Synthetic motor oil in your lawnmower??
- Thread starter MrWideTires
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I have always used PP or M1 depending what was on sale, or what I had around.
I will say that during Hurricane Ike last year, I ran my 15hp Briggs powered generator on M1 10w30 for 300 hours before changing. No problem. Ran another 300 and it's flawless. I also ran a larger generator on PP for a little less time, but it never ran low or burned a drop.
I will say that during Hurricane Ike last year, I ran my 15hp Briggs powered generator on M1 10w30 for 300 hours before changing. No problem. Ran another 300 and it's flawless. I also ran a larger generator on PP for a little less time, but it never ran low or burned a drop.
I use Mobil 1 10w-30 in my riding mowers and my snowblower but usually use plain 30 weight valvoline in the flatheads, because I just can't spend $6.27 or whatever for a quart of lawnmower oil.
If it starts in to cold, synthetic is worth it. Starting a 10hp snowblower is much easier with Mobil 1 10w-30 than a 5w-20 conventional in my opinion, and it will appreciate the 10w-30 when it warms up.
If it starts in to cold, synthetic is worth it. Starting a 10hp snowblower is much easier with Mobil 1 10w-30 than a 5w-20 conventional in my opinion, and it will appreciate the 10w-30 when it warms up.
Look at the double circle donut on the back of the oil bottles. In-between the two circles does it say SL, or SM. SL is the good old oil that still had high enough Zinc level for air cooled engines. SM is the new oil with less Zinc so it will not damage Catalytic Converters. SM oils do not have enough Zinc for air cooled engines.
High performance oils and many mono-grade oils still have the SL in-between the double circle, and still have enough Zinc.
JimPghPa
High performance oils and many mono-grade oils still have the SL in-between the double circle, and still have enough Zinc.
JimPghPa
I've used synthetic oils in my 10 year old Honda 5hp push mower pretty much since it's first season. I just use whatever leftover bottles I have from my car oil changes. 90% of the time it's been 5W30 M1, sometimes I've used 10W30. I change the oil once a year. I wish I'd have put an hour meter on it when I bought it. I spent a bunch on the mower when I bought it ($700) because I loved the blade brake feature on it and hydrostatic transmission. It runs as perfect today as the first day I brought it home.
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Running GC and a Wix filter on my JD lawn tractor.
Always used synthetic in my OPE, or sometimes 15W40 dino HDEO if I have some around.
My Honda summer equipment got M1 10W30 at first, now Amsoil ASE (SAE30/10W30)
My old 1986 Toro 824 snowthrower ran on something unknown to me for the first 20+ years of life in my dad's care. I switched it to GC a couple of years ago with no issues or leaks at all.
My Honda summer equipment got M1 10W30 at first, now Amsoil ASE (SAE30/10W30)
My old 1986 Toro 824 snowthrower ran on something unknown to me for the first 20+ years of life in my dad's care. I switched it to GC a couple of years ago with no issues or leaks at all.
Originally Posted By: MrWideTires
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Gas tank is in the rear. Just dont let your wife gas up the mower
What wife? You mean one of the girlfriends?
Lucky U! Ok, Your Mother then
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Gas tank is in the rear. Just dont let your wife gas up the mower
What wife? You mean one of the girlfriends?
Lucky U! Ok, Your Mother then
As long as there is oil in your lawn mower, you're fine. It is much more important to have a clean carburetor! Everybody do yourself a favor right now and run a full bottle of Berryman B12 Chemtool through the gas tank. That stuff is the mother of all carb cleaners.
No - my carb is fine. I just tip the thing over wth the gas cap off and dump the flotsam all over the side yard. I used to use sta-bil over winter but the last couple years I have not and it ran fine. I do clean and oil the foam AF, on second rinse I add the oil ( old SAE40 penn) the squeeze it out all over the side yard again. Hey, it's at least 12' from the well head!
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I got Castrol Syntec Blend 10W-40 in the 190CC Briggs Flathead, and PP 5W-30 in the Chonda 208CC OHV Craftsman snowblower.
You guys are making me look bad. My mower (5-hp), small lawn tractor (10-hp) and tiller (5-hp) all Briggs - get the SuperTech 10w30 Synthetic every spring - as well as plug and air filter cleaning. I don't have a large yard, the tractor gets used mostly for pulling my kid around the nieghborhood in a trailer (they love it) and hauling rock up from the creek.
No issues so far, the push mower is on it's 7th year, who knows how old the tractor is, and the tiller is on it's 2nd year. No smoking, no leaking, no oil consumption. Also MMO is added to the gas and oil - at recommended dosages.
If it works, don't fix it.
af0h - Rob
No issues so far, the push mower is on it's 7th year, who knows how old the tractor is, and the tiller is on it's 2nd year. No smoking, no leaking, no oil consumption. Also MMO is added to the gas and oil - at recommended dosages.
If it works, don't fix it.
af0h - Rob
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My 30 year old Craftsman camp mower(3.5 Tecumseh) gets what ever is left over from oil changes on my ATVs, Kubota diesel generator, and whatever else is lying around. It's had some pretty exotic home made blends run through it over the years. I've only changed oil in it maybe five times and it never seems to need topping off. However, it doesn't see nearly as much service as my home mowers. Nonetheless, it runs great and never needs attention. If the carbs don't gum up, those old mowers just keep going. Truly an under-rated and under appreciated machine.
Originally Posted By: lostwrench
Even though I carefully measure the oil going into both my lawnmower and snow blower with a glass measuring beaker, the dipsticks always show that the engines are overfilled.
+1
If the engine mfr says the crankcase is 16 oz, that's exactly what I pour in. Every time the dipstick shows over-full. It's to the point where I don't care what the dipstick says, as long as it appears full and clean.
I run Rotella t 5W-40 in my Tecumseh-powered Toro and all is well. Change it once a year along with an air filter and spark plug. I run MMO in the gas tank occasionally to keep the fuel system clean. Not hard to keep OPE running well.
Even though I carefully measure the oil going into both my lawnmower and snow blower with a glass measuring beaker, the dipsticks always show that the engines are overfilled.
+1
If the engine mfr says the crankcase is 16 oz, that's exactly what I pour in. Every time the dipstick shows over-full. It's to the point where I don't care what the dipstick says, as long as it appears full and clean.
I run Rotella t 5W-40 in my Tecumseh-powered Toro and all is well. Change it once a year along with an air filter and spark plug. I run MMO in the gas tank occasionally to keep the fuel system clean. Not hard to keep OPE running well.
About 8 years ago I needed to clean up leaves in mid-December - thanks to stinkin' maple tree that always drops 'em after Thanksgiving.
Well, nearly being winter the temperature was in the upper 20's - and therefore also was the 30-wt in the crankcase. When I pulled the starter rope, I very nearly flipped the mower upside down. Ended up bringing it into the garage and warming the block with a heat gun, it then started up OK. Ever since I've used synthetic and had no problem with sub-freezing starts.
Well, nearly being winter the temperature was in the upper 20's - and therefore also was the 30-wt in the crankcase. When I pulled the starter rope, I very nearly flipped the mower upside down. Ended up bringing it into the garage and warming the block with a heat gun, it then started up OK. Ever since I've used synthetic and had no problem with sub-freezing starts.
I once started the new craftsman, and the old murray (destroyed briggs engine) back in jan/feb when it was like 10 degrees out. They didn't like it, but they started for sure.
I guess I'm the odd one out here. I have one old Kohler K series (14 hp) on a Cub Cadet 1450, I also have a newer Craftsman DYT 4000 ( 24 hp B&S) I run HDEO 30 wt in both of them, as they call for a 30 wt oil. I really believe that if the owners manual calls for normal operating temps using 30 wt oils they know what they are talking about. You can research this, and many benefits to using 30 wt oils in air cooled engines, however I'm also sure that some air cooled engines now call for a 5-30 etc, however I think the owners manual is the best guide when choosing the oil for a air cooled engine. Not to take away anyone's freedom to do as they please either.
Shell Rotella, and Dello HDEO 30 wt are hard oils to beat in these small air cooled engines, the oil holds up well ( I change once per season if I remember.. I try to change in the spring).
Shell Rotella, and Dello HDEO 30 wt are hard oils to beat in these small air cooled engines, the oil holds up well ( I change once per season if I remember.. I try to change in the spring).
Another advantage of syn oil is easier winter starts. Sometimes I need to do one last trim in November or December and when I used petro based oil I could barely turn the engine over. With synthetic it is very easy to turn the engine when cold.
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