[AT] Oil for COLD weather - Cub Cadet

[Steve W.]

Roy Morgan wrote:
> On Jan 14, 2009, at 12:12 PM, Ralph Goff wrote:
> 
> I will be running the Cub Cadet for blowing snow. (I Finally got the  
> thing assembled, and promptly broke the lift arm!)

OOPS. I broke the long lift bar from the blower lift back to the arm
under the tractor the first year, it hung up and bent till it broke.

> 
> 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)?

I run 10W30 full synthetic through the winter. Makes a BIG difference in
the engine.

> 
> 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???

Sounds like the first time I drained mine. I dumped some CHEAP oil mixed
with Marvel Mystery oil in it and ran it a few minutes, then dumped that
out and did it again. Then added just oil and ran that for an hour. Then
changed it with a new filter.

As for why the oil coming out was black. That tube drains off the bottom
and whatever oil collects in it never really goes back into the system.
Plus if you only ran it a few minutes the oil didn't warm up enough to
really move.

> 
> 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.

My SOP for the current weather is to start the engine. Let it warm up so
I can shut the choke off then with it at half throttle I cycle the
hydraulics up and down a few times to move the fluid.
Then throttle up and run the blower a bit to warm it up. Then I start
blowing snow.

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

-- 
Steve Williams
Firefighter, EMT, Fire Police
Van Hornesville Vol. Fire Dept