Allis 918H Garden Tractor - 16 hp Kohler.

[mrsilv04]

Here's the unit:

Agco Allis 918H. 16 hp Kohler single cylinder. History and Hours unknown. Year unknown. Seems to have good compression, but may be burning a little bit of oil. It will be used to plow snow after light snowfalls. I'm in Illinois and it will be stored in an unheated shed. It will also be used to mow grass in the summer, but not a lot (mostly ditchbanks, where the John Deere F935 can't easily get to).

I think I already know my answer, but want to run it by the wisdom of the list here.

I'm thinking Rotella T 15w-40, year round... (or should I go with something like Rotella T 10w-30...yes, I can get that locally...in the winter?)

 

[Ugly3]

I ran a Kohler 7HP single cylinder engine (from the late 60s I would guess) on Mobil 1 5w30 for years. No consumption and it always started. Even started at -29F "on a bet". A great engine, lots of power and ran like a clock.

 

[TimVipond]

How about this one? Formula 4-Stroke® 10W-30/SAE 30
Synthetic Small Engine Oil (ASE)
A commercial grade formulation designed for hot temperature, severe service operation of small engines where routine maintenance is often difficult or infrequent. Recommended for use wherever SAE 10W-30 or SAE 30 oil is specified in gasoline or diesel engines, transmissions, hydraulics, and chain cases requiring the listed specifications. Applications include maintenance equipment, tractors, lawn and garden equipment, generators, compactors, pumps, light towers, welders, log splitters, power washers, cement mixers and trowels, skid-steers, excavators and compressors.

Engine manufacturers include - Briggs & Stratton, Kohler, Honda, Tecumseh, Robin, Kawasaki, Onan, Kubota, Yanmar, Wisconsin, Power Train, Vanguard and Linemar.

 

[Brett Miller]

Any HD 30 will work fine in that old Kohler. They are one of the best small engines ever made and will run a long, long time with a little maintenance.

 

[Bror Jace]

mrsilv04, I think you're on the right track with your first choice. Any of the (synthetic) 5W-40s would be an excellent choice for a tractor that is used year-round and kept in an unheated area.

Lots of different oils will work OK, but I love the HDEOs for their additive package (ideal for engines stored long times and for dealing with fuel dilution).

The 5W-40 will flow well in sub-freezing temps and protect very well in really high temps as well. Though shear-resistant, it will still protect well if sheared (or diluted) down a full grade.

 

[JTK]

Quote:

---

Here's the unit:

Agco Allis 918H. 16 hp Kohler single cylinder...

---

WOW! Good find. Those are a beast of a garden tractor. You don't see many of them around.

Joel

 

[mrsilv04]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Here's the unit:

Agco Allis 918H. 16 hp Kohler single cylinder...

---

WOW! Good find. Those are a beast of a garden tractor.
You don't see many of them around.

Joel

---

Plus, it was given to me. Guy bought a house and it came with the house, and he wanted it gone. Can't wait to tinker with it this weekend.

 

[mrsilv04]

Just got to plow my first snow (4") with the little Allis.

As I suspected, it is burning some oil, but not a whole lot. When I drove it out of the shed, the oil was full on the dipstick. When I drove it back in about 2.5 hours later, it was down halfway in the cross hatch area. Topped it back off with some Pennzoil 10w-30 that I found sitting in the shed. (I hope to get the oil changed in it soon.)

During that 2.5 hours, it was probably running nearly wide open for 2 hours, and it was on idle for the rest of the time.

The other thing was that it took about two minutes of warm up time before the hydrostat would move the tractor. Looked underneath it, and the spin on hydro filter looks like it has been there since the Reagan administration. So... a hydro fluid and filter change is in the near future.

And that is my question. I have no owners manual on this tractor. What fluid for the hydro unit? What filter? Does anyone have any knowledge of these little Allises?

 

[Bill Kapaun]

wixfilters.com has a lookup for "offroad" applications.

 

[JTK]

Quote:

---

And that is my question. I have no owners manual on this tractor. What fluid for the hydro unit? What filter? Does anyone have any knowledge of these little Allises?

---

If it's an old sauer/sunstrand/danfoss hydro, they use ATF or a 20wt motor oil.

Joel