Types of Oil for My Toro Mower

Viscosity

• Oil viscosity must be considered when purchasing oil for your Toro mower. To determine the viscosity, which measures how fast oil heats up for engine circulation, look for the number in front of the “W”. A lower number, such as 0 or 5, indicates an oil weight that operates best in cold temperatures. Higher numbers indicate thicker oil that can withstand mowing in summer air temperatures.

Oil Ratings

• Toro’s Kohler and Honda engines are rated to accept conventional oil with detergent additives that will keep the engines clean as they run. For the riding mowers, oils must meet API service grades SG, SH, SJ or higher. These indicate oils that meet viscosity grade engine requirements for specific engine model years. Toro’s gas-powered push mowers must use SAE 30 detergent oil with SF, SG, SH, SJ, SL or higher ratings.

Synthetic Oil

• It is acceptable to use synthetic oil instead of conventional oil in your Toro mower. The synthetic oil must meet the oil ratings specifications. The advantage of using synthetic oil is that it has fewer contaminants than conventional oil since it was designed in a lab. Synthetic oil is slicker with its uniform molecule sizes. However, conventional oil is better for breaking in new engines so synthetic oil isn’t recommended for use until after the first 50 hours of mowing. Synthetic oil is also considerably more expensive.

Oil Maintenance

• Toro mower oil maintenance schedules recommend that you change the engine oil after the first five hours of operation. The first five hours is when the engine is breaking in and establishing wear patterns. Check oil before each use or every day. Change the oil after every 50 hours of use or at the beginning of the next mowing season if you don’t reach 50 hours. You can also use oil to lubricate hardware on the wheel assemblies, handles and grass chute.