New Snowblower - Dino or Syn.

[chefwong]

New Honda 2 Stage Snowblower on it's way. Would you feed it dino for it's entire life or use Syn. I'm guilty of using Syn in the single stage as the only oil I keep on my shelf if GC and TWS1060

 

[Turk]

Definitely Syn for the cold start-up protection. I ran the FF for 2 hours in my 3 year old 10HP TORO Snowlauncher, then put in Amsoil (AZO) Signature Series 0w-30. Drained & re-filled with the same at the end of each season. Starts & runs fantastic.

 

[tig1]

I use M1 in my Honda lawn mower and it still runs great even though it's 23 years old.

 

[boraticus]

I never use synthetic in anything I own. If you do annual oil changes in your OPE and don't rack up more hours than what the manual specifies for OCI's what's the advantage of using much more expensive oil when there are excellent off the shelf oils available for a fraction of the cost? Just don't make any sense to spend more on synthetic oil just to dump it when it's not even seen half of it's service life. I'd use any decent 5W30 conventional oil and change is as per engine's instructions. Your engine will likely last as long as you'll own it and probably longer using any good conventional oil of the correct viscosity.

 

[Trav]

Quote:

I'm guilty of using Syn in the single stage as the only oil I keep on my shelf if GC and TWS1060

GC or mobil 1 0w40 is perfect in these snowblower engines.

 

[bepperb]

Entire life on syn. I go thin for a snowblower 5-30 or 0-30. EDIT: Neither of mine have electric start, a BIG reason to go on the thinner side.

 

[eljefino]

I'd break it in on dino then switch to syn. But think about it, you need relative warmth to get moisture needed for snow. Rarely does it snow below 15'F.

 

[bepperb]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

I'd break it in on dino then switch to syn. But think about it, you need relative warmth to get moisture needed for snow. Rarely does it snow below 15'F.

I agree with that, at least here in WI. What happens to me, though, is it snows all day and I get home at 6 or 7pm, and by then it's already colder. Or I can't get to it until the next morning. So at least a couple times a year I'm in single digits with the Toro. Thankfully I have the bomber hat. That's really the most important thing.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: tig1

I use M1 in my Honda lawn mower and it still runs great even though it's 23 years old.

I've got a 30+ year old Tecumseh 3.5 engine on an old Craftsman lawnmower that has been fed everything from turkey gravy to sardine oil and it's still running like new. It's never seen synthetic oil and for the first ten years, that mower belonged to a guy who didn't know where the drain plug was on the engine. If you are changing oil at intervals specified in the engine manual, synthetic oil is not necessary to prolong OPE engine life. Any oil will provide the lubrication it needs. Just change the oil annually or as per manual's instructions and the engine will usually outlast the machine it's mounted on.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher

Definitely Syn for the cold start-up protection. I ran the FF for 2 hours in my 3 year old 10HP TORO Snowlauncher, then put in Amsoil (AZO) Signature Series 0w-30. Drained & re-filled with the same at the end of each season. Starts & runs fantastic.

When I received my new Simplicity with B&S Kool Bore engine, it had Mobil 1 5W30 synthetic oil in it. I drained it and broke the engine in with 5W30 conventional then switched back to the 5W30 Mobil 1. I don't know if it's a problem with Kool Bore engines or just mine but it consumed the Mobil 1 noticeably. Can't say how much exactly but after two hours of moderate work, the oil would be visibly down on the dipstick requiring topping off. Last year I pulled the spark plug and was amazed at how much black residue was baked onto it. I was surprised that it would even spark. I switched over to 5W30 conventional oil and consumption is reduced but still happening. Spark plug isn't getting the build up it got with the Mobil 1. That was my one and only use of synthetic oil. Considering the rate at which the engine consumed the oil, there was no way that it would be in there long enough for extended use. Hence rendering synthetic oil's primary advantage useless. My engine always fires on the first pull so I never use the electric start. There is absolutely NO difference in resistance between synthetic and conventional oil of the same viscosity. None. Any I've fired my machine up at well below -25 F. So from my experience, whoever says that synthetic oil makes it turn over easier in cold temperatures is a little less than correct. Conventional oil of the same viscosity gets to where it has to be just as fast as synthetic. I've got a lot of engines old and new running on conventional oil I doubt that any of them would have fared better it they were running on synthetic.

 

[Jeepster_nut]

Use the most dirt cheapest conventional you can find. No need for synthetics. The rest of the machine will fall apart before the motor fails from conventional oil. Take the money saved and buy a large hot chocolate or coffee for after you're done with the driveway!

 

[dave123]

You spent good money on a Honda snowblower feed it good oil and change once a year you be good to go. In ten years I have run PP GC Amsoil HDD and Mystic in my 9HP Snow King never a drop used and all ran the same and runs like the day I bought it.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: dave123

You spent good money on a Honda snowblower feed it good oil and change once a year you be good to go. In ten years I have run PP GC Amsoil HDD and Mystic in my 9HP Snow King never a drop used and all ran the same and runs like the day I bought it.

I ran two snow blowers with 10 h.p. Snow King engines for ten years each using nothing but inexpensive off the shelf 10W30 and 5W30 conventional oil changed annually. Both snow blowers saw plenty of hard service dealing with occasional huge lake effects snow dumps in harsh Canadian winter conditions. Neither one of them used a drop of oil over twenty years and both engines outlasted the chassis they were mounted on. No need at all for expensive oil. It's a waste of money unless you're going to run it for multiple season which is an option.

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: boraticus

Originally Posted By: dave123

You spent good money on a Honda snowblower feed it good oil and change once a year you be good to go. In ten years I have run PP GC Amsoil HDD and Mystic in my 9HP Snow King never a drop used and all ran the same and runs like the day I bought it.

I ran two snow blowers with 10 h.p. Snow King engines for ten years each using nothing but inexpensive off the shelf 10W30 and 5W30 conventional oil changed annually. Both snow blowers saw plenty of hard service dealing with occasional huge lake effects snow dumps in harsh Canadian winter conditions. Neither one of them used a drop of oil over twenty years and both engines outlasted the chassis they were mounted on. No need at all for expensive oil. It's a waste of money unless you're going to run it for multiple season which is an option.

Good for you

 

[boraticus]

Good for everybody!

 

[dave123]

He spent I bet near 2K or more on a snowblower you thik he is going to care about a 4 buck a Qt of oil a year. I said feed it good oil not a Syn oil like you think i said pleanty of good non Syn oils out their.

 

[boraticus]

Excellent oil can be had for less than four bucks a quart. On sale, it can be has for as little as $2.00 ot $3.00. I totally agree that high dollar oil is absolutely unnecessary in all but the most demanding conditions. I.e. extreme heat and very long OCIs.

 

[tig1]

Some here are concerned about the price of a quality synthetic oil for a small engine. I change the oil in my Honda self propelled mower once a year. I use M1 5-30(have used 5-30EP a couple of times when I had a half qt left over). Anyway, a half qt cost me about $2.85(by the jug). My mower cost to replace is about $500-$600. So $2.85 a year for a quality oil seems pretty reasonable to me. By the way, my Honda is now 23 years old and running great. Uses no more oil than when it was new.

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: tig1

Some here are OVERLY concerned about the price of a quality synthetic oil for a small engine.

There. Fixed it.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: tig1

Some here are concerned about the price of a quality synthetic oil for a small engine. I change the oil in my Honda self propelled mower once a year. I use M1 5-30(have used 5-30EP a couple of times when I had a half qt left over). Anyway, a half qt cost me about $2.85(by the jug). My mower cost to replace is about $500-$600. So $2.85 a year for a quality oil seems pretty reasonable to me. By the way, my Honda is now 23 years old and running great. Uses no more oil than when it was new.

Posted this earlier. You may have missed it: "I've got a 30+ year old Tecumseh 3.5 engine on an old Craftsman lawnmower that has been fed everything from turkey gravy to sardine oil and it's still running like new. It's never seen synthetic oil and for the first ten years, that mower belonged to a guy who didn't know where the drain plug was on the engine. If you are changing oil at intervals specified in the engine manual, synthetic oil is not necessary to prolong OPE engine life. Any oil will provide the lubrication it needs. Just change the oil annually or as per manual's instructions and the engine will usually outlast the machine it's mounted on." I don't look at it as a cost per unit expense. I look at what value I'm getting for my money and I don't see the sense of paying higher prices for an oil that will not be used to it's full potential when a regular conventional oil will do the very same job just as well. The argument you put forth is unreasonable. When an inexpensive oil will do the same job as the expensive product, why spend more money? Your lawnmower will last just as long using a decent conventional oil as it will using synthetic. There are literally millions of small engines living long productive lives and never seeing a drop of synthetic oil. You can also rest assured that there are very many engines that manage to live long lives with virtually no maintenance and minimal attention to the oil. I've seen it. My argument is that if a synthetic oil is not to be used for it's intended purpose, which is primarily long duration service and/or extreme operating conditions, why spend two, three or four times the money? Just doesn't make sense. Synthetic oil for OPE is an expensive and needless option. It is definitely not a necessity.