I went ahead and bought a WORLDLAWN DIAMONDBACK 52 INCH ZERO TURN.

[davis2]

It's recommended for all oil changes. If you look around there are other oils containing zinc that are designed for use in motorcycles which should work as good as the Kawasaki branded oil so long as they have similar zinc content. Depending on how much dust you kick up you might consider getting a Donaldson style 2 stage air filter, there's a number of places on the internet where you can get one. These are typically found on the commercial Kawasaki twins and can be easily adapted to work on residential mowers. They provide a significant improvement in air filtration and due to the size they aren't restrictive to the point that you'd need to re-tune the engine. I put one on my Big Box store Cub Cadet XT1 50 which has a 23 HP Kawasaki FR691 because of all the dust that gets kicked up here in Oklahoma. It's about 4 years old now with no issues mowing an acre about every 4-7 days with normal maintenance. Pulled and checked spindles recently, still plenty of grease in the sealed bearings, no zerks. The spindles are MTD with chinesium bearings. Will replace them with Timkens if they ever go bad.

Are there other recommendations for cooler climates? Seems a bit heavy for a lawn mower.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Zinc content is irrelevent for mower engines unless your engine is doing 8000+ rpm and you have fitted high strength valve springs.
What is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander
Almost any oil will be fine for a mower engine particularly when it gets replaced annually at the end of each season ( not the beginning of the new one )
Mower oils are the best but not if left in there for too long .
Air cooled engine oils are the second best
The diesel oils
then car oils
But any of them are better than not enough oil or dirty oil
I always find it amusing that people will argue so passionately about things they have little real understanding of .
Oil
Oil filters
Fuel Stabilizers
Climate change
conservation
election results
And with this pear I am out of this thread
Hope NavyNancy does well with his mower

 

[davis2]

Zinc content is irrelevent for mower engines unless your engine is doing 8000+ rpm and you have fitted high strength valve springs.
What is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander
Almost any oil will be fine for a mower engine particularly when it gets replaced annually at the end of each season ( not the beginning of the new one )
Mower oils are the best but not if left in there for too long .
Air cooled engine oils are the second best
The diesel oils
then car oils
But any of them are better than not enough oil or dirty oil
I always find it amusing that people will argue so passionately about things they have little real understanding of .
Oil
Oil filters
Fuel Stabilizers
Climate change
conservation
election results
And with this pear I am out of this thread
Hope NavyNancy does well with his mower

Hey Bert, thanks for the facts on oil. I was beginning to question my use of straight 30 weight in my Cub Cadet 782. It uses a little every other mow, ( approx 3HR) but I will continue what I was doing... But isn't 20w50 a bit heavy for a mower? I'm really curious as to why they would recommend that weight oil.

Usually I have seen recommendations that take temperature into consideration. Maybe because I'm from upstate NY where the weather tends to be more extreme than most places, but still this mind wonders...

 

[bertsmobile1]

Simple as this
When the temperature rises the oil thins
If it gets thin enough more will bypass the rings and be burned in the engine and the seal between the cylinder & the rings will be compromised
If you have ever boiled a car engine , let it get stone cold, refill the engine & crank it then you would have noticed it spun very quickly for a few minutes till the oil got back into the cylinder to create the seal with the piston rings .

 

[davis2]

A

Simple as this
When the temperature rises the oil thins
If it gets thin enough more will bypass the rings and be burned in the engine and the seal between the cylinder & the rings will be compromised
If you have ever boiled a car engine , let it get stone cold, refill the engine & crank it then you would have noticed it spun very quickly for a few minutes till the oil got back into the cylinder to create the seal with the piston rings .

Absolutely makes sense , but I seldom see 20w50 recommendations on new equipment. Must be that particular engine runs hotter? Or larger tolerances?

 

[bertsmobile1]

20W 50 is 20 at 20 deg C
Strait 30 is 30 at 20 deg C
So 20W 50 should be fine at start up
At 100C 20W 50 is as thin as strait 50 would be at 100 C which is marginally heavier than strait 30 would be at 100 C
I rather think ( just an opinion ) that they specify 10W30 10w40 or strait 30 to encourage owners to use mower oil rather than car oil which used to be 20 w 50 .
One of the reasons why Honda push mower engines start easier than Briggs or Kohlers is because Honda uses 10W 40 and 10w is a lot thinner than strait 30 so there is less viscious friction provided by the oil when you are cranking the engine to start it