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It is Safe to Use a Synthetic 5W-30 in 4-cycle Mower Engines!

#1

R

RoofTopPigeon

It is Safe to Use a Synthetic 5W-30 in 4-cycle Mower Engines!
Simply for the fact that 5W-30 Engine Oil's are Designed and Engineered
Too Operate has a 30-Weight Oil; When the Engine is Warm and Running.

Do any of you Small Engine Guy's on this Forum agree?

This information and the Experp.
Included in this photo came Directly from
My Mower's Manual with a Briggs and Stratton 4-Cycle Engine on it.


mowertip101.jpg


#2

reynoldston

reynoldston

I agree, I use it in everything. I use the Amsoil 0W-40 in the winter time. To move snow my equipment gets used very heavy duty use. I would suggest just something a little heavier in the summer time in mowers seeing its all the same price. Your mower might use a little oil with using something that lite.


#3

R

RoofTopPigeon

reynoldston said:
I agree, I use it in everything. I use the Amsoil 0W-40 in the winter time. To move snow my equipment gets used very heavy duty use. I would suggest just something a little heavier in the summer time in mowers seeing its all the same price. Your mower might use a little oil with using something that lite.
Click to expand...

reynoldston; I may switch to My Mower to the Amsoil 0W-40
Once it gets 10 or 15 or so years old. And the engine tolerances Loosen up.
BUT; My Mower has a Briggs and Stratton on it; and they Recommend using
a Full-Synthetic 5W-30 for the BEST Protection in Outdoor Temps up to 120ºF

And Since my Mower is New as I Just bought it in April of 2016
I'm going to use the Synthetic 5W-30 that's Recommended in my Manual. :thumbsup:





motoroil.jpg


#4

B

bertsmobile1

Any oil within the viscosity ranges specified in your manual will not hurt your engine.
Mower oil will be better than car oil as they have different additive packages.
Try to remember to change your oil on the last mow of the season and by that I mean finish mowing then drain the oil while it is still hot and really well mixed.

I mostly use strait SAE 30 when mowers are out of warranty and am yet to have a customer come back with an engine failure oil related, other than lack thereof or mowing long compound slopes where the pump, slinger was above oil level so pumping air.
If it makes you feel go do it.
If you think it will cause your engine life to extend, it won't
It will reduce engine friction a bit and that is about all.
If your engine ever gets hot enough to cook std oil then the engine is already a write off.


#5

BWH

BWH

I also use 10W-30 synthetic in my mower with a V-Twin Briggs & Stratton from brand new to present, I actually ran that Briggs 1400+ Hrs. mowing in the summer heat and blowing in the winter cold. I sold that mower to a friend (that tells you my confidence in the lubrication) and he has given it a good workout for the last four years. All in all 24 years and 1400* Hrs. on a Briggs Stratton kind of speaks for itself, but with out a good maintenance program I might not have gotten there either.


#6

R

RoofTopPigeon

bertsmobile1 said:
Any oil within the viscosity ranges specified in your manual will not hurt your engine.
Mower oil will be better than car oil as they have different additive packages.

If it makes you feel go do it.

If you think it will cause your engine life to extend, it won't
It will reduce engine friction a bit and that is about all.
If your engine ever gets hot enough to cook standard oil then the engine is already a write off.
Click to expand...
(i.e. I am Agreed bertsmobile1)

That is Why I am Choosing to use Valvoline's Full-Synthetic 5W-30 High-Mileage Blend
Because Valvoline states that it is possible of providing protection up to 400ºF and they also state that the their High-Mileage Blend is
formulated with more anti-wear additives that STAY in the Oil Longer. :thumbsup:

motoroil.jpg


#7

R

RoofTopPigeon

bertsmobile1;

Are Victa; the Best Selling Brand of Push Mower's in Australia?
and if not; what is?


#8

reynoldston

reynoldston

Yes by all means use the 5W-30 and your own choice of oil. No one agrees on oil anyways. The reason I use the full synthetic 0W-40 in the winter time is my snow removal equipment sits out in a non heated building and I find it starts with a lot less effort on the really cold days and nothing to do with loose tolerances. I am in the repair end of the mower business and not the lawn mowing part of it. Just in my experience I find 5W-30 in lawn mowers just tend to use more oil. You wouldn't do any harm by using the 5W-30 and find any of the dealer I have worked for all use it in new and older mowers.


#9

R

RoofTopPigeon

reynoldston said:
Just in my experience I find 5W-30 in lawn mowers just tend to use more oil. You wouldn't do any harm by using the 5W-30 and find any of the dealer I have worked for all use it in new and older mowers.
Click to expand...

From the Experp. I pulled out of my Mower's Manual
Briggs and Stratton Says that From their own Company testing that 10W-30's
Tend to use more oil; when used in outdoor tempetures above 80ºF
The Exerp. I Scanned out of my Manual is in Post #1 at the top of this thread. :licking:


#10

R

RoofTopPigeon

But I'm sure Their Lab Testing;
is Probably a bit Cleaner condition then real-world. :wink:


#11

reynoldston

reynoldston

I have found this out more by experience then any lab test. I am around a lot of different brand engines and mowers and find that mowers use more oil with the multi weight oils. I have found through the many years of being in the repair trade that they are always making big improvements in lubrications. This is the reason I will still say you will just be find with the synthetic 5W-30 and as the manual tells you just keep a close eye on the oil level. Myself just out of habit I always check the oil before I use any of my equipment.


#12

B

bertsmobile1

RoofTopPigeon said:
bertsmobile1;

Are Victa; the Best Selling Brand of Push Mower's in Australia?
and if not; what is?
Click to expand...

Due to the total ineptitude of the various managements over the past 40 years Victa has gone from 70% of the Aust market to 30%.
That still makes it the top selling brand but now they are just another "Briggs on a Bowl" I would expect that share to drop even further.
The previous management company outsourced the new designs to a commercial design company who designed a trash mower made from tissue paper that was impossible to use and rusted out before warranty expired.
AFAIK they got to a state that they were no longer able to service their debts to B & S which were secured by options which B & S exercised a while back.
B & S stopped the option of Honda engines so that knocked 5 % off their sales.
B & S Stopped developement on the new generation Power Torq ( Eco Torq) which was just about ready for production, they also jacked up the price of the 2 strokes to be $ 100- $ 200 more than the same chassis with a sprint engine which killed sales of the 2 strokes which allowed B & S to continue with it's long term plan to shut down all Australian production of Victa lawnmowers.
The locally made Victas all have a particulalry bad Chinese made B &S branded engine so they are selling more USA made mowers rebadged as Victa.
B & S have also jacked up the price of 2 stroke spares to force them all to be replaced.
A new ignition module for a late model Power torq engine is now $ 180 ( Wholesale ).
one of the aftermarket suppliers is now working with Atom industries ( inventors of the ignition module ) to make a $ 25 replacement .
The Mk I Power torqe was good for 50 years and the Mk II to Mk IV should be good for longer if we can get ignition modules for them.
Rover , ( owned by MTD ) selling rebadged World Lawn probably come in second
Masport (owned by MTD ) selling rebadged USA mowers would be 3rd
Honda would be 4th
After that there is dozens of brands all with 5 % or less and mostly rebadged Chinese temporary diverted land fill sold under house brands or old local brands


#13

reynoldston

reynoldston

bertsmobile1 said:
Due to the total ineptitude of the various managements over the past 40 years Victa has gone from 70% of the Aust market to 30%.
That still makes it the top selling brand but now they are just another "Briggs on a Bowl" I would expect that share to drop even further.
The previous management company outsourced the new designs to a commercial design company who designed a trash mower made from tissue paper that was impossible to use and rusted out before warranty expired.
AFAIK they got to a state that they were no longer able to service their debts to B & S which were secured by options which B & S exercised a while back.
B & S stopped the option of Honda engines so that knocked 5 % off their sales.
B & S Stopped developement on the new generation Power Torq ( Eco Torq) which was just about ready for production, they also jacked up the price of the 2 strokes to be $ 100- $ 200 more than the same chassis with a sprint engine which killed sales of the 2 strokes which allowed B & S to continue with it's long term plan to shut down all Australian production of Victa lawnmowers.
The locally made Victas all have a particulalry bad Chinese made B &S branded engine so they are selling more USA made mowers rebadged as Victa.
B & S have also jacked up the price of 2 stroke spares to force them all to be replaced.
A new ignition module for a late model Power torq engine is now $ 180 ( Wholesale ).
one of the aftermarket suppliers is now working with Atom industries ( inventors of the ignition module ) to make a $ 25 replacement .
The Mk I Power torqe was good for 50 years and the Mk II to Mk IV should be good for longer if we can get ignition modules for them.
Rover , ( owned by MTD ) selling rebadged World Lawn probably come in second
Masport (owned by MTD ) selling rebadged USA mowers would be 3rd
Honda would be 4th
After that there is dozens of brands all with 5 % or less and mostly rebadged Chinese temporary diverted land fill sold under house brands or old local brands
Click to expand...

:confused2: :confused2:


#14

R

RoofTopPigeon

bertsmobile1 said:
After that there is dozens of brands all with 5 % or less and mostly rebadged Chinese temporary diverted land fill sold under house brands or old local brands
Click to expand...

bertsmobile1; if you were to go out and buy a do push mower today; in Australia what brand would you buy?


#15

R

RoofTopPigeon

bertsmobile1 said:
After that there is dozens of brands all with 5 % or less and mostly rebadged Chinese temporary diverted land fill sold under house brands or old local brands
Click to expand...

bertsmobile1; if you were to go out and buy a new push mower today; in Australia what brand would you buy?


#16

B

bertsmobile1

Honda,
Any of the models with a steel or alloy deck
Because they will outlast any NEW mower & have parts back up for a long time.

2nd choice
Masport.
Mowers are not as good quality but strong dealer network and again a good part back up for older models.

Nothing else new.
Everything else is either badly made trash or has dubious distribution & support.
Because the market is so small most brands are franchised.
The franchisors are a small group of "old money morons with deep pockets & massive egos " so they pay way too much for exclusive distribution rights then jack up the prices to recoup some of their ego's spending.
Because they are basically loss making they do little advertising , have very poor dealer support , carry almost no spares & have inept warehousing.
Then the brand owner changes the franchisor so old dealers have to change to a new supply network to get new stock and the new distributors will not carry any parts for the previous distributors models unless they fit current models.
Then you have a sh*t fight to get warranty work done as the old & new distributors argue over who is liable.
The power tool market is really competative down here snd every brand of electric drill also appears on a lawn mower, originating in China.
I can buy a lawnmower for $ 72 landed from China if I buy them in 2000 unit lots so we get a lot of these selling just under $ 200.


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