Best weight oil for my FR651v??

[Kevin O.]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and had a question. I just purchased a 2017 Bob-Cat mower with a FR651v motor.. I found Kawasaki tune up kits on eBay that come with oil, filters, and spark plugs. But the kits came with either SAE 30 weight oil or 10W40. Does it really matter which I use or is one better than the other? Any feedback will be very much appreciated!

Kevin

 

[RDA.Lawns]

My dealer pushes the heaver weight oil. Congrats on your bobcat. I purchased a procat with the 35hp Kawasaki I love it.

 

[7394]

My Dealer says Kawasaki wants owners to use the 10W40 in hotter climates, like ours. They no longer even carry the Kaw branded 30wt here anymore..

 

[7394]

Update: Since switching to the Kaw 10w-40 oil, now my engine uses a little oil. Not happy about that, never used a drop prior, & gonna switch back to the straight 30wt

I'll find 30wt Kaw oil or good substitute somewhere.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Update: Since switching to the Kaw 10w-40 oil, now my engine uses a little oil. Not happy about that, never used a drop prior, & gonna switch back to the straight 30wt

I'll find 30wt Kaw oil or good substitute somewhere.

Come on,
B & S make a strait 30W.
Stens market a strait 30 in both their name and the Opti Brand.
Oregon do a strait 30 W mower oil
Prime Line do a strait 30W mower oil

Can't get mower oil every motorcycle shop that sells dirt bikes carries a strait 30.

10W 40 is the same viscosity as the 10 W oil it is based on so when cold puts very little load on the starter thus it starts faster & easier.
This is one of the reasons why Honda engines start so easily.

However 10W oil is a lot thinner than 30W oil when cold so if there are any places with a bit of wear the 10 W-40 will leak more than the 30 W.
You notice particularly around dip stick seals

 

[7394]

Thanks Bert- :laughing:

I know good sources are around, but always appreciate yer input.

The 10w40 seems to thin out after mowing. My mower always starts very fast & even 'seemed' to run cooler on 30w.

 

[7394]

Local Ace Hardware is a Dixie Chopper dealer, so they carry the Kaw 30wt straight oil.

 

[cpurvis]

No need to stick with "Kawasaki" oil. They don't refine motor oil; they pay an oil company to put their name on the container.

"C" rated oils, such as Rotella, Mobil Delvac, Delo, Valvoline, etc. give good service in air cooled as well as heavy-duty liquid cooled engines. The conventional grades come in single viscosity as well as multi-vis, usually 15w-40. The synthetics are often 5w-40.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Contary to popular belief. Oils aint oils Sol, to quote an old Castrol add.
Mower oils are basically the same as air cooled motorcycle oils with some more anti corrosion & anti water adsorbtion addatives formulated to prevent corrosion for the 99% of the time the engine is sitting in your shed growing old.

The other oils are designed for water cooled engines and are not as good as air cooled engine oils which is why I specifically mentioned motorcycle shops.
Compared to modern cars, a mower engine is something from the steam age.

 

[bertsmobile1]

As for your particular mower, the best oil is the oil you have just changed.
The cheapest part you can put into an engine is oil.
Which is best depends upon a lot of things like how many hours you mow a day a week etc.
Commercial useres generally use a heavier oil because the engine gets hot and stay hot all day