Of course. Commercials never lie.
@meanjoe75fan–I agree with your purchase plan if both mowers are equipped with the same engine. However, there are different grades of Briggs and Stratton engines–the Quantum is one grade. There are cheaper B & S engines that are made in China and are inferior to the Quantum.
I have two old push mowers with cast aluminum decks that I keep running. The older mower is an 18" Toro which I bought in 1988. The handle broke this year, but I was able to go online and get the replacement part.
The other mower is a 20" push mower that I bought in 1992 and is the mower I use most often. It is a Homelite mower that was a design by Jacobsen. However, over the years, Homelite sold out to MTD, the design was changed and most parts aren’t available. I can’t get a control cable for the safety handle, so I bypassed it by wring it open at the engine. The mower has longer and a shorter blade mounted at right angles to each other. It is great for mulching and I now use it mostly in the fall for mulching up the leaves.
Sometimes cheap turns out to be better.
This past year I discovered an electric lawn mower at Christmas Tree Shops for $99. They had one left over at the end of the year, marked down to $69. A ladyfriend got them to lower it further to $59. I bought it.
My health has deteriorated to the point that I was struggling to mow even my very small lawn with a basic 21" gas mower. Just bending over to check the oil, gas the tank, and start the engine was causing pain, and I was exhausted and in pain after mowing the lawn. I only mowed it a few times a year because of this. The Christmas Tree Shops electric mower is 18", almost entirely molded plastic including the wheels, and extremely light weight. It looks like a toy lawnmower that a kid would push while pretending to mow. But the first time I used it I was amazed at how easy it was to push and maneuver, and there’s no starting protocol! I immediately rolled my gas mower to the curb and stuck a $50 sign on it. I’ve used it a few times now and I love it. It’s easier than vacuuming the living room. In this case, a super cheap all plastic mower turned out to be far, far better (for me) than any other mower at any price. It’s the perfect solution. It even has a detachable grass/leaf catcher!
My strategy with lawn equipment is to buy good quality used equipment. My riding mower is a 1978 International Cub 85 that I bought in 1990 and still use weekly 6 months a year. A lawn Boy 20" for trimming of indeterminate age that still starts 1st or second pull. And I have an 8 horse 1972 Ariens with a differential I can lock and unlock and a 318 cc engine. I wouldn’t trade it for a new one. When the snow is drifted level with my 4’ fence I can put the drift bars on it and make paths for the dog through my backyard at a slow walking pace guiding it with one finger.
The only problem I see with this strategy is that machines of this quality are no longer available.
Oh, as far as oil, I use 30W Pennzoil in both mowers and 5W30 in the Ariens.
You can still be quality lawn equipment. Just don’t expect to find it at Wal-Mart, Lowes, or Home Depot. With Husqvarna, there is a Lowes grade and then there is a dealer grade. By this, I mean that my local farm and home store sells Husqvarna as does the Lowes and the models are different. With Stihl, they only sell at resellers that can sell and service the equipment. They are proud to advertise that the best selling chainsaw is not available at any large chains. Even here, Stihl has different grades. They have low, mid, and pro grades. I have experience with all of them and am not disappointed in any although the pro grade has more metal to the housing while the low grade is all plastic.
My brother only buys Honda yard equipment. He ran his old mower for like 15 years and decided to get a new one. The new one has a deck made of some super strong but super light space age material and I think the deck is warranted for life. I think he might have had to buy this online even as it wasn’t available locally and he lives in a large city.
Yes, you can still get quality equipment but it is hard to find and you may pay $1000 for a mower instead of the $!50 at WM. Like others here, I agree that buying a quality used product is better than buying cheap junk new.
Sorry to say, Amsoil now has both kinds and you need to know what you want for sure. I just got duped into buying a couple of barrels and found out it’s type III. Read the backside closely.
Some oil manufacturers such as Mobil 1 will not publish if they use group 3 or 4 oils as base stock. The website considers it proprietary information so they are not transparent at all. I understand even the highest end synthetics have some group 3 as a medium to mix additives in. Apparently some additives don’t mix very well with true synthetics so some group 3 is beneficial in the blend. I understand the easiest way to find out what is in the oil is to send in from fresh oil for analysis at a lab and they will tell you what is in the oil. I understand that most of the 0W(anything) oils are mostly group 4 while the 5W30 and 10W30 products often cheat. Basically the group 3 kind don’t protect well enough to be a 0W oil. I also understand that the wider the range of a multi-viscosity oil, the more group 4 they have to use. So, a valid assumption is that a 0W30 or 0W40 is going to have a higher percentage of group 4 than a 10W30 synthetic oil. Also, oils specified as “European” blends typically are mostly group 4. Many oils classified as synthetic in the US wouldn’t pass this definition legally in Europe so having the “European” designation is usually a good thing.
I personally use a Mobil 1 0W40 European blend in many of my vehicles calling for a 5W30. This costs the same as any other Mobil 1 product but is supposed to be a superior product overall. Sure, I may lose a little mileage but I like the idea of this oil. I understand it wasn’t all that impressive until they met the API SN standard but then they really stepped it up. This is good oil for the money.
Another one some racers like to use is the Rotella T6 5W40. I understand it is a little thicker of a 40W when warn than the Mobil I mention above. For some reason those who run Subarus hard seem to swear by this one. This is also rated for diesel usage so it has a larger amount of anti-wear additives. This is good for the engine but not good for the emissions system like your cat and O2 sensor. This is more of an issue if your engine burns some oil. I run this oil in all my small engine equipment as it it non-emissions and not a concern. I figure the oil is good for resisting thermal breakdown and good in a flat tappet system.
Group III isn’t “garbage.” It’s born of dino juice, but only the best and most refined stock meets the criteria to qualify.
Even if you blanch at calling it “synthetic,” it’s a step above coventionals…at the right price point, it’s a great buy.
I agree that group 3 isn’t a bad oil but it isn’t a synthetic in the true sense of the word. Getting 5 quarts of group 3 synthetic for $10 on sale as parts store brand is probably a great deal. I sometimes do this when there is a sale like this. Sometimes it even includes a filter.
The Pennzoil was a decent price and a rebate came with it. Only problem is that many motor oils today are so light in color that it is a problem to see it on the dipstick. I turn the dipstick in the sun until I can see the oil register. maybe next time I’ll put a drop of food coloring in with the oil change. I’ll let you know how it performs, thanks for the comments! Rocketman
Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes you have a hard time seeing the oil is at the right level right after filling. You have to wipe the stick very clean and look to see where it is oily.
One drop of food coloring probably wouldn’t hurt but I would expect it to break down quickly in an engine.
I don’t know, I got soured on Penz oil 30 years ago and never went back, even for my lawn mower. Don’t know if its still that way or not but I like seeing a clean engine when opened up, not full of dark deposits.
“Real men” use their bare hand to feel for the level . “Real men” die early too.
Maybe a reference back to the thread of why we are so afraid? I have this picture in my head of gloves, goggles, and face mask to check the oil.
Maybe a reference back to the thread of why we are so afraid? I have this picture in my head of gloves, goggles, and face mask to check the oil.And all bottles of NEW oil has this warning. I never knew used oil was sold by the quart.
Agreed. The standard yellow bottle Pennzoil used to leave lots of dark deposits. I don’t know if this has been improved. I have read several reviews on the synthetic stuff and it sounds like it might be a really good thing. I just was curious if it is really any better than any of the other brands of synthetic.
@PvtPublic
I believe, for those who buy this oil, the will have to deal with used motor oil in an oil change before they use the product.
I believe that when checking the oil or changing oil you are checking used oil, not new oil. The carcinogens are found in the oil you check or change. Is it that dangerous, in and of itself just once in a while ? . IMHO, no ! But the accumulative effect of the carcinogens we get from used motor oil for those who work with it, food additives, pollution we breath etc. that are more recent phenomenons has been the concern. Being careful never hurt anyone ! Not being careful has. IMO, it’s the same argument given by those who want to change their oil a bit earlier …“it can only help” they say. So not handling used motor oil, “can only help” too.
As far as “oil being a carcinogen” goes, understand the limitations of the tests they are referencing. They take an animal–generally one that has been bred for the purpose of developing cancer really easily–and submit it to the highest concentrations of the substance in question that the can practically accomplish. (For used oil, that consists of keeping a patch of the animals’ skin constantly wet with oil.) They then wait to see if any “statistically significant” increases in cancer occur, relative to a control.
For oil, they WERE able to show such an increase for waste oil, but (according to the labeling, at least) NOT for fresh oil.
Now, the first big problem with these sorts of animal testing is…rodents aren’t humans. While similar, the physiology is different, and sometimes toxins are uniquely bad to one species, and hardly register with another.
The SECOND big problem with these tests is that they are very “risk-averse” by design–they want to catch it if there’s ANY possible way something MIGHT be a carcinogen–and produce myriad “false positives.” (It has been theorized that the testing protocol is carcinogenic, in and of itself; that is, taking a social animal, and placing it “in solitary” and subject to receiving 10,000X the daily allotment of ANYTHING may be carcinogenic, all by itself.)
Given all that, WMO is about as “carcinogenic” as Sassafras and Saccharin, having failed the same tests. Full disclosure, I drink Sassafras–tasty and mildly sedating. I see no harm in moderate, infrequent dosages thereof; I would advise against going on an “all Sassafras diet.”
WMO, while hardly “health food,” is likely to be only very mildly carcinogenic…or not at all…in dosage levels actually encountered by professionals, let alone at levels encountered by the shadetree mechanic. I’d advise against bathing in it…simply use decent hygiene protocols and stop worrying! (The stress of worrying IS likely carcinogenic, BTW.)
Yeah cwatkin, I have a tough time seeing the oil on the dipstick, maybe I can come up with something better than food coloring, some dye which won’t bother my engine internals. Any suggestions folks? Rocketman
When you pull the dipstick out lay it on a dry paper towel you will see where the towel is wet.