What's make for a good mower oil?

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Scott88

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Mower: New to me with a 18.5 Briggs(twin cyclinder.)

What oil should I be interested in, PCMO, HDEO, sysnthetic?

Back in 2003, a new mower with a Briggs called for synthetic but I usually ended using a conventional PCMO. Now with with one, I want to make a better choice and consider the uses of the mower (2 acres to mow, with decent hills.)

Rotella, and Mobil 1 0W-40 (same oil, I use in ATV)come to mind at first. Your thoughts? Thanks guys.
 
Mobil 1 would be a great choice , as would a Diesel engine oil just foloow weights recomended for your mower.
 
Wal-Mart sells Briggs & Stratton oil . but i use Pennzoil 30wt . best is maybe Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 . or Amsoil or RP and so on..
 
Any of the above really.

There's a thread about a John Deere going over 2300 hours on the original Kawasaki engine with Rotella T 10W30. That's pretty good service before needing a major repair.

It's rare that oil itself causes a problem with small engines. What's really important is keeping the level right and changing it. If that's done the engine should run a long time on any type of oil that's the correct weight for the engine.
 
HDEO, sae 30 or 10-30 would probably be ideal. Rotella certainly has a good reputation in thise applications, either the 10-30 or the 5-40 or even the 15-40.
 
Originally Posted By: bepperb
HDEO, sae 30 or 10-30 would probably be ideal. Rotella certainly has a good reputation in thise applications, either the 10-30 or the 5-40 or even the 15-40.


+1
 
Can't go wrong with Rotella heavy-duty straight 30wt, available at Walmart in gallon jugs.

Regular 30wt. passenger car oil, (just about any brand), will most likely be SM or SN grade with the same low ZDDP levels common to these grades.
 
Mower? piecce of cake! Rotella T, motorcycle 4T, MX4 ATV, Inboard 4 stroke marine oil - anything NOT ILSAC GF5 as its way underadditised. Whats hard to pick is snowthrower oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone
Can't go wrong with Rotella heavy-duty straight 30wt, available at Walmart in gallon jugs.

Regular 30wt. passenger car oil, (just about any brand), will probably be SM or SN grade with the same low ZDDP levels common to these grades.


Another vote for the Rotella but I think a multi grade would be best for your engine . Rotella really keeps those engines clean and I've used the 15W40 in my John Deere 14 HP Kohler for a few years . Now it doesn't have a pressure system like yours so I would recommend 10W30 or even 10W40 would be OK (summer only) but check the engine guide to see what grades they recommend .
 
Anything is fine, just change it regularly.
My 40 year old B&S mower runs like new and has had a regular diet of whatever is in the garage I'm trying to get rid of. More often than not it's been 20w50 conventional and that's what's in it now.
I've never bought oil specifically for the mower, but if I had to I'd get the cheapest XW-30 or XW-40 available.
 
Get a good HDEO in a 15w40 grade as it gets hot in NC. The engine will run well and has a good add pack. My JD has a single cylinder 18.5 HP Briggs and Stratton and it does good on the HDEO.
 
Originally Posted By: adamrc
I suggest Rotella T5 10w30 synthetic blend. It's a great oil and is reasonably priced.

Yeah, it is a good oil but in this application not worth the extra cost in my opinion, and B&S recommends straight 30wt. anyway.

If he was looking for something to run in a snow blower that would be another matter.
 
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