Oil???

[Robo_iii]

So...is this B&S oil a re-labeled oil made by a major oil maker such as what I have been using? I've been using Shell Rotella diesel in my non-cat sportscar and also for my small engines. Is this oil formulated for Briggs and to their specs?

I'm sure it' relabeled stuff. It's formulated mostly for severe applications like snowblowers and stuff. I've been using since 2017 with zero issues. I never have to add oil during mow season since break-in. Good enough for me.

Well, not to beat a dead horse, but my thinking on the synthetic oil was that I heard that synthetic takes the heat better and that it holds up better than regular oil. So I was thinking to get longer life out of the mower, then use synthetic. I see maybe I have been over thinking this?
Thank you all for you comments and info.

Main point would be use what oil is available in your budget and change annually or every 20hrs (unless mower manufacture state less run time).

Another hot topic for keeping motor trouble free is whether to use ethanol-free gas year round or last fill of the season?
To find your nearest ethanol-free station by state:
https://www.pure-gas.org




.

 

[sgkent]

please get back to me when this thread on oil gets to 20,419 posts like they do in every other forum I belong to when oil is discussed.

 

[deriter]

Oh well sgkent, but I still do appreciate all the comments and opinions. It has been quite interesting to me and gave me more ways to consider what to use and when. Thanks to all who responded.

 

[bertsmobile1]

please get back to me when this thread on oil gets to 20,419 posts like they do in every other forum I belong to when oil is discussed.

Yes I love oil threads.
Oil is all about the physics & chemistry of the oil at a molecular level
If you don't understand molecular physics & chemistry then all that all you are doing is passing on annedotes based on your very limited personal experience or repeating marketing bumph.
Which unless you were directly involved in the lubrication industry is not particularly relevent ( and that includes me )
And they are a lot more complicated than most think
Yet without any understanding of the basics every one some how thinks they are experts .
Down here mechanics get 1 semister, that is 2 hours a week for 13 weeks to cover greases , oils & coolants.
Way too short & way too superficial , I taught it from time to time when the regular teacher was not available
Some of the stuff, like gear pumps chop up the long molecules in multigrade oils , or multigrades grades get thicker as they get hotter would be considered a joke routine at any physics conference yet there are people who will argue they are true till their final breath .
And this was in the days when synthetics were only used in defence applications because they were so expensive so were not included in the training.
Then you get the clots who can not understand that what is used on a race track does not automatically translate to mowers in fact it is totally irrelevent as the only similarities is they both have a spark plug & burn a hydrocarbon under pressure .
The comments about zinc here shows almost no one understands why the zinc was added ( it replaced sulphur originally ) and what are the criteria that require zinc .

 

[bertsmobile1]

Oh well sgkent, but I still do appreciate all the comments and opinions. It has been quite interesting to me and gave me more ways to consider what to use and when. Thanks to all who responded.

It is pretty simple
Check the oil every time you use the mower
Keep it to the max mark
Change it every season at the end of the season
Don't operate vertical shaft engines beyond their tilt limit lest the oil pick up ends up above the oil level
Use an oil of appropriate viscosity for the environment you are in
IN A MOWER all the rest makes no significant difference anywhere apart from between your ears .

 

[Robo_iii]

So...is this B&S oil a re-labeled oil made by a major oil maker such as what I have been using? I've been using Shell Rotella diesel in my non-cat sportscar and also for my small engines. Is this oil formulated for Briggs and to their specs?

I'm sure it' relabeled stuff. It's formulated mostly for severe applications like snowblowers and stuff. I've been using since 2017 with zero issues. I never have to add oil during mow season since break-in. Good enough for me.

Well, not to beat a dead horse, but my thinking on the synthetic oil was that I heard that synthetic takes the heat better and that it holds up better than regular oil. So I was thinking to get longer life out of the mower, then use synthetic. I see maybe I have been over thinking this?
Thank you all for you comments and info.

Main point would be use what oil is available in your budget and change it annually or every 20hrs (unless mower manufacture state less run time).

Another hot topic for keeping motor trouble free is whether to use non-ethanol gas year round or last fill of the season? To find your nearest non-ethanol station by state:
https://www.pure-gas.org




.

Yes I love oil threads.
Oil is all about the physics & chemistry of the oil at a molecular level
If you don't understand molecular physics & chemistry then all that all you are doing is passing on annedotes based on your very limited personal experience or repeating marketing bumph.
Which unless you were directly involved in the lubrication industry is not particularly relevent ( and that includes me )
And they are a lot more complicated than most think
Yet without any understanding of the basics every one some how thinks they are experts .
Down here mechanics get 1 semister, that is 2 hours a week for 13 weeks to cover greases , oils & coolants.
Way too short & way too superficial , I taught it from time to time when the regular teacher was not available
Some of the stuff, like gear pumps chop up the long molecules in multigrade oils , or multigrades grades get thicker as they get hotter would be considered a joke routine at any physics conference yet there are people who will argue they are true till their final breath .
And this was in the days when synthetics were only used in defence applications because they were so expensive so were not included in the training.
Then you get the clots who can not understand that what is used on a race track does not automatically translate to mowers in fact it is totally irrelevent as the only similarities is they both have a spark plug & burn a hydrocarbon under pressure .
The comments about zinc here shows almost no one understands why the zinc was added ( it replaced sulphur originally ) and what are the criteria that require zinc .

All true. I like having zinc in my 2017 GCV Honda motor since they now incorporate single cam lobe made out of plastic.

 

[slomo]

I use non zinc oil. Had to go out last night and start all of my OPE. Yup all ran perfect. Guess zinc is a marketing gimmick that is not necessary. Had me worried a bit.

 

[enigma-2]

Getting back to the OP's question, (and I'm the first to admit that I know next to nothing about it), the purpose of zinc in oil is to work as an anti oxidant. (It helps prevent the oil from breaking down and extends its useful life).

 

[slomo]

Getting back to the OP's question, (and I'm the first to admit that I know next to nothing about it), the purpose of zinc in oil is to work as an anti oxidant. (It helps prevent the oil from breaking down and extends its useful life).

So now I need to change it every week? Month?

Thought zinc was anti wear?

Now I'm tripping out. Do I need zinc oil or not?

 

[Rivets]

Only if you like spending money and don’t follow normal maintenance schedules.