Lawn mower oil

Nothing to do with an SV, but most of the technical stuff gets posted in TT&T and most of the mechanics lurk in here, mods please feel free to move if you want to.....

I use Silkolene 4T Ride 10w/40 Synthetic in the bike, but one long trip up in Scotland and my bike seemed to have burned a load of oil, so I had to go into a local bike shop and the only had some other brand of 10w/40 bike oil. Now I've done an oil change with the Silkolene and will use this for top up's unless in an emergency it's not available. This leaves me with the best part of a litre of the other brand which I will probably never use.

The lawn mower is well overdue an oil change and in the past I've just used a straight non-multigrade SAE30 garden machinery oil. Could I use the spare 10w/40 in the mower?

SAE30 is the usual for mowers.
Not sure about 10W/40, but would just buy lawnmover oil.
Usual is £5 for a oil change.

What type of engine?

Briggs?

Originally Posted by Sally

What type of engine?

Briggs?

Yep

Get briggs SAE30 oil, enough oil will only cost you a fiver.

Should change oil every 50 hours or so.

Keep the engines serviced like you're bike, they will last at least 10 years. Is it a push mower or a ride-on?

Type of mower?

This is what I work as, or used to after tomorrow

Originally Posted by Sally

Get briggs SAE30 oil, enough oil will only cost you a fiver.

Should change oil every 50 hours or so.

Keep the engines serviced like you're bike, they will last at least 10 years. Is it a push mower or a ride-on?

Type of mower?

This is what I work as, or used to after tomorrow

OK, I will just buy the oil, I was just being a tight ****. It's a Mountfield, self propelled push mower, 5.5hp Briggs with galvanized steel chassis, not sure exactly which model though. I think it's B&Q own brand now? Did they buy Mountfield?

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

OK, I will just buy the oil, I was just being a tight ****. It's a Mountfield, self propelled push mower, 5.5hp Briggs with galvanized steel chassis, not sure exactly which model though. I think it's B&Q own brand now? Did they buy Mountfield?

Mountfields are sold by B&Q, i bought one from there.
Not sure if they just brand them with their own labels as well now.
I used to work for a company that makes the control cables for these and many others, im sure mountfield are owned by a bigger mower manufacturer cant remember who though.
Useless info, but there you go.

http://www.ggp-group.com/

Google knows all! Looks like these guys own Mountfield, but mine came with B&Q branding on the cardboard box and on the instructions, they must have a retail brand licensing agreement in place.

If that's the case are Mountfield actually making the B&Q mowers, or are B&Q having them made elsewhere and have the license to use the Mountfield name on them, we assume with some quality control from Mountfield, or are Mountfield just packaging their mowers with some B&Q branding on them as B&Q are buying so many?

Google'd Mountfield B&Q and got this on a blog. Had mine 5 years and it's been great, oh well.

EX B&Q Warranty Repairer says:
December 23, 2008 at 12:20 pm
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, READ THIS!
There is nothing wrong with Mountfield mowers, HOWEVER! The models that are sold in B&Q stores are NOT the same as Mountfield sell themselves.

Look on Mountfield.co.uk and you will see. They might look similar but are not the same!

Many of the models that are made exclusively for B&Q, are made in SLOVAKIA or POLAND and not in italy where the rest of the Mountfield mowers are manufactured.

The quality control of the B&Q machines is virtually non exsisitent and the reason that they are told not to accept returns, is because the spares for these machines are different from the normal UK Mountfield machines.

Also they NEVER order spares when they import the machines to save money!

I Left a year ago and was disgusted with the way they treated their customers! It was always left to engineers like me to bear the brunt of very rightly peed of members of the public!

If you do have a problem don’t waste your time and money with the helpline numbers they give you!
Just phone B&Qs Head office and complain!
Trust me your new mower will be with you so quickly, you’ll be amazed!

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Sally

Get briggs SAE30 oil, enough oil will only cost you a fiver.

Should change oil every 50 hours or so.

Keep the engines serviced like you're bike, they will last at least 10 years. Is it a push mower or a ride-on?

Type of mower?

This is what I work as, or used to after tomorrow

Haven't serviced my Mountfield Empress Since my Dad gave me it over 10 years ago other than once 7 or 8 years ago and he had it 10 years.

Do you think I should change the oil? - they're probably old friends by now the engine & that oil, oh, and the spark plug, air filter

10W40, 20W50, whatever bike oil will do absoluletely no harm to a Briggs. SAE30 is just a minimum spec.