Posted on 04/16/2018 7:50:15 AM PDT by dennisw
I want to keep this new Troy Bilt lawnmower running great. It is the TB230 with 163cc* Briggs & Stratton® 725EXi Series engine http://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/troy-bilt-tb320-walk-behind-mower-12avb2a3711
My questions are:
Here it is right from Briggs(first 5 hours):
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/support/maintenance-how-to/browse/how-to-change-oil.html
Thanks. That is very informative on at least five points. But first Briggs & Stratton says use 30 weight oil. Then at the bottom they have a chart with 5 oil choices. 4 of which apply to where I live. I am inclined to go synthetic with frequent oil changes say every 40-50- hours. I like sythetic because a fraction of the synthetic will get up high and start lubricating the engine immediately. Quicker than straight 30 weight.
Briggs says you can use SAE 30 down to 40 degrees. But it will pull hard at that temp with SAE 30. As you see there website is a bit contradictory. On the one hand they are still saying to use SAE 30, and yet they have a chart that says you can use 10w30. If you are going to be using the mower in deep grass and pounding the crap out of it- there fore getting it very hot then I would use SAE30. Otherwise the 10W30 will make for easier starting in the cold.
Now here is an interesting fact. Wal-just cleared there shelves of all conventional oil except their cheap SuperTech brand. They are pushing the expensive synthetic oil only. Since all the new cars require it then I guess they figure they can say “Screw You” to all those that don’t need it. I have a feeling that conventional oil is going to become hard to find and as demand drops it may become more expensive than synthetic oil.
I missed the “mart” in Walmart above. Funny we noticed the same thing about the contradiction. SAE30 only- was old school.
I am inclined to go your route with synthetic oil -— 50 hour oil change. Will Sta-Bil also help if I use 10% ethanol gasoline? It keeps the carburetor clean? Which kind of Sta-Bil do you use? https://www.goldeagle.com/brands/sta-bil/
“I don’t do anything except run them. What ever gas I get at the station. Just plain 30 wt. oil. I have replaced the air filter but only because the old one was oil soaked.”
Yeah, all this chatter about this or that oil and this or that octane gas. Geez, I grew up using Briggs and Stratton engines and have continued on through adulthood. And, I have never changed oil in a single one of them. Just ran the piss out of them till the wheels fell off, casing cracked or whatever. Then pushed it out in the all where it disappeared then bought a new one. Never had an break.....
Funny you mention WalMart. Was in there two days ago and the entire oil section looked contacted and smaller! lol What was interesting was the Walmart Super-Tech large container was $12 for regular oil and $15 for 100% synthetic, Not much of a gap. I should have looked more closely because -perhaps- the conventional was a 5gal container and the synthetic was a 4gal container. But I believe they were the same size.
RIGHT!!! When ye ol’ lawn mower is failing and you need to buy a new one... Your last time using the old one push it off into the gully out back while still running.
“Try reading the damn manual. Most, if not all of your questions are answered there.
Best recommendation? Don’t use ethanol fuel.”
Ditto
Yeah that’s Walmart for you. Every time you find something you like there then they discontinue stocking it. They don’t seem to realize that if you have to go somewhere else to get what you want then you are not going be buying other things there at the same time.
Around six months ago, I noticed the local Walmart had 0W-40 full synthetic on clearance. I had never heard of it but decided to give it a try.
My car has 204,000 miles on it so if that 0W weight did not hold up it should show fairly quickly. I checked for the fist few weeks to make sure it had not gone right through the rings.
After a month or two, I decided to just check it every now and then. At 3000 miles it had not used any so I decided it was OK. Just changed it again and again used 0W-40.
The price btw for Pennzoil 5 quart jug was just $13.00 plus a five cents Alabama oil fee. No sales tax. Again was in the same store and they had the 1 quart, same oil for $2 a quart so got 6 more.
Use non-detergent motor oil for engines without oil filters. Fines of wear metals settle into the sump and are not kept dispersed in the oil.
“The price btw for Pennzoil 5 quart jug was just $13.00 plus a five cents Alabama oil fee. No sales tax. Again was in the same store and they had the 1 quart, same oil for $2 a quart so got 6 more.”
The next time you go back I would not expect to find that anymore. Personally I would stick to the manufacturers recommendations on oil weight.
The owner’s manual calls for 5W-30 for normal driving.
After 200,000 miles I figure it doesn’t much matter. It never has used oil tho. I was a little surprised that it didn’t go through the rings, especially since it poured like water.
Never change the oil???
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/campaigns/just-check-and-add.html
My new lawnmower has this engine— https://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/Briggs-&-Stratton-104M02-0021-F1/p65687.html
I hope there is still an oil change option on the new exi type Brigg Stratton engines. It sounds absurd to not change the oil....I get it. They figure as oil burns off you add more. No need for completely clean new oil via an oil change. But I trust changing the oil.
same engine I have -—>>> https://www.briggsandstratton.com/au/en_au/product-catalog/small-engines/vertical-shaft-engines/725exi-series.html
I use the Sta-Bil Fuel Stabilizer. Along with Seafoam it seems to keep my carburetors working well by preventing fuel “varnish”. I have used it with 10% ethanol and had good results.
Interesting. The motors are actually 12v DC, and i have used them as as a blower running off a computer power supply. You cannot use them as a cold air blower otherwise since even with the "cool" button held in they still blow warm air, and I could not disconnect the heating element and still get the blower to work.
But you should be able to use one of those cheap PWM speed controllers to adjust the speed. Just get the polarity right. And some hair dryers are under 10.00 , though just the 12V DC motors are cheaper.
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