets additives to meet J 20C the other to meet JD 303. Get out your blank containers fill with that which applies, slap the customer's label on it, put it in a case and ship it.

You don't suppose that's the way it really works do you? I do. Makes sense and seems economically feasible and no gripes from the customers.....no liability problems.

My 2c.
 
I am a Oil Distributor.....Finished lubricants have been going through price increase the past years..... 2 so for this year...not going up and down with crude prices....Btw I use John Deere oil in my John Deere tractors.
 
That John Deere logo adds about $40 to everything it's on. I have a 4430 that was bought used in 1984. It has not had a drop of Deere oil or a Deere filter on it since I've had it. And not a single problem.
 

Most common thread here are non John Deere owners bashing John Deere. Well sorry there bud that Deere survived and thrived while your Pappy's tractor brand folded and disappeared.
The Deere bashers don't have a peep to say about the price of oil at Cat, CiH, NH , Agco or Kubota.
 
its called green and yeller fever and there aint no cure----I laugh all the way to the bank because they are the easiest to catch
 
Be careful saying that. Deere did not thrive through the 80's. They had a hell of a time too. They were the ones that
made it through though.
 
I have to appreciate them too. I got two tractors for the price of one when I bought a new Deere. I wore it out,then traded it even money to the Agco dealer for a newer,bigger White. He knew he could sell it to one of the religious faithful in a hurry. lol
 
If you dont like the price of oil your buying, then drill your own rig, pump it, refine it, put your additives in it and put it in some sort of convenient 5 gallon plastic bucket type storage container...

when you have that done, please let me know what it cost you.

OR.....if you dont like the price of oil at John Deere buy it from your local IH dealer? :)
 
So, I guess, John Deere has it's own refineries and packaging plants for their own oil. NOT, give your collective heads a SHAKE !! Do a little homework you lazy bastids.
 
(quoted from post at 22:23:20 04/21/17) So, I guess, John Deere has it's own refineries and packaging plants for their own oil. NOT, give your collective heads a SHAKE !! Do a little homework you lazy bastids.

Who cares and makes a deal about the red herring of refinery ownership? The issue is the oil specifications.
 
I have not used Deere oil in the engines of our equipment, but I tend to use Deere Hy-Guard transmission/hydraulic oil. I changed the oil in all our tractors last fall and had to purchase quite a bit. I have a 55 gallon drum and it clearly states on the tag it is produced by Chevron. I did not bat an eye at the purchase. I also bought some Hy-Tran for my IH Hydro tractor. Now that oil was expensive!
 

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