Originally Posted By: CaspianM
Why such thick oil needed for a small engine? Unnecessary shear stress which creates more friction & rotational drag. Motor oil has gone a long way.
Today the thinnest oil that works is the one to use.
You are out of your element dude. Some of us have actual experience maintaining small engines, in Florida, that run long hours or commercially. I've done thousands of oil changes on small engines in Florida. You tend to notice things when you are actually hands on, working on them day in and day out.
There is nothing wrong with thicker oil in the south, in an air cooled generator, that could run for 24 hours straight out of every 24 hour period. And 7 days straight. Or in my case, in 2004 hurricane season, for 60 days straight. My generator worked perfectly. All my neighbors had blown theirs up after the first week.
Here is some truth bombs for you. Thinner oils consume faster. Thicker oils consume slower.
Yes, technically, 10W30 will keep a generator lubricated. IF you top the oil off at every fuel fill-up and make sure it doesn't get low. And IF you change the oil every 50 hours as the manual requires. Then yes, 10W30 would be fine. But, most people neglect their equipment. Almost no one actually checks their oil 3 times a day (as required), and almost no one changes their oil every two days (as required)
The thicker oils are an insurance policy against neglected maintenance. It last longer in the sump. And resist fuel dilution if you extend the change interval. Period.
I run 15W40 or SAE40 in my generators. And honestly, I dont think you can find a better generator oil in Florida than SAE40. The stuff is robust and doesn't burn off. I always keep a few quarts of SAE40 around.
Why such thick oil needed for a small engine? Unnecessary shear stress which creates more friction & rotational drag. Motor oil has gone a long way.
Today the thinnest oil that works is the one to use.
You are out of your element dude. Some of us have actual experience maintaining small engines, in Florida, that run long hours or commercially. I've done thousands of oil changes on small engines in Florida. You tend to notice things when you are actually hands on, working on them day in and day out.
There is nothing wrong with thicker oil in the south, in an air cooled generator, that could run for 24 hours straight out of every 24 hour period. And 7 days straight. Or in my case, in 2004 hurricane season, for 60 days straight. My generator worked perfectly. All my neighbors had blown theirs up after the first week.
Here is some truth bombs for you. Thinner oils consume faster. Thicker oils consume slower.
Yes, technically, 10W30 will keep a generator lubricated. IF you top the oil off at every fuel fill-up and make sure it doesn't get low. And IF you change the oil every 50 hours as the manual requires. Then yes, 10W30 would be fine. But, most people neglect their equipment. Almost no one actually checks their oil 3 times a day (as required), and almost no one changes their oil every two days (as required)
The thicker oils are an insurance policy against neglected maintenance. It last longer in the sump. And resist fuel dilution if you extend the change interval. Period.
I run 15W40 or SAE40 in my generators. And honestly, I dont think you can find a better generator oil in Florida than SAE40. The stuff is robust and doesn't burn off. I always keep a few quarts of SAE40 around.