The can't lose conundrum...

[mark pruett]

My brother recently moved into a house instead of an apartment, and seeing as I have a lawn service now, I'm going to resurrect my old mower and give it to him.

The "can't lose" conundrum I run into is what oil do I use? The 15w40 Delo 400 LE (SM) that I have, or the Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 (SM) that I also have?

I know I can't really go wrong with either choice, but is there any reason I'd want to pick one over the other, besides which one I grab first?

 

[Schmoe]

Pennz.....

 

[Danno]

PP

 

[TFB1]

Which ever one you want to get rid of and give him the remaining oil...


If you have a lawn service, why don't you just cut it for him???

 

[A_Harman]

I find that the engine in my mower burns a lot of 5w30, but not so much 10w30. Thicken up the 5w30 with a little bit of 15w40, 75% 5w30, 25% 15w40.

 

[eljefino]

I'd put in the PP, just so it pull starts slightly easier. It'll be up to him to keep it topped off.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
If you have a lawn service, why don't you just cut it for him???


Maybe because his brother is presumably a grown man and should mow his own lawn?? And I don't think the op owns a lawn service, I believe he pays to have his lawn cut based on how I read it.

 

[wally6934]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
I find that the engine in my mower burns a lot of 5w30, but not so much 10w30. Thicken up the 5w30 with a little bit of 15w40, 75% 5w30, 25% 15w40.


Interesting post considering [censored] recommends 5w30 in there engines. Is the 5W30 and 10W30 of the same MFG and type that you tried?

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: TFB1
If you have a lawn service, why don't you just cut it for him???


Maybe because his brother is presumably a grown man and should mow his own lawn?? And I don't think the op owns a lawn service, I believe he pays to have his lawn cut based on how I read it.


In that case the statement should be I USE, HIRE or CONTRACT a lawn service, not I have a lawn service...

 

[mark pruett]

I don't own a lawn service, I employ one to mow my yard! (never expected grammar pedantry on this board!)

Beyond that, I live in Dallas and he lives in Houston, so it would be difficult at any rate.

I'm leaning toward the 15w40, mostly because it's something I won't use in my pickup, while I can use the PP 5w30. I just was curious as to whether anyone had any strong reasons why I should or shouldn't use either oil.

And FWIW, the lowest temps he'll probably be starting the mower in would be the mid-70s, and that would be in October/November. Most of the time, it'll probably be summer temps, which means no lower than 80 in the early am, and in the 90s in the evenings. Mowers last forever on 30HD down there.

 

[MolaKule]

Give him the mower and a quart of PYB or PP 10W30.

That mower will run hot enough in the DFW heat and you don't need a high viscosity oil adding to that heat.

 

[jeepman3071]

I'd use the 15w40. Being a HDEO it will be less likely to burn off, since it sounds like an older mower. I use HDEOs in all my power equipment with great results, as well as equipment I fix on the side for customers. None of them consume any noticeable amount of oil.

Plus you said you could use the Pennzoil in your truck.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: wally6934
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
I find that the engine in my mower burns a lot of 5w30, but not so much 10w30. Thicken up the 5w30 with a little bit of 15w40, 75% 5w30, 25% 15w40.


Interesting post considering [censored] recommends 5w30 in there engines. Is the 5W30 and 10W30 of the same MFG and type that you tried?


No. I did splurge one time and bought B&S synthetic 5w30 for $13/quart, and the engine consumed it faster than the 10w30 Valvoline VR1 dino that I run now.

 

[RF Overlord]

Since your brother doesn't belong to BITOG, I assume he's one of the 98% who could give a flying fig about oil or lawn-mower longevity. He most likely will never check it or change it again, so give him whatever oil you have the most of.

BTW, I did not mean the above as any kind of disrespect, just that almost no one cares about these things like we do.

 

[fdcg27]

Assuming that your old mower has a side valve splash lubed engine, I'd use the Delo 15w40.
If it has an OHV pressure lubed engine, a thinner oil would be in order.

 

[mark pruett]

He'll change the oil; maybe not quite as diligently as I would, but he's not a total sloth when it comes to maintenance. He's a teacher/coach, so he's not exactly loaded, and realizes that taking care of his stuff is a good idea to reduce costs. I'm going to suggest he do it once a season, and change the filter and oil at the same time in the fall. He

He'll probably use whatever's on sale in 30-weight; he doesn't care about maintenance to the degree that he'd worry about 5w30 PYB vs. 10w30 Exxon Superflo vs. Supertech 30HD, if one's noticeably cheaper than the other. Which is what Dad did for the first 4 years he had the mower until he got too gimpy to use it anymore and gave it to me.