# New Zero Turn - Best Oil??



## WenR (Sep 12, 2018)

Just picked up a new Scag Tiger Cat II with the Vanguard 32HP.

Vanguard recommends their brand of oil 15w-50 synthetic (for our area).
Scag recommends their brand of oil 20w-50 to be used for hydro oil.
I asked the dealer for his recommendations for hydro oil, and he replied---"We use Kawasaki 15w-50 in everything"

I'm not trying to cheap out, just trying to provide this unit the best care possible.

I need recommendations for engine oil and hydro oil.


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## wiread (Aug 27, 2019)

I don't have the same mower, but I went to my engine and hydro manufacturer and took their recommendations, which in my case was Kawi and hydro-gear for my Ferris.

My dealer told me to never touch the hydro oil, do not even crack it open, have heard it from others as well. I don't operate that way though. I figure well done preventative maintenance is a good thing. Sloppy, no, so i'm very clean when I do it. closed doors and windows after I scrap and blow everything out. I take wheels off to make lots of room for everything etc. Then change it.

anyway, I'd use whatever your engine and hydro manufacturers recommend and keep it clean.


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## ENVY23 (Sep 14, 2021)

I have the same mower, but with the Kawasaki engine. It's my 2nd Scag mower. One thing to note, you have two warranties. Scag warranties the mower, and the engine manufacturer warranties the engine. Scag doesn't warranty the engine(although your Scag dealer will/should handle any issues with the engine manufacturer). So with that said, I'd run what the engine manufacturer says. That way if there's any issues, you can say with 100% certainty "I ran your oil/filter as the manual stated." I run the Kawi oil in my mower, with genuine Kawasaki oil filters. I'm 100% convinced any quality oil with the recommended weight along with a good filter will be perfectly fine, but running "their" oil removes any chance for them to weasel out of a warranty issue.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

ENVY23 said:


> but running "their" oil removes any chance for them to weasel out of a warranty issue.


Do companies really try that? Legally, they can't deny warranty due to not using their oil/filter unless they have provided it for no additional cost. Magnusson-Moss Act.

That's not to say you can't deny warranty based on poor oil - but you must prove that the oil was the cause of the failure. I've actually had to do this once, as I had a customer that liked to "turn up" his engines, run $0.99/qt Wolf's Head SA-rated oil, and cry warranty when the engine gave out 2-3-400 hours later.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

WenR said:


> I'm not trying to cheap out, just trying to provide this unit the best care possible.
> 
> I need recommendations for engine oil and hydro oil.


If it was mine, I'd be running:

AMSOIL 15W50 Small Engine

I probably wouldn't touch the hydro oil (before the OEM spec'd change interval) unless it became contaminated or there was some mechanical failure in the system. Hydro oil isn't subjected to the same chemical contamination that engine oil is. It does get beaten up via shear forces or can oxidize if overheated.

Back in the late-90's to early 2000's, Exmark spec'd Mobil 1 15W50 as their hydro oil of choice, and for good reason. They used a small reservoir, temps were higher than the normal hydro system of the day, and M1 15W50 was a (relatively) high-ZDDP Group IV synthetic. When M1 adjusted the spec and M1 EP 15W50 was born, and M1 15W50 was "downgraded" to a Group III formula, Exmark came out with their own private-label hydro oil.

I spoke with AMSOIL tech services years back about using one of their products in a similar application to replace a similar oil, and they pointed me to a lesser known 20W50 that was specifically a high ZDDP oil to protect sliding contact parts. I never had a problem with it but be aware that recommendation is 10+ years old now and I'd probably want to re-confirm for the specific oil you're replacing. Trouble is - you may have to figure out the source for the private-label Scag oil if they aren't very familiar with the application. However, AMSOIL does a LOT of application specific testing (as specialty lubricants is kinda their groove) and they may have a recommendation at the ready.

Don't get too sticker-shocked either. Sign up for a preferred customer membership and the price drops significantly and includes free shipping. If you buy $100+/yr in product, it's well worth the membership cost. Their filters are pricey, I'd be just as happy running a premium-line Wix picked up at the local parts store.


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## ENVY23 (Sep 14, 2021)

MasterMech said:


> ENVY23 said:
> 
> 
> > but running "their" oil removes any chance for them to weasel out of a warranty issue.
> ...


I haven't had that specific issue, but I have had around 10 warranty issues over the years with various cars, equipment, etc. Only 3 times were the issues just fixed. The other 7 involved the dealer trying to place blame on something I either did or failed to do, and only got fixed after a lot of pushback from me. I mean I bought a brand new truck and during the first rain I noticed the rear floorboard was wet. Turns out, the rear window was leaking from a bad seal. Instead of just fixing it, I was accused of pressure washing my truck and ruining the seal, when I hadn't even washed the truck for the first time yet. I guess I've just had bad luck, and have unfortunately came to the conclusion that most warranties aren't worth the paper they're written on. You can do everything right and it just seems like dealers will try their best not to fix it. From what I've heard, warranty work pays less than regular service work, so that might explain why they try to get out of doing it. I dunno.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

ENVY23 said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > ENVY23 said:
> ...


Your warranty experience is largely the responsibility of the servicing dealer. If they want to go to bat for you, you're likely to have no issues with the OEM. After a customer experience you describe, I'd write a nice little email to the GM/Owner of the dealership outlining why I'll never consider them for another vehicle purchase or service visit, let alone recommend them to friends and family.

I don't know the specifics of warranty work across all the auto OEMs, but it's always based upon a "flat-rate" or "book time". Maybe OEM X pays 100% book time, and OEM Y only pays 50%? Maybe the % paid is based upon vehicle sales volume. In either case, that isn't your problem as the end consumer. Whenever doing service work on flat-rate, the dealership obviously wants to beat the clock. The difference is, they can't pad the bill with other jobs or fees when submitting for OEM reimbursement under warranty.


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## Stegs (Aug 29, 2017)

I have a toro grandstand 52" . It has the kohler efi 25hp engine. For engine oil, i run a 10w30 syn blend with high zinc.

I will be switching to 10w40 at my next oil change. I will be using kawasaki 10w40 syn blend with high zinc .

As far as hydro oil, i just changed mine last week. On my grandstand its super simple, open the drain plugs, let it drain. Replace both filters, and fill at the top. Leave the cap off the fill for a few hours to air can escape.

Once done, let the system idle and warm up. Once warm, take it for a drive going in forward/reverse multiple times

I used toro hyper oil. However as long as the oil meets the specs required, you can use any oil regardless of name brand

Keep in mind, scag or any mower manufacture does not make oil. Its probably comes from the same refinery and gets a different decal at the end of the line

I use toro brand simply because i have a local toro dealer. Its in stock and priced good.


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