kohker oil recomendation

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
1,238
Time to change the oil in my Huslter 60" ztr. It has a Kohler 7000 series 26hp. After one mow for break in I changed the FF to RK conventional 10w30 twice. Now it should be well broken in and any assembly trash flushed out. Time for a long term oil. Please note Im in florida where its hot year round and I mow pretty much year round as well. I have a surplus of t5 10w30 and t4 15w40. Which one would be better? Or should I be using ST SAE30 or SAE40?
 
Everyone correct me if this is wrong... I was just at my local Tractor Supply asking what small engine oil they keep and their guy who seemed like he knew a bit recommended Kohler 10w-30 for my generator. He said Kohler puts a "tracer" in their oil and if you don't use their oil they can deny a warranty claim. He also said "all the manufacturers put tracers in their oil for this purpose." I'm calling bullocks. But I thought it might be relevant to this discussion.
 
He is full of it . I bought a generac 17,500 kw a year ago . It was not cheap and not one page of the manual said I had to use a certain brand oil . Just gave viscosities to use in certain temperatures.
 
The Magneson Moss Warranty Act prohibits tie-in warranty sales:

" Section 102(c) prohibits tying arrangements that condition coverage under a written warranty on the consumer's use of an article or service identified by brand, trade, or corporate name unless that article or service is provided without charge to the consumer."
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2006-title16-vol1/xml/CFR-2006-title16-vol1-sec700-10.xml

"In other words, a manufacturer cannot "tie" the effectiveness of the warranty it provides for the product to the use of specified replacement parts or authorized service providers." ..(unless the parts are provided free or the company has an FTC waiver).
https://www.taftlaw.com/news-events...unauthorized-part-will-void-the-warranty

Copy my first link and go back into the store and ask for your free oil.
 
I'd be interested to know what the commercial guys run in their ZTRs.
In FL, the 15W40 sounds like a good plan. Or any of these low price syns now going for 20 bucks (or less) for 5 quarts.

I ran 0W30 Castrol in my OPEs for a decade but it's overkill.
 
Originally Posted by j_mac
Everyone correct me if this is wrong... I was just at my local Tractor Supply asking what small engine oil they keep and their guy who seemed like he knew a bit recommended Kohler 10w-30 for my generator. He said Kohler puts a "tracer" in their oil and if you don't use their oil they can deny a warranty claim. He also said "all the manufacturers put tracers in their oil for this purpose." I'm calling bullocks. But I thought it might be relevant to this discussion.


This post reminds me of when my mom bought a new riding lawn mower about 10 years ago. The salesman was ADAMANT that only non-detergent 30 weight be used in her new mower. He insisted on it. He even sold her a few quarts of it with the purchase of the new mower. He had her so convinced that she absolutely did not believe me when I told her that detergent oil was the oil to use. So....I opened up the operator's manual and showed her exactly what the factory said to use in it, exactly what the salesman said not to use. Had the mower experienced engine failure during the warranty period and the factory found out that non-detergent oil was in the engine, the warranty could be refused.
Why are these idiots allowed to sell lawn mowers anyway?
 
Originally Posted by nascarnation
I'd be interested to know what the commercial guys run in their ZTRs.


Around here, most of us use 15w40, or a 10w40 if bought from a dealer.
Either way, a 40-wt is quite common even in Missouri during mowing season.
 
Last edited:
Air cooled motor? Obivious a full Synthetic with a "HM" formula with a strong add pack, older formula Mobil1 is what I use, now it's reformulated with less goodies, I would go Valvoline.
 
Originally Posted by Kruse
and showed her exactly what the factory said to use in it, exactly what the salesman said not to use. Had the mower experienced engine failure during the warranty period and the factory found out that non-detergent oil was in the engine, the warranty could be refused.
Why are these idiots allowed to sell lawn mowers anyway?


It probably would've been fine.

I have rebuilt MANY car engines that used non detergent 30W for break in oil.
 
Originally Posted by Lawn_Care
Originally Posted by nascarnation
I'd be interested to know what the commercial guys run in their ZTRs.


Around here, most of us use 15w40, or a 10w40 if bought from a dealer. Either way, a 40-wt is quite common even in Missouri during mowing season.

Ten or more years ago, Kohler preached that only 10w30 could be used in the Command series engine due to the hydraulic lifters. Has this idea been debunked?
 
Originally Posted by doitmyself
Ten or more years ago, Kohler preached that only 10w30 could be used in the Command series engine due to the hydraulic lifters. Has this idea been debunked?


That's a great question. I have a couple of friends that have run Kohler engines for years, I'll inquire.
All of mine so far have been Kawasaki engines, and one Briggs commercial.
Kawasakis and 40-wts seem to go together like peas and carrots.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by Kruse
and showed her exactly what the factory said to use in it, exactly what the salesman said not to use. Had the mower experienced engine failure during the warranty period and the factory found out that non-detergent oil was in the engine, the warranty could be refused.
Why are these idiots allowed to sell lawn mowers anyway?


It probably would've been fine.
I have rebuilt MANY car engines that used non detergent 30W for break in oil.


So your full time job is being a lawn mower salesman?
banana2.gif
 
Originally Posted by doitmyself

Ten or more years ago, Kohler preached that only 10w30 could be used in the Command series engine due to the hydraulic lifters. Has this idea been debunked?


The Kohler command is fully pressure lubed engine with an oil pump, oil pressure, and hydraulic lifters. These lifters in these engines work best with 10W30 and the lifter tapets will have a hard time refilling with oil if thicker oil is used. Very common problem in these engines to make a lot of noise/racket if the lifters can't pump back up.

The op doesn't have a command engine I don't think, in which case he should use 15W40 or SAE40 year round in Florida.
 
So what I have gathered is 15w40 is a good choice year round in Florida, which I use in my generators and other air cooled 4t's. But a 40 may be a bit too heavy in this perticular Kohler. So, maybe ST 10w30 high mileage conventional would be a good choice? BTW, this mower is started and let idle to warm while I use my trimmer around my home. Then, it is run for two and a half hours straight without shutting off. Well, sometimes I bring it to idle while i run to the garage fridge for another beer.
 
So the factory puts in 10w30 ? In my B&S rider, I use 10w30 Delo which is similar to your T5 …
When that supply runs out … I have some Delvac 15w40 … not worrying about either of these doing the job …

Pull starts is where I like synthetic …
 
Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
But a 40 may be a bit too heavy


I can assure you with 100% accuracy that a SAE40 is not too heavy, in air cooled mowers, in Florida.

I've used buckets and buckets of the stuff and don't think you can find a better air cooled engine oil, in Florida.

It's perfect for generators, pressure washers, and mowers that get ran for a few hours at a time. If your mower gets used for an hour or less at a time, SAE30 is great. It actually takes a really long time for the engine to completely warm up, at least 30 minutes.
 
The tech. sheet for the 7000 series states : "Based on KOHLER Command PRO® commercial engine design" and " Pressure lubrication extends engine life by keeping critical components well-lubricated". The owners manual still only shows 10W30 and straight 30 oils for use.

OP probably should investigate if his has the hydraulic lifters. Even then, the use of 10W30 is/was a controversial topic at the lawnsite.com forum 10 years ago +/-.. Some of the debates said that using the actual Kohler oil quieted the lifters. Others claimed hogwash.

The oils that Kohler and Kawasaki market are HDEO rated. I prefer to use an HDEO in my commercial mowers. Just stirin' the pot here guys.

7000 Tech. Sheet: http://resources.kohler.com/power/k...0Kohler%207000%20Series%2020-26%20HP.pdf
7000 Manual: http://www.kohlerengines.com/engines/onlinecatalog/pdf/32_590_16_EN.pdf

A couple of old threads:
https://www.lawnsite.com/threads/what-kind-of-oil-quiets-kohler-chattering-lifters.150850/
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1863133/1
 
I'm not familiar with the 7000 model. Looks like they renamed the Kohler command? If its "based" on the Kohler command, then yeah, just use a heavy duty 10W30 like Rotella, Delo, Kohler, or John Deere 10W30.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top