Oil for commercial mowers please

[BrocLuno]

Tractor Supply Traveler is good HDEO and they will make you a bulk buy in 5 gallon pales

Otherwise, I'd be at the SOPUS or Chevron Distributor and buy a good HDEO there in bulk

 

[mattwithcats]

And Shell Rotella has a rebate to December 31, 2017, $5 off a gallon, $12.50 off 2.5, T5 or T6...

Max 4 rebates per household...

http://rotella.shell.com/coupons-rebates...XRpb25hbDE3Lw==

 

[user52165]

In your case, water cooled engines would be a more important consideration than type of oil used.

 

[4WD]

I'm in TSC all the time and see the farmers are buying it - any idea who makes that HDEO ... ?

 

[Atesz792]

Surprised no one mentioned modern monogrades.

 

[jeepman3071]

At 300-400 hours a season, I think changing the oil every week is way over the top especially on engines with oil filters. Running them for hours at operating temp is the ideal condition for the oil, since it burns off all the moisture and fuel.

Kohler's recommendation is 50-100 hour OCI's depending on which engine you have (oil filter vs. no oil filter). Even if you did 50 hour intervals that isn't a change every week. Using synthetic and changing it that often is a huge waste of money. They would be fine on any HDEO like Rotella 15w40, SuperTech 15w40, Rotella 10w30, etc.

While small engines do run a bit hotter, they aren't necessarily hard on oil. As long as it is kept full you will be fine. I have a customer with Scag and Bobcat mowers who changes the oil once or twice a season with the cheap stuff, not even a HDEO, and his mowers run great. If you change the oil say once a month, that is still fairly often and you will be saving a bunch of money to put toward your business.

 

[Jetstreamz06]

I agree

 

[Bandito440]

Jeepman has it right. Just buy gallons of 15w-40 and change it based on the 50 or 100 hour mark that he mentioned.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I would keep using what the Kawasaki engine manual says. I had a Wright 52 with a 24 HP Kawasaki. It called for 5w-30 full synthetic. If you don't want to buy five quart jugs or five gallon buckets, I'd check at your local Napa to see if they can give you a wholesale account and stock up on cases of quarts when they run their synthetic sale on Napa brand.

 

[Padawan]

Originally Posted By: Atesz792
Surprised no one mentioned modern monogrades.


I'm surprised as well. In Georgia, during the mowing season, I think SAE 30 would be a very good option.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
I would keep using what the Kawasaki engine manual says. I had a Wright 52 with a 24 HP Kawasaki. It called for 5w-30 full synthetic. If you don't want to buy five quart jugs at Walmart, I'd check at your local Napa to see if they can give you a wholesale account and stock up on cases of quarts when they run their synthetic sale on Napa brand.


A lot of Kawasaki engines have had oil consumption issues recently, to the point where I believe Kawasaki put out a TSB stating to use 10w40 or some other thicker oil. I forget what it was exactly but there is a thread floating around here about it. I'd stick with the HDEO especially with the poster's climate. Most brands like Briggs and Stratton recommend 5w30 for tiny fuel consumption improvements and emissions standards. You can buy a gallon of SuperTech 15w40 for under $10 at WalMart and have enough for two oil changes on a Kohler Command V-Twin with a 2qt capacity.

 

[HemiHawk]

How would something like Mobil 1 0w40 hold up in mowing applications? In some cases, especially with rebates that comes in pretty cheap.

 

[Cardenio327]

Once a week sounds like over doing it.

Maybe use 15w-40 and change every 50 to 60 hours or use 5w-40 and change every 100 to 120 hours?

Remember to check level daily and top up when needed

 

[mattwithcats]

Put a vibration meter on the mowers.
Change oil every 50-100 hours, I would go 75 with semi synthetic 10W-30 T5...

 

[rainman49]

Been using Mobil 1 TDT 5w-40 in my 2007 Scag with a 26-horse Briggs. Change it at the end of the season at about 60 hours. If Cujet is still around, he might chime in. He likes M1 15w-50 in really hard-working engines on generators and such.

 

[jhellwig]

Go to changing the oil every 100 hours or two weeks if that is convenient and use a mono grade or a 10w40 10w30 20w50 that you can get affordable. If you still want to change every week use the cheapest out you can find.

 

[Jetstreamz06]

Thanks. I bought a gallon of rotella synthetic blend 15-40 today to try out. Seems like a decent oil, I put it in the kohler 27ho with oil filter, and the engine seems smoother and more quiet than the 5w-30 that was in it.

 

[2cool]

Can't go wrong with 15W-40. Been using it for my B&S single Intek 19.5 hp for the last 8 years. Still runs great and economical.

 

[mobilaltima]

We have two Gravely commercial 60 inch cuts at work, one a 260 model the other a 460. both Kohler engines, both run with Valvoline Premium Blue 15W40 and a Baldwin BT223 filter at 50-60 hr intervals with zero problems. They are always run full throttle when the blades are on, they take a beating on the levees we cut. the 260 has 1,140 hrs and the 460 has 380 hrs.

 

[dblshock]

nothing like a good HDEO.