What Kind of Oil for Lawn Mower? Oil. It’s important to keep the engine parts of a lawn mower oiled, but what kind of oil is best for a lawn mower? That depends on the type of mower you use, whether it has a two-cycle or four-cycle engine, and even what the temperature is outside.
What Kind of Oil for Lawn Mower
Can you use mineral oil for garden tools? You shouldn’t have to guess which oil to use in your lawn mower. Instead, look in the user manual or online to see what the mower manufacturer or mower engine manufacturer suggests. Still, it’s always a good idea to know the differences between the different types of oil and why one type might be better for your use than another.
Even though you can use auto engine oil like 10W-30 or 10W-40 in a lawn mower engine, it is usually best to use SAE 30 motor oil. SAE 30 motor oil works better for small engines like the ones in lawn mowers and other outdoor power tools like snowblowers, generators, and pressure washers. It is made so that it works well to lubricate engine parts when the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
SAE 10W-30 motor oil is recommended if you need to start your lawn mower when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. However, if the temperature rises above 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the cutting season, you’ll need to change this type of oil more often. You can also use SAE 5W-30 in the engine if you expect the temperature outside to stay between -20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, but this oil is more likely to be used in snowblower engines.
You could also use a synthetic oil like 5W30 or 10W30. Both of these offer great protection at all temperatures, better starting, and use less oil. Synthetic oil is also better for the environment. It contains a detergent that helps keep engine parts clean, and it can be changed and its level checked with a dipstick, just like regular motor oil.
The engine itself is a big part of how oil is used to help a lawn mower’s engine run. You’ll need to know whether your mower has a two-cycle or a four-cycle engine.
Four-cycle engines than two-cycle engines.
Most push mowers and all riding mowers have four-cycle engines, but some small push mowers have two-cycle engines. The main difference between the two types of engines is that a four-cycle engine needs two turns of the crankshaft and piston to draw fuel and air into the cylinder, light it, and then release the combustion gases, while a two-cycle engine only needs one turn to do the same thing.
How the oil should be added is another important difference between the two types of engines. A four-cycle engine gets its gas from a fuel tank, and its oil comes from a separate sump. For a two-cycle engine to work properly, the gasoline must be mixed with the oil.
This can be hard because if you try to run a two-cycle engine without the right mix of oil and gas, the engine will seize up from not having enough oil. If you’re worried about getting the right amount of gas and oil for a two-cycle engine, you can fill the tank with a product like TRUFUEL 50:1 Mix, which already has the right amount of both.
Since a four-cycle lawn mower engine has a separate oil sump, it needs to be maintained like a car engine, which means that the oil should be changed often.
How often should the oil be changed?
How often you change the oil on your lawn mower depends on how often you use it. Every year, before the cutting season starts, it’s a good idea to change the oil. But if you mow your lawn often, take care of your neighbors’ lawns, or run a lawn care business, you should change the oil in your walk-behind mower after fifty hours of use. If you need a riding mower or a zero-turn mower for the job, you should change the oil after 100 hours of use.
Depending on the type of mower you have and the model of the engine, the way you change the oil will be different. For most walk-behind mowers, you can usually unscrew the oil tank cap, remove the dipstick if there is one, and carefully tip the mower over to drain the old oil into a safe container. Most auto parts stores can recycle engine oil from lawnmowers and cars.
Once the oil tank is empty, put the mower back on its wheels and pour the new oil through the oil fill tube. Most walk-behind mower engines need 15 or 18 ounces of oil, while riding mower engines need 48 or 64 ounces. Pour in about three-quarters of the bottle to avoid overfilling the tank. Use the dipstick to see if the oil level is full. Then, if you need to, you can add more oil.
Find out what kind of oil your engine needs.
Use the Oil Finder tool to find the best oil for your small engine. To find out how much oil to use and what kind to use, you need to know the type of equipment, the name of the engine (which is usually on the engine label), and the temperature outside.
If you need help figuring out if the engine of your riding mower has one cylinder or two (V-Twin), click here.
