All gas-powered engines need sufficient oil to run smoothly and use the same oil to run as cars.
Best Lawn Mower Oil Types
Consider the temperature when choosing the best oil.
Lawn mowers that get a lot of use should have their oil level checked more frequently.
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Neglecting to add oil when it’s low can cause significant damage to your lawn mower.
Checking the oil level of a lawn mower is the same whether you have a ride-on or push-behind mower.
The manufacturer’s dipstick or indicator marks may differ slightly in design.
Lawn mowers with 4-cycle engines have two tanksone for gas and one for oil, each added separately.
30-weight oil, used in many automobiles, is the most common weight used in lawn mowers.
Weight refers to the viscosity or thickness.
A 2-cycle mower has one tank with a combination of gas and oil, usually premixed by the homeowner.
Information in your owner’s manual will recommend which 2-cycle oil to use.
They are generally lighter-weight synthetic blends, often labeled as performance or high-performance.
Tip
Labels offer information about the weight and pop in of oil that make up the product.
Place the oil in your freezer overnight.
If it pours more like water, it is likely a synthetic or lower-weight oil such as 5w30.
It is probably a conventional oil like SAE 30 if it pours like molasses.
“Avoid using any special additives with these oils.
The product label should also indicate whether the oil is synthetic or conventional.
The American Petroleum Association issues the classifications SF through SJ, which are used mostly for automobiles.
Conventional Oil
Conventional oils are mineral-based products refined from crude oil pumped from a deep-underground oil well.
Their most significant advantage is their cost, often about half the price of synthetic oils.
However, synthetics are frequently less available or as accessible as conventional lawn mower oils.
Another reason to choose the conventional standard may be the age of your mower.
Many of these types are blends that use conventional oil as a base.
Further refinements are added to develop a more exact product for specific applications.
These applications may include high-performance automobiles and high-use gas-powered equipment such as lawn mowers used in commercial landscaping.
The most pronounced difference between synthetic and conventional oil is the additives that make up synthetic oils.
Some manufacturers claim that synthetic oils break down more slowly than conventional oils.
Should I use synthetic oil in my lawn mower?
Synthetic oil is made to operate as well as, if not better than, conventional oil.
