Oil???

[deriter]

My neighbor and I were talking about lawn mowers. We both have Toro Recyclers and I said I was going to have to tune up and change oil. I said I was going to put in 10-30 synthetic oil. He said you should use Toro's oil because it has added zinc for better wear on engine components. I was wondering what you folks think. Is this right or hype? And is 10-30 ok or should I use straight 30 sae?

 

[Scrubcadet10]

I'm not sure about Toro's oil, But Kinetix,& K-Tech are high in zinc, K-tech is a synthetic blend. Its very beneficial for Flat tappet cam engines, like your mower. I use SAE30.

 

[Rivets]

You can pay the extra money for what ever oil you prefer, but as a Toro tech I’ve used only a good brand of automotive oil for the last 50 years, with no problems. Toro used SAE30 until 2015, then switched to SAE10W-30 since then.

 

[wingless]

Never a bad practice to follow the Owner's Manual.

For my walk behind it says: SAE 30 or SAE 10W-30, API SJ or higher.

 

[MParr]

Plain old SAE30 HD is all that’s needed.

 

[Rivets]

Not with the Loncin engines. Manual calls for 10W-30.

 

[deriter]

The thing I am really wanting to figure out is the zinc additive. Supposedly the Toro brand oil has more zinc added. Now I know Toro doesn't make oil and they just put their label on someone elses oil, but I don't know which one it is they use or again, is it just hype to get you to buy their label oil or what? So is oil, oil, or is there a huge difference between them?

 

[MParr]

The thing I am really wanting to figure out is the zinc additive. Supposedly the Toro brand oil has more zinc added. Now I know Toro doesn't make oil and they just put their label on someone elses oil, but I don't know which one it is they use or again, is it just hype to get you to buy their label oil or what? So is oil, oil, or is there a huge difference between them?

To know for sure, uncap a new bottle and send a sample for analysis.
Kohler 10w30 Synthetic Blend has a good bit of zinc.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/kohler-10w-30-synthetic-blend.341287/

 

[MParr]

If you insist on using a high zinc 10W30, then Valvoline VR1 is a good choice.

US_Val_VR1Mono_MO_EN.pdf - DocuSign CLM

sharena21.springcm.com

 

[Scrubcadet10]

All i use now is Kinetix and K-tech, and rotella is my personal choice, Kinetix and KTECH for others.... I actually think they're both bottled by CITGO, (not the rotella)
I know they're formulated to withstand the temperature needs of an Air Cooled engine, and have anti wear additives that most modern auto oils will not due to Environmental regs.