Said I'd never own one

[faltic]

But old age and hot weather changed my mind. LOL Got this out the door at Lowes for about $30.00 under list with military discount. I have never thought twice about what oil to use in a mower or any other small engine I've owned just used what ever leftovers were on hand but this is by far the most expensive piece of equipment I've ever had. The Craftsman book showes 5W30 to 100F the Briggs book shows 15W50 to 100F and above. That's quite a difference. Anyway I'm guessing this motor might not tolarate 0W20 like my push mower. Opinions experances anyone?

Oh and I like this thing more than I thought I would. It's not the slickest operating unit but gets the job done. There were several horror story reviews so i was prepared to take it back if needed but so far so good I've got 30 days return from lowes I think.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-...-Mulching-Capability-Included/1000706000
My yard is about1/3 acre with a lot of stuff to mow around.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Use 10W30 rotella or other diesel oil. since you are in Georgia according to your profile you could use the 15W40 . In the rare occasion it got real cold and you needed to mulch leaves you could just let it warm up about 30 seconds then engage the blades and speed it up to operating speed, then wait another 30 seconds before mowing with it. The oil heats up very fast.

 

[MParr]

You're in Georgia and it's a B&S engine. SAE 30 HD is what I would use. Castrol, Pennzoil, Super Tech are all easy to find.

 

[faltic]

The oil that came in it looks pretty thick on the dipstick and was only on the low mark so I topped it up from my jug of frankinbrew. Briggs recommends first oil change at 5 hr soo maybe I'll pickup some 15W40 to do that change. Thanks

 

[SatinSilver]

Sure looks nice, enjoy it! Much better than a traditional mower.

 

[earlyre]

my buddies mom had one of those mowers... Hateful POS... when they sold the house, they left it there, I wouldn't have given them $10 for it I hated it that much...

(could have just been THAT mower) the steering was terrible(incredibly wide turning radius), you needed both hands to move the shifter if you needed to back up for any reason...(probably wouldn't have been as bad if the Shift Knob itself was a couple inches longer)

but, by the time i used it, it was probably 10 yrs old, with MINIMAL maintenance done to it...like I can't be sure if the oil was ever changed minimal..., so YMMV...

Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Sure looks nice, enjoy it! Much better than a traditional mower.


they do look good, but I think I would have rather used a push mower on the yard where i got to experience that type of machine...

Have I mentioned I hated that mower?

 

[mattwithcats]

I used to own one...

Shell Rotella T6 in 5W-40 or 0W-40,
Or T5 in 10W-30...

Oil filter is Fram 8170, but you can run a longer 3614, or even longer 3600

I ran T6 in 5W-40, and a Wix 51516...

The Fram 3600 / Purolator 20195 / Wix 51516 oil filter
allows for 8 more ounces of oil...

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by faltic
Said I'd never own one....

My yard is about1/3 acre with a lot of stuff to mow around


Why? They are fairly decent machines.

You got the right sized one for your yard.

 

[Linctex]

el Cheapo 15W-40 goes in all my OPE

It doesn't have to be top shelf - if it meets current API specs for modern diesels, it will be just fine.

Don't spend more than you need to.

 

[skyactiv]

My dad had a Craftsman rear engine rider with a Tecsumeh engine he got used. The mower deck rusted out so he replaced it with a Snapper rear engine rider.
He put a small clamp on the Snapper somewhere so the blade will keep turning when he puts it in reverse. Prevents the need to reengage the blade which is a hassle.
His Snapper has a B&S 10.5HP engine and he uses Supertech 30W. It has a quick drain plug from the factory that loosened on him and leaked a bunch of oil when it was sitting in storage
for the winter.

 

[jeepman3071]

I actually like rear engine riders. Something about a small nimble machine that drives more like a go-cart and all the noise and exhaust is behind you. Those riders are simple with not much to go wrong. I'd say any SAE 30, 15w40, 10w30, 5w30, 5w40 will work perfect in it. It's a Briggs engine, so even though it is larger than your push mower, no need to overthink the oil needs. If you keep it full it will last.

 

[faltic]

Originally Posted by mattwithcats
I used to own one...

Shell Rotella T6 in 5W-40 or 0W-40,
Or T5 in 10W-30...

Oil filter is Fram 8170, but you can run a longer 3614, or even longer 3600

I ran T6 in 5W-40, and a Wix 51516...

The Fram 3600 / Purolator 20195 / Wix 51516 oil filter
allows for 8 more ounces of oil...

It has an oil filter? Whew, went and checked this model doesn't have an oil filter.

 

[Clayslayer]

Nothing wrong with continuing using "whatever leftovers are on hand". Pretty much ANY 30 or 40 wt will be fine. Change it once a year and it ought to run for decades.

 

[passgas55]

The guy behind me has one similar to yours but I think his engine is smaller. He is a pretty big guy. At first I thought he
would have problems with it being under powered plus his big size but it works good.

As far as oil is concern Delo 15/40($13/gallon Walmart) is my oil of choice in my rider and zero turn. It is rated CK/SN so it is good for gasoline engines. I use the MotorCraft FL910S($4 Walmart) for oil filter.This fits both my B&S and Kaw. engines. Not sure what your engine takes but for the first year I would only use a B&S filter for warranty purposes. Your summers are just as hot as mine.

 

[DdDd]

Funny how the old Troy Bilt stuff got rebranded Craftsman by Lowes.

Any oil is fine. Srsly it's a Briggs it'll run on a water/sand mix.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by DdDd
Funny how the old Troy Bilt stuff got rebranded Craftsman by Lowes.

Any oil is fine. Srsly it's a Briggs it'll run on a water/sand mix.


Hadn't been to Lowe's for a while and went 3 weeks back … Craftsman overload …