Tight oil filters are preferable to loose ones. That said, I've fought many an over tightened one in my time. No fun!
Using some clean chassis lube is a good idea, one I used for many years. Some operator manuals call for using clean lube oil, also a good choice, but I've found the grease to be better. I generally put some on the threads too. I have on occasion, used never-seize for this purpose, sparingly! I'd be careful using silicone release agents or compounds, never heard of anyone using them for this purpose.
As for tightening a new filter, use hands only. Do Not use a wrench or pliers of any kind!! If Mungo is working for you, tell him to take it easy when installing filters. You can generally tell when a filter is "tight." Putting a full turn on it after that practically guarantees problems taking it back off. It doesn't need it. I know that Caterpillar calculates a torque range when filters are installed this way, but again, a new filter usually doesn't need that full extra turn.
When using a strap wrench of either the fabric or steel construction type, try to get as close to the top of the filter coming off as possible. That's where the shell is fastened to the base plate and it's the strongest point to twist on. If you tighten further down, there is only a thin steel tube and it usually bends, twists, and shrinks. You can also go for the very bottom, the outer shell is a bit stronger there and if the filter was carefully installed, it ought to hold, but the top is best -- if you can reach it.
Changing filters is pretty easy these days from what it used to be. Manufacturers place the filter mounts in much more accessible points than they used to, and spin-ons are way easier and cleaner to remove and install than cartridge styles.
But sometimes the engine maker and the chassis builder don't get the design right. Like when Cat first came out with the 631D model Scraper, which had a hard mounted engine oil filter manifold, which was bolted to the right front of the hydraulic tank, which was of course, mounted on the right-side fender supports. You can guess what happened to the oil manifold when the fender took a hit, and what quickly happened to the engines. We lost two at Stewartsville Dam before Cat came out with a PIP kit.
That's about the same time that Cat started importing the popular 2P4005 oil filter from England. Problem was, those filter base plate threads were metric instead of the American standard of O-ring boss. I don't know how many Cat had to take back all together, I sent about 500 of them back to Foley Tractor in New Jersey and we had to buy after-market filters for quite a while as Cat didn't have anything else available, a fact that upset my boss -- a died-in-the-wool Cat man -- to no end. He hated after-market parts for Cats.
Sometimes you just get a bad run of filters that won't seal up or come loose. One of my previous employers sued Baldwin over a batch of defective engine oil filters that caused them to burn up several haul-truck motors. The suit was in the several million dollar range, and I've never heard how it came out. Baldwin had refused to honor their warranty and pay for engine overhauls was what started the whole thing.
Well, good luck with the filters.
