How do I know what weight oil to use in a particular small engine? I no longer have the owner's manual.?

I have a mower, garden tractor, generator and snow blower.How do I know what weight oil to use in a particular small engine? I no longer have the owner's manual.?
Hmmmm. There's alot of incorrect info being given to this point. MTD stands for Modern Tool and Die. Although MTD has bought up alot of other brands, Murray is not one of them.





Lawn tractors all use 4 stroke motors in them, as do most snowblowers, lawn mowers and generators. There are the odd exceptions but those are few and far between. If there is a crankcase for oil to go into, then the engine is definitely a 4 stroke. As several people have already suggested, 30 weight motor oil is the first choice for air cooled engines in outdoor power equipment. However, straight grades of motor oil are getting a bit harder to find these days so you can also use a multi-grade oil such as 15W40, 20W40 or 20W50 in everything except the snowblower. I would use 10W30 or 5W30 in that engine because it is only used during cold weather and that particular multigrade will help it spin over a bit easier in sub-zero temps. My personal preference is Shell's Rotella T oil but any direct equivelant is fine. Just make sure you change the oil every 25 hours hours MAX and keep the oil level filled to the line inbetween changees.How do I know what weight oil to use in a particular small engine? I no longer have the owner's manual.?
Most mowers, garden tractors and a lot of snow blowers are manufactured by Murray Tractor Division (MTD). You can visit their corporate page http://www.mtdproducts.com/corporate/ind鈥?/a>


and select the brand name that is on your lawn care product and find the literature for your particular model.





As to the generator, you can google the manufacturer and get to their web site. Once there you should be able to get the particular model's manual(s).





Barring that, the oil I use in all my small gasoline powered engines is Mobil-1 10w30 fully synthetic. I have had no mechanical problems as a result of wear. Abuse, yes, wear, no.
Well Ron you will probably use a 10-40 with no problems. A 5 -30 will also do fine. the 10-40 will be a little higher viscosity and help with lube when the engine gets hot....
in a small engine that is 4 cycle, oil you do not put in the gasoline as a mix. small engine oil is SAE 30, on all small engines.
Unless any of them are two cycle motors ( oil/gas mixed like chainsaws/weedwackers) , Id just use a name brand SAE 30 motor oil. Normal automobile oil can be used as well, ive used 10w30/10w40, 5w20/5w30 in my tractors with no ill effects ( automobile oil has teflon in it , which supposedly could build up over time) - I have a 1992 lawntractor i bot new and have always used 10w40 in it and its still running great. For a bit more added protection , i use a bit of Lucas oil additive when i change the oil. It really shouldnt matter what type of motor oil you use, just change it on a regular basis.


Kidd
usually it all takes a 2 cycle oil even if you go to a hardware store it will either say two cycle or lawnmower oil or it will say small engine oil. they will help you if you have questions iworked at a hardware stor it was allways a two cycle oil or i forgot there is one that is a sae 30 weight which is also the same thing.trust me i sold enough of it.
You can also check the engine for an instruction tag, usually located in a visible spot on the engine, which gives instructions for oil and other engine details.
In the crank case any good motor oil will do.





If you are talking about two cycle engines which need oil in the gas, you need to know the mix ratio required by particular engine. The ratio is usually in ounces of oil per gallon.





The best bet is to do a search for the model and brand on the internet.