Engine oil

[Jake Olsen]

What oil is everyone using these days. All I can seem to find anymore is full synthetic or a synthetic blend. No Dino oil and no straight 30 wt at all. Thank you.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I use John Deere Torq-Gard 30wt in my Original. In the K301 that David Kirk rebuilt for me to his "Killer Kohler" specs., I use full synthetic 10W-30.

 

[mfrade]

Mobil 1, Full Synthetic 10/30

 

[kphill]

Cub Cadet 30wt. Low Ash..

 

[jkoenig]

My Kohler dealer told me one time that all of his suppliers want to do destructive testing when they have open houses for their dealers, and many times they find that the engines they take apart have not even seated the rings because of how slippery the synthetic oil is. He cautioned to always break in with Dino oil, and once broken in, you can run on synthetic.

 

[kmcconaughey]

My Kohler dealer told me one time that all of his suppliers want to do destructive testing when they have open houses for their dealers, and many times they find that the engines they take apart have not even seated the rings because of how slippery the synthetic oil is. He cautioned to always break in with Dino oil, and once broken in, you can run on synthetic.

Jim, correct! Always use dino oil for break in.

 

[kharvey]

WOW Kraig JD oil in a Cub Cadet. Sacralege.

 

[kmcconaughey]

What can I say, my brother works at a JD dealer and I get a discount on the stuff.

 

[RAllison]

My Kohler dealer told me one time that all of his suppliers want to do destructive testing when they have open houses for their dealers, and many times they find that the engines they take apart have not even seated the rings because of how slippery the synthetic oil is. He cautioned to always break in with Dino oil, and once broken in, you can run on synthetic.

How long till you know it's broke in?

 

[gary noblit]

I just installed a new kawasaki 24 hp off the pallet...The paperwork recommended 10-40 . It's another one of those kind of subjects that bring a lot of different viewpoints

 

[RAllison]

Thanks Gary

 

[gary noblit]

Robert , I was taught foreever ago...run new engine 50 hrs then change oil and filter...It's the way I've always done it...seems to work for me but I'm sure others do it different...

 

[mfrade]

there have been many oil debates on this forum. Some got pretty nasty too.. I've learned to say, "it's your tractor, you decide what happens". there are so many opinions and ideas that get presented as the end all of fact.. it can get crazy quick. If your doing a "break in", after the second oil change, do the switch over. And that's my opinion! LOL

 

[Jake Olsen]

Thank you for all of the responses. I have just always not cared for synthetic oil. But it’s what we got.

 

[wh cc guy]

If you have a TSC store in your area they have what you are looking for.

 

[RAllison]

Would it be this? That's what's in mine. And I'm not saying I'm right

 

[mgonitzke]

If you want to know what oil and change interval is acceptable, read the owner's or service manual for the engine.

Straight 30W is what belongs in a K-series in warm weather, but....don't run that in a Command. What is appropriate for one engine may not be for another. OP did not specify what engine/tractor he has.

 

[jkoenig]

I never cared much for synthetic oil either...until I bought a turbocharged car. The turbo is oil cooled, and runs off of exhaust, so when you shut off the engine, the oil stops circulating, and the oil remaining in the turbo may become hot enough to crystallize into a few minute granules. After this happens enough times, those granules accumulate, and can block the oil pump pickup tube starving the pump for oil.

Full synthetic has a higher crystallization temperature, and resists this turbo-turd phenomenon, increasing the longevity of turbo‘ed engines. It only took me one “STOP LOW OIL PRESSURE” message on the dash to educate myself, and become a believer.

Synthetic does seem to have different characteristics than dinosaur oil when it comes to staying inside of the crankcase too. Sometimes it seems to be more likely to leak, and on other applications, it seems to stay on the interior better than conventional oil. I have not yet figured that out.

 

[dschwandt]

Pretty tough to put 50 hours on a Cub that, after overhaul only goes from the trailer to a spot on the grounds or a parade of power and then back again, sometimes only a couple times a year!

Straight wt. 30 in all my machines except for the smoker.

 

[gary noblit]

David, where's your imagination?? Take out the spark plug,shut off the gas, and run it a short distance off the s/g in gear(... I guess you would still need oil in it) or...mount a big American flag on the back and drive it to town once in a while.....just sayin'