Which oil for new Kawasaki engine FR730V on a Cub Cadet Lawnmower

A

asker123

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Winnipeg,MB, Canada
Greetings,
Just bought a Cub Cadet Z Force SX Zero turn lawn mower which has Kawasaki FR730V engine.
Manual says following. I have two questions
1) I am not sure what will they fill from the dealership but I want to dump that within first 5 hours. Then after, what is recommended for summer long? This chart and the language below is a bit confusing. Should I go 10W40 or 20W50? My Summer temperatures in Manitoba Canada will never be below 0 Deg C and not expected to go above 35 deg C. Will 20W50 give better protection and engine longevity on this new engine?
2) I am planning to use this equipment in the winter as well. I will remove mower deck and put a snowplow. Our temps in Manitoba are well below 0 deg C and can go as deep as -35 deg C. I am planning to dump the oil form point 1 above ( whether 10W40 or 20W50) in the fall and change to lower viscosity oil. Manual is saying 5W20 but can I go 5W30 instead? I mean the second number is only for viscosity as operating temperature. That way my Ariens snow blower and the Cub Cadet Snow plw can take sam eoil 5W30 and I dont need to buy yet another 5W20 oil.



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HPL lubricants has a cold climate CK-4 5w40, pour point at -69F. When i use up my amsoil, i'm going to use their 15w40 in my mower.

www.advlubrication.com

CK-4 Premium Cold Climate Heavy Duty Engine Oil

High Performance Lubricants Heavy Duty CK-4 engine oil is one of 3 multi-synthetic engine oils we offer. These oils are not something you will find on the shelf of a discount retailer. If you are person looking for a product that will outperform traditional mineral and synthetic oils our...
www.advlubrication.com
 
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asker123 said:
Greetings,
Just bought a Cub Cadet Z Force SX Zero turn lawn mower which has Kawasaki FR730V engine.
Manual says following. I have two questions
1) I am not sure what will they fill from the dealership but I want to dump that within first 5 hours. Then after, what is recommended for summer long? This chart and the language below is a bit confusing. Should I go 10W40 or 20W50? My Summer temperatures in Manitoba Canada will never be below 0 Deg C and not expected to go above 35 deg C. Will 20W50 give better protection and engine longevity on this new engine?
2) I am planning to use this equipment in the winter as well. I will remove mower deck and put a snowplow. Our temps in Manitoba are well below 0 deg C and can go as deep as -35 deg C. I am planning to dump the oil form point 1 above ( whether 10W40 or 20W50) in the fall and change to lower viscosity oil. Manual is saying 5W20 but can I go 5W30 instead? I mean the second number is only for viscosity as operating temperature. That way my Ariens snow blower and the Cub Cadet Snow plw can take sam eoil 5W30 and I dont need to buy yet another 5W20 oil.



View attachment 99999
Click to expand...

I'd run a 10w40. I'm guessing there's little grass in winter, so 10w40 would be good year round.
 
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15w40 or 15w50 in the summer and with the cold air and relatively light use in winter, a 5w30. 5w30 will give easier starts and as another member here found with his Honda twin, they run cold in the winter, so no real need for heavier oil.
 
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If you already have 5w30 use that if not I would swap all equipment over to 0w30 year round. 0 winter will flow better at start up if temperatures drop and 30 grade is acceptable according to manual.
 
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wpod said:
I didn't believe a ZTR could plow snow . Looked it up I am soooo Stuuuupid.
Click to expand...
You can, but it usually doesn't work too well because of the way they steer. You need chains for traction and steering, and they will rip up any asphalt driveway. I have a customer who makes it work, but he has a fairly straight, short driveway and has the rubber chains from John Deere on his.
 
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Warlord said:
5w-30 year round if it were mine. If it’s outrageously hot out you probably won’t be mowing anyways.
Click to expand...

The dealer has put 10W30 Cub Cadet brand oil ( Never seen oil in a plastic pouch before lol) as its first oil. I told him that I will like to go 10W40 he said, not necessary, in Canada we wont get too hot as USA.
Some people have indicated that these engine have lost compression over long run and also developed leak etc
I am trying to understand if I go 10W40 weight in summer, should I not continue lets say 5W40 or 0W40 in winter . How does ambient temperature make an impact when the engine is already hot? if it is -30 deg C, what will engine benefit from 5W30 instead of 5W40 after coming to operating temperature? Snow pushing is no easy task either.
 
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Since it's air cooled and has no thermostat, it won't run at operating temp in the winter. You'd have to restrict the airflow to get it hot.

In a car the cooling system can effectively be shut off from the engine, so they'll come to temp in the winter, but when you're blasting -30C air over the fins all the time, she won't ever warm up. And since it won't get as hot in the winter, you can easily run a lighter oil (some manus suggest 5w20 - and have since... the 70's?). You'll also see a benefit in that it'll be easier to start over everything except maybe a 0w40
 
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asker123 said:
Greetings,
Just bought a Cub Cadet Z Force SX Zero turn lawn mower which has Kawasaki FR730V engine.
Manual says following. I have two questions
1) I am not sure what will they fill from the dealership but I want to dump that within first 5 hours. Then after, what is recommended for summer long? This chart and the language below is a bit confusing. Should I go 10W40 or 20W50? My Summer temperatures in Manitoba Canada will never be below 0 Deg C and not expected to go above 35 deg C. Will 20W50 give better protection and engine longevity on this new engine?
2) I am planning to use this equipment in the winter as well. I will remove mower deck and put a snowplow. Our temps in Manitoba are well below 0 deg C and can go as deep as -35 deg C. I am planning to dump the oil form point 1 above ( whether 10W40 or 20W50) in the fall and change to lower viscosity oil. Manual is saying 5W20 but can I go 5W30 instead? I mean the second number is only for viscosity as operating temperature. That way my Ariens snow blower and the Cub Cadet Snow plw can take sam eoil 5W30 and I dont need to buy yet another 5W20 oil.
Click to expand...

My father has the castor wheeled SP push mower he bought last year so he could maneuver around easier. The manual is almost identical but seems to recommended either 10W-30 or 10W-40. I changed it after five and ten hours IIRC I've used 10W-30 Mobil Super Syn and now have STP 10W-40 HM in it. My manual differs from yours IIRC with a caveat saying a full syn 5W-30 can be used in colder months to facilitate starting if it becomes an issue. I plan on using a full syn 10W-30 the rest of its life but actually have Pennzoil PP 5W-40 I might use at the end of the season or next year.

Below:
 
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CB22 said:
I'd run a 10w40. I'm guessing there's little grass in winter, so 10w40 would be good year round.
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised. He's using it as a snow pusher but I've mowed grass well into November where the temp can vary from high 20'sF to 60'sF here. I have mowed near freezing actually because it was a nice dry windless day otherwise whereas lots of rain/snow was coming in the days after, though it's not a bad idea to leave the grass a bit higher going into winter....
 
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Alain2 said:
And how it is going to start at -35c?

Kawasaki does NOT recommend 10w40 for this temperature range.
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If you are in an area that gets legit -35 degrees, most people who have to start an engine of any kind will throw a block heater underneath...It will fire right up.
 
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busdriver said:
If you are in an area that gets legit -35 degrees, most people who have to start an engine of any kind will throw a block heater underneath...It will fire right up.
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I start engines below -35c couple times a year and quit using a block heater many years ago when I started using 0w oils. Engines using 5w oil usually start at -35c but it sounds awful without the block heater.
 
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