I recently bought a 6-year old John Deere LT150 with a Kohler 15hp (CV15S). The previous owner used a higher vis. oil (20-50 perhaps) because it smoked and used a lot of oil. (He mowed some pretty steep hills.)
When I got the mower a month ago, I changed the oil and put in Super Tech 10W-30, mainly because it's what I had on hand. To my surprise, there was little smoke and little oil consumption. Life, if not perfect, was a little better.
Now after maybe 15 hours of operation, it's smoking a lot more and using a lot of oil. Oil level on the dipstick goes from full to add in an hour or hour and a half.
My question is: why didn't it burn oil at the beginning? Did the ST 10W-30 break down? And the all important question... is there an oil I can use that will work better for me?
When I got the mower a month ago, I changed the oil and put in Super Tech 10W-30, mainly because it's what I had on hand. To my surprise, there was little smoke and little oil consumption. Life, if not perfect, was a little better.
Now after maybe 15 hours of operation, it's smoking a lot more and using a lot of oil. Oil level on the dipstick goes from full to add in an hour or hour and a half.
My question is: why didn't it burn oil at the beginning? Did the ST 10W-30 break down? And the all important question... is there an oil I can use that will work better for me?