Well after reading others horror stories about tight oil filter, I first started out by trying to loosen mine. No go. COuld not use the strap/lever type wrench I had. You can get it on the filter, but can't get it tightened in such a way to get leverage. So off I go in search of another wrench. I got one from NAPA that is a strap kind as well, however instead of the arm, you can use a 3/8" ratchet. You will need at least a foots worth of extenders to get the ratchet out past the frame so you can turn. Anyway that thing worked like a champ. For those interested the NAPA part # is 2029. The name is Square Drive Oil Filter Wrench: 3 7/16 to 3 3/4" Diameter filters.

The little oil catch in front of the filter works nice. Make sure your oil drain pan is under the smaller hole in the skid plate.

My adventure for the day. Actual oil change time: 30 minutes
Actual Time used: 2 hours at least monkeying around different parts stores looking for a wrench. Plus time trying to Hulk the filter off.

 

Glad you got the filter out ok. Another "first time" thing you may want to check is how tight your lug nuts are. I found five on my front wheels that were so tight I had to use a 3 foot pipe on the lug wrench to break them loose. The last one was so tight that I twisted the shaft on the t-handle lug wrench before it let go. I'm glad I didn't discover this on the side of the road.

 

For my first oil & filter change, I used a cap type filter wrench which fits over the end of the filter and has a 3/8" drive socket in the end. The original filter was very tight but it came off just fine. I use a 6" extension on my ratchet drive. I think I found the cap wrench at Wal-Mart.

 

I didn't have a cap type that size, and the new filter doesn't have the same type pattern on the top. So I figured I'd go a more generic route.