Hi All,
I am trying to decide on what oil I should use in my walk behind brush mower. I have read many articles and forum threads on BITOG and got myself some oil I figured was a good choice (Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 Full Synthetic) however I still seem to be second guessing my choice. Seems that the more I read the more I realize how little I know so am looking for opinions.
The brush mower is an older DR Field with a Kawasaki 17 HP FH500V 4 stroke twin cylinder manufactured around 1997 or 1998. I have owned it since new and it only has about 300 hours total so I guess my usage is light/sporadic over the years. I have always maintained it regularly and changed oil and filters when needed etc and it does run well with no known problems. I live in Southeastern Connecticut so it gets reasonably cold in the winter here however it is a brush cutter so it is not used during the coldest months. I would say that the temperature range when I use it would be 35°F through 90°F.
The engine manual says to use API Service Classification : SF, SG, SH, or SJ and has the following chart...
I did read this thread about this particular oil dropping the API S rating however seems that a lot of people and deciding to continue to use it for outdoor equipment since it does have JASO MA and many consider it a good pick regardless.
My preference would be to just use it if it is a decent choice as that would save a trip to return/swap etc. On the other hand if it is a bad choice for some reason I would rather know now and avoid the mistake. Opinions and advice welcome and appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken.
I am trying to decide on what oil I should use in my walk behind brush mower. I have read many articles and forum threads on BITOG and got myself some oil I figured was a good choice (Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 Full Synthetic) however I still seem to be second guessing my choice. Seems that the more I read the more I realize how little I know so am looking for opinions.
The brush mower is an older DR Field with a Kawasaki 17 HP FH500V 4 stroke twin cylinder manufactured around 1997 or 1998. I have owned it since new and it only has about 300 hours total so I guess my usage is light/sporadic over the years. I have always maintained it regularly and changed oil and filters when needed etc and it does run well with no known problems. I live in Southeastern Connecticut so it gets reasonably cold in the winter here however it is a brush cutter so it is not used during the coldest months. I would say that the temperature range when I use it would be 35°F through 90°F.
The engine manual says to use API Service Classification : SF, SG, SH, or SJ and has the following chart...
I did read this thread about this particular oil dropping the API S rating however seems that a lot of people and deciding to continue to use it for outdoor equipment since it does have JASO MA and many consider it a good pick regardless.
My preference would be to just use it if it is a decent choice as that would save a trip to return/swap etc. On the other hand if it is a bad choice for some reason I would rather know now and avoid the mistake. Opinions and advice welcome and appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken.