OK, if we assume that some maintenance is better than no maintenance, then it comes down to how much and when?
This thread is about the benefits and side effects of some retained oil at change time.
dnewton wants us to take the oil out to nearer the limits of its usable lifespan. I want to service when it's convenient to me. The engine does not care as long as the lube is serviceable.
So BITOG'ers know about good lubes, good filters, etc. Seems most don't want to push anything to far and I find that sensible. W/o spending the cost of an oil change on a UOA, it makes no sense to extend anything beyond 10,000 miles. And some engines will destroy their oil well before that (fuel dilution, other contamination, etc.).
So what is really going on in this thread is to see if folks can get their head around the FACT that some retained oil is OK, and may have some benefit... So that means that do-it-yourself backyard services can be done in convenient way, filters can be left in place for two or three cycles, etc. No harm done
Folks buy premium filters and toss them at 5,000 miles. Makes no sense. Folks put premium oils in that can go a long time (past 10,000 ...) and drain them at 5,000 miles. Again, makes no sense.
But it feels right to them, so they do it ... Here we are going back and forth on other strategies. And you'all can see the results
A LOT of BITOG is about emotional input to vehicle maintenance. I'm just as guilty as the next person. I have done 3K changes. And left oil in for 5 years. The engines did not care. It was something I did for me.
This thread is just about expanding the range of maintenance responses to fit the owners lifestyle or business needs to get the most out of a vehicle or implement. Rust belt owners practically never wear engines out with normal maintenance. Sun belt owners go through multiple engines before they toss a vehicle.
The OP was/is a sun belt person with a ranch operation. So he's looking for maximum longevity, as in decades of operation. So we are parsing minutia and having a discussion on minimizing wear to some more extreme scenario while ginning up a sensible maintenance strategy
If I were the OP, I'd prolly put by-pass filters on most of the bigger stuff and change oil every 500 hours of operation. Filters would be premium and so would the TP. Filters would get changed at 250 hours and a UOA done. I'd use good oil. There would be top-ups, so the TBN/TAN ration would remain reasonable. And I'd spend my time more worried about air filtration.