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

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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Hello again,
Finding full synthetic 10W40 has been a challenge in Canada. Seems like this grade is not popular hence Walmart and Canadian Tire only has some synthetic blends but nothing full synthetic like Mobil1 T4 10W40.
However I could find the Amsoil Metric 10W40 ( link below) . It is not mentioned on Amsoil website in their Motor Oil category but rather in their
"Engine Lubricants -- 4-Stroke Powersports" category. What are your thoughts on this one? It is mentioned as a motor cycle oil, will it be ok for my Lawn Mower engine?
 
It will. Amsoil also has "lawn mower oils" too if you look (unless their Canadian offerings are different)

Unless you're set on that particular grade, there's plenty of synthetic 5w40s out there also
 
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.

You don't need to change your oil overly often. If you keep an eye on your oil level before each startup and topping off as needed, changing its oil once a year is often enough.

I advise using a quality 0W-40 viscosity oil from either Mobil-1 or Castrol and oil change your oil and filter once a year. Both handle heat and are shear resistant, withstanding whatever your little Kawasaki will dish out.

But if you still plan on changing oil twice a year, say in the spring and fall, then the usage of 5W-30 over the winter is perfect. I would use the 5W-30 as I believe you're mentioned 20-weight is just too bloody thin in a worked small engine that's pushing snow.

Greasing all zerk nipples during your oil change routine is advised as well. I like Valvoline Full Synthetic Moly-Fortified Grease as it handles really cold temps (all temps). It would also serve your Canada-based cars and trucks (it serves my Alaskan vehicles well). https://www.valvoline.com/en/full-synthetic-grease/

There you go!
 
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thanks, I will consider 0w40 if I plan for a single viscosity whole year.
will 0w be not thin for summer at start up? why do they recomment 10w or 15 w etc?
I have another question about break in. The engine has cub cadet brand oil 10w30 from the factory.I am thinking to change that at 10 hours. I am thinking to put Castrol Go 4T 10w40 for next 10 hours. do I need to change the filter after drainging out the factory oil at 10 hours or I can wait to change the filter at 20 hours when I drain the Castrol Go 4T out?
The filter keeps 300 ml oil. will castrol mix fine with that small amount of cub cadet oil. fill capacity without changing filter is 1.8 liter.
 
For the first couple oil changes once I drain the factory fill out, what is view on this Castrol Go 4T 10W40. It is a Dino oil but I will not use it more than 15 or 20 hours. I heard Dino oils can help breaking engine properly


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Pretty simple, the chart lists temps and acceptable viscosities. Pick an oil for summer and one for winter and change with the seasons. OR, pick a year round oil and change it on the recommended intervals.
 
Use Kawasaki’s oil it has high Zinc
below 80 degress use 10w-40

above 90 use 20w-50

below 32 use 5w-30 but use the Kawasaki’s oil with high zinc
Why would a small engine need high zinc? Yes, they are flat tappet cams, but the valve springs are weak enough you can press them with your hands. What is the benefit?
 
Hello again,
Finding full synthetic 10W40 has been a challenge in Canada. Seems like this grade is not popular hence Walmart and Canadian Tire only has some synthetic blends but nothing full synthetic like Mobil1 T4 10W40.
However I could find the Amsoil Metric 10W40 ( link below) . It is not mentioned on Amsoil website in their Motor Oil category but rather in their
"Engine Lubricants -- 4-Stroke Powersports" category. What are your thoughts on this one? It is mentioned as a motor cycle oil, will it be ok for my Lawn Mower engine?
Petro-Canada Duron 10w40. I just drained 10w40 Castrol motorcycle oil from my JD X320 (726cc Kawasaki) and put in Duron SHP 15w40 for the summer. We are talking 2+ litres of oil here. Change it again before winter, 0w40 sounds good.
 
thanks, I will consider 0w40 if I plan for a single viscosity whole year.
will 0w be not thin for summer at start up? why do they recomment 10w or 15 w etc?
I have another question about break in. The engine has cub cadet brand oil 10w30 from the factory.I am thinking to change that at 10 hours. I am thinking to put Castrol Go 4T 10w40 for next 10 hours. do I need to change the filter after drainging out the factory oil at 10 hours or I can wait to change the filter at 20 hours when I drain the Castrol Go 4T out?
The filter keeps 300 ml oil. will castrol mix fine with that small amount of cub cadet oil. fill capacity without changing filter is 1.8 liter.
Filters are $7. Use the same # as a 2010 Yaris. I use 3600s, they are longer, but I had to snap some plastic shrouding to fit. If I'm not changing the filter, I take if off and dump it out anyway.
 
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.

Ambient outside air temperature affects internal oil temperature on air cooled engines.

For example, down here in south Florida it’s pretty much 90+ degrees all the time. A Kawasaki commercial engine on a mower is going to have an oil temp of about 240 degrees here. Subtract 90 degrees outside ambient temp from 240, and you’ll see that the oil runs about 150 degrees hotter than outside ambient temp.

If you run the same engine in the same conditions but when it’s zero degrees F outside , you can reasonably expect the inside oil temp of the engine to be about 150 degrees.

150 degree oil is vastly thicker than 240 degree oil. Which is why the manual says that you should run 5W20 oil in the winter. Because if you were not aware, 5W20 oil at 150 degrees is thicker than 20W50 oil at 240 degrees. The thinner oils provides more than enough protection because the oil isn’t getting thinned out as if it was ran in summer.

Viscosity vs temp curve chart needs to be understood in these instances when comparing winter vs summer use oil.
 
I just got a new cub cadet with the FR730V as well. I'll be changing out the break in oil after mowing tomorrow, and I got some HPL 20w50 I'm gonna be using from here on out
 
Why would a small engine need high zinc? Yes, they are flat tappet cams, but the valve springs are weak enough you can press them with your hands. What is the benefit?
One of the benefits of zinc in small engines is heat. When an air cooled engine heats up, to a somewhat higher temp than a car engine, the zinc will come into play as zinc only becomes a barrier lube during high heat. Seems like a match made in heaven. Now, if we're talking water cooled tractors, then you have a point.
 
ope mechanic here, leave the break in oil in there for 20 hours than switch to a full syntech, give the rings a good chance to seat into the cast iron bores .
my own machine has a kawasaki fr691 twin , i'm only running klube 10w40 blend and live where 100 deg F is not uncommon, 3 years zero issues .
 
I would use exactly whats in my manual.I would also use dealer oil and filters for warrenty. There is a small chance of a problem,I hardley would worry about it,but you have it covered if it does
 
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
5w40 HD oil.
 
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
I just purchased an Ariens IKON-XD 42 Kawasaki FR651V the service manager told me to use 20W50. Now I live in West Texas with temps daily hitting 104º
 
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