Synthetic oil in a lawnmower, is it worth it?

The thing about electric mowers, at least with my yard, is they don’t have enough battery life or you are dragging a cord around.


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sgtsandman said:

The thing about electric mowers, at least with my yard, is they don’t have enough battery life or you are dragging a cord around.


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I can barely get all of mine on one tank of gas.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

I can barely get all of mine on one tank of gas.

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Mine isn’t that big. This latest mower might be a bit more efficient, I don’t know. I can usually get about two cuts per tank but it does matter if I can keep up with it or not. Previous mowers wouldn’t go two cuts but they did have bigger engines. I wouldn’t run out of gas but there wouldn’t be enough for another complete cut.


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rusty ol ranger said:

Sounds like internal engine to me. Like you said, rings.

Ive never, ever, had an issue with an flathead briggs. What i like about them is you can leave them sit in a field 10 years, dump gas in it and hook a battery up and 9/10 times theyll fire.

Much less finnicky then kohlers/onans/wisconsins.

Tecumsehs though always treated me very well.

Stick your finger over the plug hole and see how hard it blows back on your finger when someone yanks it over. If it doesnt give a good solid blast its worn out.

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Its an older Craftsman with a Briggs in it. Maybe when the weather breaks I'll get at it again. Like I said, the only place it goes that the riding mower doesn't is under the trampoline. Everywhere else the deck is too wide and I gotta break out the weed whacker anyway.

85_Ranger4x4 said:

I can barely get all of mine on one tank of gas.

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I can mow two or three times on a single tank, but two summers ago I had to stop and fill the one tire twice per cut. And that was after putting air in before I started. Usually came back to the shed with a flat too.

sgtsandman said:

The thing about electric mowers, at least with my yard, is they don’t have enough battery life or you are dragging a cord around.


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The electric mower I have is set up for large yards. The battery can be replaced in less than 30 seconds. Just flip a little lock and pull up on the battery, then grab another battery, drop it in place and flip the lock. All ready to mow some more. The battery has connections kind of like a big electrical outlet that automatically connect as the battery is set in place. I have no need for a spare battery though. I think the battery is good for 45 minutes. I know occasionally I forget to recharge the battery after mowing for 20 minutes or so and I can still mow my lawn the next week again without the gage dropping into the warning range.

I would not have an electric mower if I had to drag a cord around.

gw33gp said:

The electric mower I have is set up for large yards. The battery can be replaced in less than 30 seconds. Just flip a little lock and pull up on the battery, then grab another battery, drop it in place and flip the lock. All ready to mow some more. The battery has connections kind of like a big electrical outlet that automatically connect as the battery is set in place. I have no need for a spare battery though. I think the battery is good for 45 minutes. I know occasionally I forget to recharge the battery after mowing for 20 minutes or so and I can still mow my lawn the next week again without the gage dropping into the warning range.

I would not have an electric mower if I had to drag a cord around.

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Walk behind?

Yes, it is walk behind but it is very light and easy to push around. I don't have lawns large enough to justify a riding lawn mower. I am not sure they even make an electric riding lawn mower but have not looked into it either.

gw33gp said:

Yes, it is walk behind but it is very light and easy to push around. I don't have lawns large enough to justify a riding lawn mower. I am not sure they even make an electric riding lawn mower but have not looked into it either.

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They have electric cars, I didn't know.

My yard is too big for a walk behind, by the time I got done I would have to start over again.

I have a 2008 MTD push mower, with the Briggs and Stratton engine. I added a chrome handle bar from a 1980’s push mower I found and added a throttle adjuster on the handle bar. I rebuilt the mower a couple years ago. I like it, it’s simple and sharp looking with the chrome handle. I threw in one of those spark plugs that are supposed to be really good. The ones with the green and black brand symbol, can’t remember the name of the brand. It does seem more powerful with it compared to the stock plug.

What gas do you guys use? I’ve always used 87, but some people say I should only use 93 in small engines like this. How about the air filter, do you guys oil it and if so, what kind of oil? I’ve always used the motor oil, but it’s thick and hard to work in evenly. Is a thin oil, like Wd-40, possibly a better choice? Will it let the engine breath with less effort?

I run 89 but only because my Sthil equipment requires it, otherwise it would be 87. That way, I can just buy one 5 gallon can at a time and mix whatever I need for the two strokes.

I use the same oil I use in the engine on the filter after it gets washed with soapy water and let dry. Since I use synthetic off the shelf and the owner’s manual say it’s ok, it’s 5W-30. Saturate it with oil, squeeze off the excess and pat it some with a rag or paper shop towels.

The spark plugs are whatever the manual recommends.


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Echo wants 89 octane or higher, premium around here is usually ethanol free so we recommend customers to just run premium. That of course is two stroke.

My Ranger, four antique tractors, riding mower and ancient Echo trimmer all drink ethanol free 87.

I avoid ethanol in anything carburated.

I've had my TroyBuilt self propelled push mower for about 3 years, I guests it's time to change the oil.

I wish we had ethanol free here. Outside of small quantities (up to a gallon) at exorbitant prices at power equipment dealers, we don’t have anything. 10% or E85 are our only choices.


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Check boat stores, marinas and small airports. Marine and avaition fuel is ethanol free. That's how I get gas for my mustang. The marina I use only charges about 30 cents more per gallon for ethanol free 93 octane than the regular gas stations charge for corn piss e-10 93.

I think ethanol in gasoline is incredibly dumb, but that's what the local station has so that's what I use. Not driving all over for special fuel, nor using anything with lead in it. I've actually never had a problem with E10.