Hours on a mower

[Timbuktu]

Been using 10w-30 all my life in my mowers. Never had any engine problems on any mowers. Don't burn oil and have over 1,200 hours on them. The manufacturer isn't going to recommend 10w-30 if it's going to damage the engine! 30 weight is for small engines like 5hp engines.

 

[SamB]

Any opinion on Shell Rotella T6 15w40 full synthetic diesel oil?
It supposedly have more anti-wear additives than gasoline engine oils.

 

[jcworks]

OR just use a standard full synthetic? just asking your opinion...most ppl are happy and fine with using standard auto oil on their air cooled 4 strokes...I've always used full synthetic...simply because it has a better thermal property and will not break down over time due to heat. also noting: few people "pickle" their engines for the winter...I smoke the upper cylinder every year with the same synthetic oil ...

I've wondered about putting synthetic in it; didn't know if that was the thing to do or not.

Some on here have made the recommendation to using mower oil because of higher zinc content. I'm not a mechanic but I figured they knew what they're talking about.

 

[MowerNick]

That is not too many hours for that engine but i would definitely use oil made for small engines because most of them have added zinc and i believe automotive oil does not

 

[jviews12]

Agree manual wins, do what they say. Nothing wrong with 30 weight.

More important is regular changes, and change at end of season when last run and drain gas until coughs out of gas. Anything else is evil. fresh gas in spring, not last years gas.

filter also. do not trust former owner.

 

[slomo]

Any opinion on Shell Rotella T6 15w40 full synthetic diesel oil?
It supposedly have more anti-wear additives than gasoline engine oils.

I can go 20,000 miles with Amsoil. Cut like 64,825,187 lawns with it.

 

[RevB]

Got FR series engines with way over 1000 hrs on them, some with over 2000 hrs al running fine
The only ones I have has problems with were ones that the owner serviced and did the air filer clamp up too tight which allowed dust to be sucked into the engine wearing the rings .
So 2 have been re-ringed & now they have Donaldson filters on them, both are running fine , both of these were baggers
Four have needed a head repair because the single clamp bolt on the rocker housing came loose so I now check it is tight every service .

Car oils have different formulations to mower oils, but 20w 50 will not cause an engine failure the one caveat on that is to change it on the final mow for the season, every season .
The reason for this is mower oils have more corrosion inhibitors, water dispersants & anti-sludging agents than car oils because the engine sits around for 3 to 7 months each year depending upon how long the off season is in your region.
And FWIW Kawakasi Australia specify 10w40 and market their own branded 10w40

Got lots of customers who run the same oil as their car uses so they only have one oil in their shed and it stays fresh
An old addage from the vintage motorcycling movement
The best oil is what you have just drained out and the more often it is drained the better it becomes

Got proof for that car vs mower oil? Yeah.....thought so.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Well actually I do .
I studied oils as part of an undergraduate course then again in a couple of post graduate diplomas.
I have broken them down physically & chemically
I was part of the team who originally initiated X-Ray diffraction of used oil to work out the actual alloys that were in the oil, their particle size and percentages then this was plotted agains the actual measured wear during prescribed tear downs for inspection on defence helicopter engines & from this work whole new set of maintenance proceedures were derived with substantially longer operational hours between strip downs
Back then those with lots of brass buttons thought it was all some sort of hocus pocus but after the team predicted 6 engine failures almost to the minute they took notice
Then later did some work with Bel-Ray lubricants working on variations of their blends of motorcycle oils.
So yes I do have a far better understanding of oils than the average Face Book hero who has read the sides of one too many bottles of oil or opened a couple of oil filters with a can opener .
And FWIW the last project I did with the Defence Standards Lab, renamed the Material Research Labs post Vietnam when anything military was considered dirty was to use Accoustic Emissions for the testing of pressure vessels and in particular artillery shell casings & hand held rocket but the lab got defunded, outside contracts were all cancelled so the team was disbanded .We were all head hunted to come to the USA to set up the work again but I had committments down here so I stayed put & went into foundry metallurgy then tertiary metallurgy before becoming a workers compensation risk so went into transport & finally mower repair .
But in order to have an intelligent arguement with some one the other party needs to have an open mind and from the nature of your reply I seriously doubt that you fit that criteria
So you can take it or leave it I do not give a wrinkled rats rectum what you think

 

[Rivets]

Seems like this thread has evolved into “I know more than you do“, and “my oil is better than your oil”. OP’s questions have been answered many times.

 

[Lilranch2001]

Well actually I do .

I do not give a wrinkled rats rectum what you think

I had to say that’s one of the best phrases I have read on a message board!