10W30 or SAE 30

[Sayjac]

Engine maker Kohler calls for 10W30, Ariens/Husqvarna calls for SAE 30W. Ariens (ride on) says 10w30 is acceptable but will likely use more oil.

Is one preferable or doesn't really matter either way?

Thoughts.

 

[Bluestream]

Go with a staight 30, those engine run hot

 

[Deltona_Dave]

A good, straight 30 SL HDEO would work fine in those engines. Kohler says 30 is fine above 50 degrees in their engines.

Dave

 

[Sayjac]

Was leaning to the 10w30 because of Kohler rec. but now will now go with the straight weight 30.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Multi-weight dinos have VII, and VII is junk waiting to happen in a HD app.

 

[mark pruett]

Do what I do; get the Supertech synthetic. It seems to work rather well in my 6.75 hp B&S- no oil level change over the course of a summer of mowing, and it's dirt cheap for an oil that meets the GM 4718 spec.

I can't imagine that a regular old SL/SM 30HD would outperform it.

 

[marco246]

It's kind of hard to go wrong here. I'd choose among these options:

SAE 30 PCMO
SAE 30 HDEO
10W-30 PCMO synthetic
10W-30 HDEO

Your deciding factor might be cost, availability, and/or what you've got on hand already for your other machinery.

Cheers!

 

[Merkava_4]

I run 10W-40 in my air cooled lawn equipment engines because it was recommended by Honda for their G200.

 

[greenaccord02]

HD-30

 

[gizzsdad]

M1 or Amsoil 0W-40

 

[Pablo]

You can actually use both - Amsoil ASE 10W-30/SAE 30

 

[Bror Jace]

Starting these engines in the 40-60F temperature range is tough on the engine when you are using a straight 30 weight oil. Unless you are using the machine primarily in very warm weather, I wouldn't use a straight weight ... period.

I know B&S cautions that using a straight 30 in below freezing (32F/0C) temps saying it can damage the engine. I can just assume that the same bad principle is at work in other brands of OPE engines as well. It makes sense.

sayjac you are using this Kohler on a riding mower? How big is your yard/field and how many hours do you run this thing at a time?

If you run it two hours or less at a time, I would probably use a 10W-30. Conventional oil if the motor does not have a spin-on filter ... consider a synthetic if it does have one and you can extend the oil use interval to 50+ hours.

If you are going to push this engine in warm weather, I would probably still pick a 15W-40 HDEO over a "heavy duty" (but really PCMO) straight 30. You'll get better protection at both ends of the temperature spectrum.

A straight 30 HDEO is worthy of consideration once you rule out lots of cool starts.

 

[hemitom]

I use castrol 15w40 in my briggs 6.75 never ever burns any oil, i tried 30w in one year , i use my mower to mulch leaves in the fall, a few days it was around freezing and the mower was very stiff to pull over, with the 15w40 pulled over much easier. On another note my old 10 horse, tech powered snowblower had 30 weight put in it for one winter just to try it out. the first -20 night i tried to start the blower i gave the cord a tug pulled the snowblower half way across the garage floor 30 weight experiment over.

 

[gfh77665]

Straight 30 when possible, 10-30 OK too especially in cooler temps. That said, I took over my father-in-laws yard mowing after he passed away 10 years ago. He had an enormous amount of O'Reilly's 20-50 on hand that would go to waste if I didn't utilize it. It's too thick for the cars, so, I an using 2qt's/season in the mower. It LOVES it! Of course, I am mowing in 100 degree heat for 4+ hours every time. Still, it has worked great!

 

[Bror Jace]

"Straight 30 when possible ..."

I disagree, strongly. You folks in the southern third of the U.S. need to take into account most of the people on this forum live in a much cooler climate and recommendations need to reflect that. Few people here mow for 4+ hours at a time in 100+F heat.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: mark pruett
Do what I do; get the Supertech synthetic. It seems to work rather well in my 6.75 hp B&S- no oil level change over the course of a summer of mowing, and it's dirt cheap for an oil that meets the GM 4718 spec.

I can't imagine that a regular old SL/SM 30HD would outperform it.


I had some concerns about using 10W30 in my splash lubricated B&S motors and my Chinese OHV Honda clone. After all, it doesn't have a real oil pump. (I don't know know what kind of lubrication the Clone has. I am startled at how durable it has proven itself I really expected it to die after a year or so of service)

That was about 6 years ago. still running good on Synthetic 10W30. I switched to QS syn when Autozone had it for $1.99a quart. Bought all they had.

 

[fins]

I switched from straight 30w acouple of years ago.....I now use Rotella 15-40 in my small engines.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
"Straight 30 when possible ..."

I disagree, strongly. You folks in the southern third of the U.S. need to take into account most of the people on this forum live in a much cooler climate and recommendations need to reflect that. Few people here mow for 4+ hours at a time in 100+F heat.


I clearly mentioned "10-30 in cooler temps..." immediately after.

Did you not see that? Geeze.

 

[Bror Jace]

Sorry gfh77665, I was not trying to make a Federal case out of it, but I see it again and again that posters from Arizona, Texas, Florida, etc ... make recommendations such as yours ... that are unsuitable for 2/3 or 3/4 of the users on this forum.

Multi-vis oils have come along way and should be used by 90-95% of OPE users ... with straight weights suitable for only the most hardcore (commercial, etc ... ) users in the warmest climates in North America.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
"Straight 30 when possible ..."

I disagree, strongly. You folks in the southern third of the U.S. need to take into account most of the people on this forum live in a much cooler climate and recommendations need to reflect that. Few people here mow for 4+ hours at a time in 100+F heat.


Originally Posted By: Deltona_Dave
A good, straight 30 SL HDEO would work fine in those engines. Kohler says 30 is fine above 50 degrees in their engines.

Dave


Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Go with a staight 30, those engine run hot
^^^This guy is from Canada. If anybody has the authority to talk about cold based on their location, it's him.

You people in the northern two thirds of the U.S. need to read the whole thread.