I have a Cub XT series riding mower with the Kohler 22hp V-Twin engine. Decided to pull out the mower to pull my gravel drag, as the winter has been pretty tough on our driveway.
After working for about 45 minutes or so, I decided to use my IR temp gun to take a temp at the oil filter. Oil temp was only 94F. Touched with my hand to be sure and filter was only warm to the touch. This was working in ambient temps in the high 30s or low 40s after pulling the machine out of an attached garage.
My question is, should I be concerned about running this engine at 3600rpm for so long at such low oil temps? Had I not run out of daylight I probably would have run it for a couple of hours. I would have thought the oil temperature would have moved right past this range within a few minutes and been at least in the 140 - 150 range. Transaxle temps were warmer than the engine oil by about 30 degrees F.
Engine oil is Mobil Super 5000 in the recommended 10w30 weight, but I will be doing an oil change for the spring soon. I have not had the machine for even a year yet, but I can see myself using it a handful of times each year in these kinds of temps, but probably not much colder. Perhaps a 5w30 in a synthetic now that I am past the break in (40hrs on it) would be a better choice? Oil temps taken in the same manner after mowing on an 80 degree day in the summer have shown temps in the 170* - 180* range.
FWIW, I always start the mower and immediately throttle down to low idle for a few minutes before I throttle it back up to start working.
Thoughts/opinions?
Thanks
After working for about 45 minutes or so, I decided to use my IR temp gun to take a temp at the oil filter. Oil temp was only 94F. Touched with my hand to be sure and filter was only warm to the touch. This was working in ambient temps in the high 30s or low 40s after pulling the machine out of an attached garage.
My question is, should I be concerned about running this engine at 3600rpm for so long at such low oil temps? Had I not run out of daylight I probably would have run it for a couple of hours. I would have thought the oil temperature would have moved right past this range within a few minutes and been at least in the 140 - 150 range. Transaxle temps were warmer than the engine oil by about 30 degrees F.
Engine oil is Mobil Super 5000 in the recommended 10w30 weight, but I will be doing an oil change for the spring soon. I have not had the machine for even a year yet, but I can see myself using it a handful of times each year in these kinds of temps, but probably not much colder. Perhaps a 5w30 in a synthetic now that I am past the break in (40hrs on it) would be a better choice? Oil temps taken in the same manner after mowing on an 80 degree day in the summer have shown temps in the 170* - 180* range.
FWIW, I always start the mower and immediately throttle down to low idle for a few minutes before I throttle it back up to start working.
Thoughts/opinions?
Thanks
