synthetic oil in a kohler twin

On tractor talk, synthetic oil, has been talked about quite a lot. Probably the same on this site!, I don't usualy come to garden tractor site's, so I really don't know.Any how I recently aquired a black hood Wheel Horse C175, with the Kohler twin, engine. It looks like an opposed 2 cylinder, and is hooked to a hydrostatic tranny. The tractor runs, and starts really well, and the hydro seems to work well. The only implement I have for it is a 42" mower deck, which raises and lowers hydraulicly, and the mower spindles have good bearings, and real grease zerks, which the other cheap brands dont have! I would like to keep this unit maintained properly, and get as much life out of it as possible! Will synthetic oil give me more life out of the Kohler? What will make the automatic tranny last longest? The engine doesn't smoke now, and the tranny works well. Please advise!

I did a bit of looking around and the C175 should have the Kohler KT-17.

I also found a manual for the KT-17, and Kohler recommends straight 30W oil for temperatures of 32* and above.

I also found the B & C Series Wheel Horse Owners manual. In it they call for a "Premium quality motor oil with a viscosity of 10W-30 or 10W-40".

Personally, I would recommend following the Mfg. recommendation. That's what I do with my old GTs and it's worked for me.

I'm a "Bolens Guy" and don't know that much about the Wheel Horse tractors. However there are a lot of really good knowledgeable Wheel Horse guys at this forum:

http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/forum/20-wheel-horse-toro/

The guys at GTTalk are like most of the folks here, a right friendly bunch and willing to help you with any questions you have.

Threads about oil choice are as pointless as discussions about politics and religion. There is no such thing as a single answer.

Your tractor has a Kohler KT-17 engine and hopefully it is not the dreaded Series One, which was a problem for many owners. If you want your engine to have a long life then put an hour meter in a convenient spot so you can track the actual amount of engine use. Then, create a log book so you can record the date, engine hours and what service work you performed. Keep a file with all the invoices for parts you purchase for your tractor.

Use a good quality motor oil, as per what KOHLER themselves tell you to use. Most likely, this will be straight grade number 30 detergent base oil and then change it every 25 hours maximum. What matters most to your engine is CLEAN oil that is always at or near the FULL mark on the dipstick.

Change the air filter on a timely basis and keep the engine tuned up once each year. Make sure the cooling fins on the block are kept clean and that nothing is blocking the air inlet on the front of the motor. It is important to keep your engine from overheating. Using a synthetic oil can help MARGINALLY with keeping the block temperature down but synthetic oil is not some sort of magical potion that can take the place of proper maintenance and timely oil changes.

Synthetic oil gets just as dirty as regular oil does. The only thing that helps dirty oil is an oil filter and the KT Series engines don't have one. One of the big advantages touted for synthetic oil is that you don't have to change it as often but that only applies to modern engines fitted with an oil filter. If you want to spend the extra to run synthetic, then by all means, do so as along as you adhere to the 25 hour oil change procedure called for by the manufacturer.

I don't know what make/model of hydro that is in your tractor but if you join Red Square, which is the dedicated forum for Wheelhorse tractors, you can find out there. See the link below.

Some hydro's come with an oil filter but many do not. Once again, the oil is the lifeblood and should be changed on a regular basis. We are only talking peanuts here expense-wise for the oil and it is always better to change it too often than not often enough.

Anyone who tells you that synthetic oil will extend the life of an old KT-17 engine, is doing so with absolutely no basis in fact. If running synthetic makes you a happy camper, then use it because it can't hurt to do so.
Red Square

Given how little oil those engines hold I've put straight 30W HD oil in it for summer months and change it often. Dirty oil causes wear. Just guessing but it probably holds 1.7 quarts or so - that's a cheap oil change.

One other benefit of Mobile 1 is that it stands up to thermal break down caused by heat better than conventional multi grade oil - but I don't think it does a better job than a straight grade like 30W.

Kohler recommends using 5 X30 synthetic oil on my Kohler standby generator. It starts once a week even in the Winter. I don't use it anything else. Hal

With all due respect, what Kohler recommends for your standby generator, has nothing to do with what Kohler recommends for the K and M Series engines that were used in garden tractors. Kohler is very clear on which grade of oil should be used in a KT-17 and that is straight grade 30 weight detergent based product.

Who knows more about which oil should be used? The people who designed, built and tested the engine or .......people on some forum who have no background in chemical engineering as it pertains to lubricants?

I went to Red Square forum 2 weeks ago, when I got the tractor, and tried to join up, and got turned down. They say that I am already a member, and need to use my password. I have no idea what they are refering to, because I don't remember ever joining them, and have never needed to before! I recieved a owners manual with the tractor, but don't know the year of it. The guy I bought it from said he thought it was around 1984. It does have a white oil filter around the tranny area, as viewed from the rear of the tractor. I planned to post the info numbers on red square, and find out more about it, but now I will have to do that here on YT. If I can't find a way to get on Rd Sq. I reckon I will be bugging you guys with questions!

I run nothing but Rotella 15-40 for the last 20 + years and had no problems with engine but change oil at 20 hours.I have two tractors with B&S amd two with Kohlers. My oldest is 26 years old with over 1,800 hours and newest has 620 hours and none have ever been wrenched. If you do use synthetic keep eye on oil at first because some engine will use oil on synthetic oil.

Confusion does happen on forums, Ralph.

Use the link below. Fill in the form. Tell them that you do not remember any details about joining Red Square in the past but you definitely want to belong to the forum. Ask them to help you by providing your old screen name and giving you a temporary password so you can log onto the site. In the alternative, they could cancel your old screen name and allow you to submit a new application to join using a different screen name and password.

Most sites prohibit members from having multiple identities (screen names) and I think that's what's going on here. Work with them to get it sorted out because you need that site. Perhaps, if you have been using just one screen name everywhere, then it just a matter of them giving you the temporary password.

If there is a filter close to the trans-axle, then that is for the trans-axle and is a good thing to have. Try and find the brand and model number of the filter so you can purchase another one. There should be a tag on the trans-axle that identifies who made it along with the model and serial number. Once you have that info, you can go to their website and find out the correct oil to use so you can drain out the old, install a new filter and refill the hydro with the proper oil.

Some hydro's use ATF while others use 20W50 motor oil.
Contact link

So follow what Kohler recommends. I was working on engines when you were in 3 corner pants. Hal

Also lubricants have changed dramatically in the 30 or so years since the KT 17 was new, so what was reccommended 20-30 years ago has little to do with things today.

Lubricants have changed since the Kohler K and M Series engines were designed.

But what has not changed in the slightest is Kohler's recommendation that a straight grade 30W detergent oil be used in those engines.

Kohler states that multi-grade 10W30 is acceptable when the ambient temperature falls below the freezing point of water BUT...you must keep a diligent eye on the level of oil in the crankcase because those engines will consume multi-grade oils faster than straight grades. None of the "improvements" to oil technology has overcome that issue. Greater oil consumption leads to faster build-up of carbon deposits in the combustion chamber. Increased oil consumption also puts the engine at greater risk of failure since most failures are caused by a lack of available oil.

And if synthetic oil was truly the panacea that so many people think it is, then why is it that Kohler did not recommend using it? After all, synthetic oil was around before the advent of these engines.

It always amazes me that SOME people who have no background in lubrication engineering feel compelled to give advice about choice of oil that goes against all of the research done by the very people who built these engines. If they are half as smart as they think they are, then a career with Kohler's engine division awaits.

Talk about the kettle calling the pot black(LOL)

(quoted from post at 21:03:40 06/04/13) On tractor talk, synthetic oil, has been talked about quite a lot. Probably the same on this site!, I don't usualy come to garden tractor site's, so I really don't know.Any how I recently aquired a black hood Wheel Horse C175, with the Kohler twin, engine. It looks like an opposed 2 cylinder, and is hooked to a hydrostatic tranny. The tractor runs, and starts really well, and the hydro seems to work well. The only implement I have for it is a 42" mower deck, which raises and lowers hydraulicly, and the mower spindles have good bearings, and real grease zerks, which the other cheap brands dont have! I would like to keep this unit maintained properly, and get as much life out of it as possible! Will synthetic oil give me more life out of the Kohler? What will make the automatic tranny last longest? The engine doesn't smoke now, and the tranny works well. Please advise!

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Do you have any way of determining what type oil the previous owner used. I would stay with that.
I have the exact same WH other then a 48" deck. I bought it used --one season-- in 1981or2 and I have no idea how many hours it has. I chang the oil regularly and used Dello 400 30#.
The tractor uses a little oil but doesn't smoke. I cut my one acre lawn yesterday.
I use Dello 400 30# in all my small engines.
I live in Alabama and really cold weather is not a factor, at least for the very few times I use them during winter.
I think what kills a lot of Kohler engines and probably some others, is running on an extreme incline that may starve the engine for oil. This is especially true with any "splash lubricated engine"