[AT] Oil for COLD weather - Cub Cadet

[Roy Morgan]

On Jan 14, 2009, at 12:12 PM, Ralph Goff wrote:

> ... That synthetic oil is good for small engines. The Kohler 16 hp  
> on one of my
> grain augers has had 0w30 in it for several years and I think it helps
> starting. Certainly would give better lubrication on startup. That  
> 10w30 is
> like molasses on a morning like this.

I will be running the Cub Cadet for blowing snow. (I Finally got the  
thing assembled, and promptly broke the lift arm!)

So I would be wise to use synthetic oil in that Kohler 20 HP engine.   
The manual says that you can use synthetic oil but do not extend the  
time between oil changes.  What is semi-synthetic oil?  Any  
recommended brand(s)?

An odd thing happened. I had checked the oil and run the engine for a  
few minutes, then added oil up to "full" on the dipstick.  Got a  
little too much in and read on the dipstick: "Do not overfill" so I  
drained a bit out the bottom of the engine.  The oil on the dipstick  
was clean and the oil coming out of the drain tube was thick and  
black, and ran very slowly.  (This engine has a short piece of rubber  
hose with the drain plug on the end of the hose.  Makes it easier to  
drain the crank case.)

How can that be???

I also added TSC universal transmission/hydraulic oil to the fluid  
drive unit to bring it up to full (it took about 6 ounces to do  
that.)  That stuff moved like molassas.  Temperature was just below  
freezing today in the barn where I was working.

Roy

Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
529 Cobb St.
Groton NY, 13073