My mower specifies 30 weight for summer, 5-30 in winter. Any problem or disadvantage in using 5-30 year round since it is often easier to find and cheaper to buy?
Originally Posted By: abycat
Unless you want to change the oil twice a year I suggest 0w30. starting a lawnmower in the winter with a 30wt would be horrible.
Why so you can ensure viscosity at -24F? 0W30 is total overkill. Running 10W40 here without issue. 16 year old B&S.
Originally Posted By: Shrubitup
Originally Posted By: abycat
Unless you want to change the oil twice a year I suggest 0w30. starting a lawnmower in the winter with a 30wt would be horrible.
Why so you can ensure viscosity at -24F? 0W30 is total overkill. Running 10W40 here without issue. 16 year old B&S.
Well he did say this isn't just a mower, it's a tractor that gets used in the winter too. I run Rotella T6 5W-40 year round in my John Deere. I'd use the 0W-40 version if it were more readily available.
I would use 0,5,10w30 full synthetic and that should be as good as a straight 30 wgt. Otherwise, with conventional 5w30, change it more frequently as it would shear down quicker.
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
You never said what brand engine you are running. You get better advice if providing a complete picture.
Briggs and Stratton says that synthetic 5W30 offers the best protection year round in their engines.
Use a good synthetic high mileage 5W30.
Does it really matter what brand engine it is? Would one engine be so different that the different engine manufacturers be having different recommendations? i just assume the oil recommendation is on the baseness of the engineers.