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Choose The Right Oil For Your Lawn Mower Every Time With These Tips
By KYLE SCHURMAN
Look in your manual or on your lawn mower motor for a sticker that indicates which type of motor oil you should use for it. Otherwise, use these tips when choosing a motor oil.
A bottle of motor oil has a series of numbers and letters printed on it in a prominent place, which is the grading system. Understanding it will help you select the right product.
The first number refers to viscosity (thickness) of the motor oil when the motor is cold and can range from 0W to 25W. Lower numbers specify a thinner viscosity.
The second number refers to viscosity at a normal operating temperature of a mower. It ranges between 20 and 60, with 30 as the most common setting used with motor oil for a mower.
A common motor oil option is SAE 30, which works best in warm weather when most people are mowing. Making use of a 10W-30 product helps the mower start better in cold weather.
Conventional formula motor oil is the least expensive and most available. Older mower engines need conventional formulas, which consist of mineral-based products from crude oil.
Full synthetic motor oil uses a base of synthetic oil that has several additives designed to increase the performance of the product. The additives differ from brand to brand.
A synthetic blend motor oil is a mixture of synthetic and conventional. This allows it to have a slightly better performance than conventional, including high oxidation resistance.