Hours between oil changes
- Thread starter lbirke
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I would recommend changing your oil every 50 hours or if you don't use it that often, then the beginning of each season. If you are working in a dusty/dirty environment or extreme heat, you might want to reduce that to every 35 hours. Don't forget the air filter also.
Ric
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Change your oil and filter every fifty hours or If you are working in a dusty/dirty environment more often. I'd go with what the manual and the manufacturer says to run. Most all the manufacturers call or recommend a detergent oil of SG, SH, SJ or SL for oil type, not a synthetic. I don't think I've ever seen a manual that recommended synthetic oil for a mower. 
MBDiagMan
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Ric,
I was trying to download a .pdf of the Kohler Command Pro 25 Owners Manual to show you, but it only downloads part of it. I have a copy on my IPad at home.
I ASSURE you that it is very clear in it's approval of the use of synthetic oil in the correct Viscosity range. It warns not to extend the oil change interval if used.
If the OP has an air cooled engine it is likely a Kohler Command Pro.
Larry
I was trying to download a .pdf of the Kohler Command Pro 25 Owners Manual to show you, but it only downloads part of it. I have a copy on my IPad at home.
I ASSURE you that it is very clear in it's approval of the use of synthetic oil in the correct Viscosity range. It warns not to extend the oil change interval if used.
If the OP has an air cooled engine it is likely a Kohler Command Pro.
Larry
Ric
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Yes I know what it says, I have the manuals for the Kohler Courage 20 and 22hp engines and both my manuals Recommend a High Quality Detergent oil of API service class SG,SH, SJ or higher. It does say in the Temperature table that USE of synthetic oil having 5w20 or 5w30rating is acceptable. Now I don't know about anyone else but being acceptable is not the same as being Recommended in my book. I run the Mobil 5000 10w30 and I have for years and never had any problems in air cooled engines.
MBDiagMan
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I'm not trying to be argumentative, but a synthetic with an SG, SH, SJ or higher would seem to be a "High Quality Detergent" oil. I personally have been slow to get on the synthetic band wagon, but now that I have run a few vehicles in excess of 250,000 miles and one to 333,000 miles on the stuff, I have gotten to be a believer.
One of the real advantages of synthetic is it's ability to deal with high oil temperature. It would seem that this characteristic would be quite well suited for an air cooled engine in the event that some strange condition gets the fins plugged with grass or trash, there is some extra margin until the fins are cleaned out. I believe that Mobil 5000 is also a good choice.
I really don't like oil threads that get contentious. I think that what leads to this is that today, all premium oils are of quite high quality as opposed to the crap that we had to use in the fifties and sixties. For this reason there are many oils out there that have served people very well, so they want to share their experiences of success with others.
My $0.02,
Larry
djdicetn
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I hear ya.....I've bantered back & forth in threads debating synthetic/non-synthetic and it's pretty pointless. Either, if changed regularly(commonly agreed upon as 50 hours or seasonal, whichever comes first), will keep an engine like new. However, the point I tend to get "argumentative" about if using non-synthetic is that a single viscosity(i.e. SAE30) will over the years prevent oil consumption versus a 10w30, etc. multi-viscosity and I believe most small engine manufacturers' engine owner manuals will concur to the accuracy of that. I too, would prefer not to escalte that opinion into a debate:0)
Ric
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As much of a believer as you are in synthetic, I'm just the opposite. I see no advantage to running synthetic. If synthetic oil is called for in a car or a mower engine the manufacturer would say so and not list it as an alternative. People go out and spend from $7 to $11 a quart for the stuff depending what you buy and believe me that's great if you want to spend that much money to make yourself feel good, but if you change oil as often as I do, in five different mowers you'd change your tune in a hurry. I mean really 26 plus dollars a change for each or both my ZTR's every three weeks or fifty hours can get rather expensive when you consider it cost me less than $12 with a filter now.
