So what actually is the best small engine oil?

[bigjohn]

Rotella can't be ignored.... Easy found at Walmart or any other convenience store

For small engine, I really like 10w30 T6

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Since we've got the original question pretty well covered, is it OK if I hijack this thread to ask what is the best light beer?

Guinness Stout- We'll make it a thick/thin beer debate.

They do make a Baltimore Blonde

 

[SOUNDMAN5000]

What I use and all my mowers are a few decades old...

 

[Opelman]

Guinness Stout- We'll make it a thick/thin beer debate.

They do make a Baltimore Blonde

Guinness Stout is light compared to Aztec brewing's Noche De Las Muertos. That is one big black thick beer. One of my favorites. Another good and appropriate beer is Port's Old Viscosity.

 

[DCDG]

What foster calls the oil can

 

[car54]

I mean if this is the oil they run in 100k top fuel engines making 10,000 hp, it ought to give any air cooled vtwin the ultimate protection. Haven't posted in a while and figured this would be a good starter.

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I absolutely love Maxima oils for my motorcycles but for my aircooled engines I have always run a full synthetic 5w-40 or 5w-50 depending on the engine.

My zero turn kawasaki runs hard and hot and I run schaeffers s9000 5w-50 leftover from a motorcycle trial. It didn't shift well, so I stopped using it and had a few gallons leftover.

Generators, power washers, chipper, push mower etc get Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w40 or rotella T6.

For the price I don't think a good HDEO can be beat. I always go with synthetic to help fight coking and sludging from the heat of aircooled engines.

I don't think I have actually purchased or used a conventional oil in decades. No reason when synthetic is only a few dollars more.

 

[Spring Break '92]

0W-40 here. If it’s good enough for Porsche with A40 approval it’s good enough for my lawn mower and other OPE including my generator. If it were extremely hot I’d use 15W-50.

Same. Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 for everything including my CR-V, although I am giving ESP 0W-30 a long spin in it until what I stocked up on runs out.

 

[nascarnation]

You running in 100f temps

The important question is - what is the engine oil temp when that happens. It may be a lot lower than you think.

I wouldn't say so. My kohler command is a 1000cc 40hp engine that works hard on my exmark in 100⁰+ texas heat. All engines pretty much work the same way. They all use oil as a coolant and a lubricant. IMHO small engines work harder and would benefit from better protection. My exmark has 1650 hrs on it and the hydros are commercial parker units and have a small capacity compared to hydrogear systems. Ive ran nothing but motul 300v 15w50 (group 5 ester) changed every 500hrs and the fluid comes out looking brand new. Ive serviced several identical machines to mine and the hydro oil was burnt or had a burnt smell. But of course I dont abuse my machine near as much as a lawn care worker would abuse the employers equiment.

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I see more Exmarks doing commercial mowing than any other brand. I assume they have satisfied owners and the word gets around. (I bought a Ferris because of the suspension system).

 

[nascarnation]

You running in 100f temps

It's really the oil temp that counts. I mowed for an hour in 90F and the engine oil in my Briggs was 170F. There's nothing in the physics that makes me think the oil temp wouldn't increase pretty linearly with the ambient.

 

[Sam_Julier]

Can you define “beat”. It will help me respond.

 

[meep]

I damaged a nice Honda mower with synthetic 5-30, M1 actually. Grass was always thick and wet and mowing weekly it was bogging hard and ran hard. I live in the south where it’s hot. It made silver filings, developed startup smoke. Switched to 10-30, the silver filings stopped, and while startup smoke continued, it stopped getting worse.

It was a significant difference for that mower under these conditions between 5-30 and 10-30.

 

[mabinogeon]

I usually ran whatever I had in the garage. My truck takes 8 quarts and my rider takes 2, so I've been running Restore and Protect 5w-30 in my rider since I always had 2 quarts leftover from my truck oil changes.

But on a whim last week I filled the rider with Valvoline VR1 10w-30 and it sure feels like it's running more smoothly now.

Rider is a 54" Husqvarna with a 24hp B&S Intek motor and I mow several acres at a time.