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Lawn mower oil.
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1382
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 11:13 pm    Post subject: Lawn mower oil. Reply with quote

I was having a chat with my neighbour this evening as he was servicing his Honda Rotary lawn mower. He was changing the oil and I noticed he was using a Briggs & Stratton oil from a 5 litre oil can. I also noticed the price of the can - £31.99p. The oil was SAE 30.

For years and years I have only used Morris 20/50 in my mowers which ironically all have Briggs & Stratton engines although of differing cubic capacities.

The oldest I have has the Classic SE engine and it's now 20 years old and is showing signs of wear particularly from the flywheel which screeches but it has no lack of power and uses no oil and it's had a hard life doing the "rough parts" where the Makita self propelled is too cumbersome to use.

What is the difference between SAE30 and 20/50? If you go to the gardening forums there is always an ongoing debate. Opinions vary but some say that SAE 30 heats up too quickly whereas 20/50 remains more thickly viscous when the machine is working hard.

What are your opinions? On advice from a mechanic I have changed my 20/50 oil every year at the end of the grass cutting season prior to winter storage.
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alastairq



Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 1950
Location: East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Surely, oil flow is what is required?
Pressure actually being of lesser importance [in terms of amount?]
A multigrade gives the best of both worlds, summer or winter .
Often, with older technology engines, a maker will suggest 2 different viscosities of oil [one for hot weather, another for cold].

The multigrade overcame all that pfaffing around.

The important thing, IMHO, is how the oil behaves when inside? How it deals with cleanliness?

If no serious filtration is involved, then an oil which doesn't retain the dirt [but drops it, instead, in the sump] is better than one that dissolves the muck and circulates it, surely?

Is a 'high' oil viscosity at high temps really necessary? As long as the 'wedge' is formed in the bearings.

In my view, any oil is better than no oil...

Much will depend on the additive packages used within the oils, however.

That sounds expensive for a monograde SAE 30 oil, too. I'm sure I've paid less.
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1382
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alastairq wrote:
Surely, oil flow

If no serious filtration is involved, then an oil which doesn't retain the dirt [but drops it, instead, in the sump] is better than one that dissolves the muck and circulates it, surely?



That sounds expensive for a monograde SAE 30 oil, too. I'm sure I've paid less.


On the first point I don't think any lawn mower engine has any oil filter system which is why so many people check the dipstick and see clean oil on it whereas all the "grunge" is out of sight in the bottom of the sump.

£31.99 looked expensive to me too but the price label was from a local gardening centre. On Ebay it's £29.99p with free delivery but if we all bought online then the local garden centres will start disappearing too as has happened to nearly all the old fashioned ironmonger shops in this area.

A 100 year old establishment where you could buy anything from lawn seed by the pound (lb) to any machine screw you needed has sadly closed recently. Sad
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kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

20/50 goes in our Honda powered jobbie.
The engine runs as good as new but the rust has taken hold of the main body now.

Kev
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1382
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kevin2306 wrote:
20/50 goes in our Honda powered jobbie.
The engine runs as good as new but the rust has taken hold of the main body now.

Kev


Honda has the reputation of building the finest petrol engines but their motor mower bodies are appallingly poor. Next door's is less than four years old and rust is already rife on the body.
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Peter_L



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 2680
Location: New Brunswick. Canada.

PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For the last 10+ years I have been using synthetic 10/30 in the Ride On and the "Push/Drive" . I change it twice a season after starting with new oil and filter after the winter.

Re Ellis's comment about "Build Quality. Sadly lacking in today's world.

I don't want this to deteriorate into a +\- discussion about the American President, but maybe just maybe, we should be willing to pay more for home built products. We used to. example. American Craftsman tools. Built to last and there are thousands of items out there still going strong. Black & Decker, now second rate rubbish from the east.

I have tools built by Spear and Jackson and still in No1 order. Bought some 5/16 bolts this last week and sheared one using a 5" long ring spanner.
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