Headed to store for oil

sgkent

sgkent

Lawn Addict
Should know the answer to this, and probably there is very little difference no matter what direction I take. Scenario - 2006 Toro walk behind with moderate hours on it. Twenty years of mowing with maybe 30 minutes a week for most of that 20 years. Briggs and Stratton engine, runs great, always maintained. Manual calls for SAE30 or fully synthetic 10w-30 or even 5W-30. For full season range oil from 0F to 100F basically use a fully synthetic or below 40F use one SAE regular oil viscosity and above 40F use another SAE regular oil viscosity. I've almost always used some version of SAE 30 in it. Maybe one season or two used 10w-30. Usually labeled mower oil or specifically small engine oil if it was available. Engine was down a little today from full so I added some more Kawasaki SAE 30 and made a note to change the oil. Problem is that around here, seems that every time I go to buy oil the marketing and labeling for oils changes about as much as the operating system on my computer or phone. Easiest solution, grab whatever they have on the shelf. Hardest solution, try to see past the marketing to what is actually in the container. The orange HD store has only quarts or half quarts. However it is less costly to buy maybe two seasons worth for all the small engines here, and just do the annual oil change now. Filters and plugs don't really need it yet. The L blue store only has SAE30 large containers in stock. Grade is fine until next winter when the temps fall again. TSC has a synthetic made by VP. Ok. VP is a racing fuel and oil company last time I checked. Their container is marked in a way I have never seen before - "FULL-SYNTHETIC SAE 30 & 10W-30". Specs just say it is for use in both applicationsSAE30 and 10W-30. The specs do not say whether it is a mix, blend, or what the base oil is etc.. Anyone want to share what they are using this season as the marketing keeps changing. I have no interest in an oil brand that I need to go to a special dealer for, or that I can't get over the counter at one of the local box stores - e.g., Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, Walmart, Napa, AutoZone, O'Reilly's etc..
 
sgkent said:
Should know the answer to this, and probably there is very little difference no matter what direction I take. Scenario - 2006 Toro walk behind with moderate hours on it. Twenty years of mowing with maybe 30 minutes a week for most of that 20 years. Briggs and Stratton engine, runs great, always maintained. Manual calls for SAE30 or fully synthetic 10w-30 or even 5W-30. For full season range oil from 0F to 100F basically use a fully synthetic or below 40F use one SAE regular oil viscosity and above 40F use another SAE regular oil viscosity. I've almost always used some version of SAE 30 in it. Maybe one season or two used 10w-30. Usually labeled mower oil or specifically small engine oil if it was available. Engine was down a little today from full so I added some more Kawasaki SAE 30 and made a note to change the oil. Problem is that around here, seems that every time I go to buy oil the marketing and labeling for oils changes about as much as the operating system on my computer or phone. Easiest solution, grab whatever they have on the shelf. Hardest solution, try to see past the marketing to what is actually in the container. The orange HD store has only quarts or half quarts. However it is less costly to buy maybe two seasons worth for all the small engines here, and just do the annual oil change now. Filters and plugs don't really need it yet. The L blue store only has SAE30 large containers in stock. Grade is fine until next winter when the temps fall again. TSC has a synthetic made by VP. Ok. VP is a racing fuel and oil company last time I checked. Their container is marked in a way I have never seen before - "FULL-SYNTHETIC SAE 30 & 10W-30". Specs just say it is for use in both applicationsSAE30 and 10W-30. The specs do not say whether it is a mix, blend, or what the base oil is etc.. Anyone want to share what they are using this season as the marketing keeps changing. I have no interest in an oil brand that I need to go to a special dealer for, or that I can't get over the counter at one of the local box stores - e.g., Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, Walmart, Napa, AutoZone, O'Reilly's etc..
Click to expand...
10W-30.
 
Politics, religion, which oil is the best have been debated long before many of us were born, yet we still seem to carry burdens as they were handed down to us.

I use regular 10W-30 year-round in all of my small engine equipment down here in South Texas. Most of my equipment is well over 25 years old and still going strong.

I am not a proponent of "brand shopping" for oils because the markets are flooded with sales gimmicks and half-truths.

My JD propane farm tractor and diesel TLB call for regular 30 weight, but those specs, in my opinion are outdated due to when the machines were made. I changed over to 15W-40 and they actually run better.

Straight weight oils are not used as much anymore. I think much of that has to do with needing to warm the equipment engine up for a prolonged period. Straight weight oils have very poor flow characteristics when the temperatures drop below freezing.
Multi-weight oils are designed for changing weather, so traditional warm up times are not prolonged.

I do draw the line at generic "yellow bottle" recycled /refined oil products. That stuff has no standardized viscosity.
 
thanks. What started this is I noticed the blurb in the Toro manual this time that I missed before. It was the asterisk next to the grades that said if synthetic oil is not used then excessive bore wear will result below 40F. When I looked for "engine oil" nearby, no one had a fully synthetic solution in a larger container other except the VP racing oil that is listed as "FULL-SYNTHETIC SAE 30 & 10W-30". I have never seen an oil listed as both a SAE30 and a 10W-30. I thought they were one or the other, not both. For the lawn mower I could not care about the brand really, just the grade. I also don't want to pay $20 a quart either on a mower oil. Most of the synthetic oils for sale here are listed for water cooled cars and trucks, not air cooled small engines.
 
Lack of maintenance and running in dusty conditions are what cause excess wear on cylinder bores, not the oil.

Synthetic oil is beneficial to any engine because it reduces fluid friction more than conventional oil.

Lake Speed Jr. is known as the "oil geek" and has lots of You Tube videos about every oil you can imagine. It's worth watching some of his videos.
 
Thanks. I have seen him many times. His podcasts are great.

here is what Briggs suggests. No one around here sells the Vanguard oil. I'll find something similar.

oil.jpg
 
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Maybe it is just because I am in my mid-70's now but my head is spinning on this. The present oil API ratings that Briggs suggests is SF, SG, SH, SJ (or a generic statement "or higher"). The Vanguard 15W-50 oil is CK-4 which is a diesel rating. Most oils today are SN or SP. I feel like Briggs is not even paying attention with their recommendation. SJ and older is for "2001 cars and older". SF, SG and SH have been obsolete for 20+ years. CK-4 is diesel. The recommendation screenshot came from their website TODAY, not 25 years ago.
 
Hello sgkent,

I suspect Briggs & Stratton and other manufacturers have little care about stating the best oil to use in a manner that would be "up to date". I find outdated (forgotten) official information in the owner's manuals an online all the time.

These companies specialize in small engine equipment, but they also know the reality that people run them hard and neglect the maintenance.

I see locked up and knocking engines with fresh oil come in all the time.

It's a little late to check and top off the oil after the damage is done. LOL
 
You are certainly correct about no engine doing well when neglected. That said, you might laugh, my neighbor was out mowing one day many years ago and the blade was doing some damage to his grass, I offered to sharpen and balance the blade for him, and change the oil, which he accepted. There was no oil in the engine - zip nada none. Took maybe three or four oil and solvent changes in a row while it was still hot to get most of the black sludge out of the engine. It was 20 years old at that point and he had never tuned it or added oil. I think he gave it to his kid about 20 years ago and the original engine still runs.

I just ran over to our local mower and chain saw shop that sells and services all the equipment to the local landscaping services. They sold me some synthetic blend Kawasaki 10W-30 that they put in everything they service these days. I'll change it tomorrow or Monday, and check the filter and blade. Should be pretty sharp, I sharpened and balanced it less that six months ago.
 
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There are no standards for what "Synthetic Blend" means. It could mean it only has 1 drop of synthetic in it. Therefore I only buy Full Synthetic. Now if you got over 20 years out of a mower you should be telling us what you use and you should not change. Personally I use 10-30 for mowers and 5-30 for snowblowers, Walmart full synthetic high mileage. I assume your mower is a Briggs flathead, the best mower engine ever made bar none.
 
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