Motor oil question

[Salty]

Hey all. What's with all of the motor oil specs?
I just got a 21" snow thrower and was comparing the oil they supplied with what I have. I have 2 new quarts of Shell fire & Ice 5W-30 It says something like replaces specification SC, and SH...whatever that is.
The oil that was with the new machine says it exceeds spec SJ!
What's up with that? Can I still use what I have as long as it is 5W-30 and detergent? I'm suppose to change the oil after 5 hours so I will need some soon...especially after looking at the coming weather forcast!

Thanks.

Salty

[Uncle Cracker]

You can get some explanations here.

[ragswl4]

And after that first oil change, unless the manufacturer says no, fill er up with Mobil 1 synthetic for a long life.

[steve-norrell]

I have been using 5W-40 motor oil for years. We keep the snowthrower in the garage so it starts reliably and it does not seem to be bothered by temperatures well below zero. When I have to change the oil again I may well heed Rag's suggestion to use Mobil 1 synthetic.

Regards, Steve

[Black wallnut]

The link UC provided is a quick explianation although IMHO the source is not what I would consider un biased! However the service classifications are a standard. Suffice it to say that the "S" classification started with "SA" and "SB" superceeds "SA" and on down the line. As a new classification is approved by ASE the new letter is added farther along the alphabet. The higher the last letter the more modern the classification, if that makes sense. bottom line is you will want to choose an oil with at least an "SJ" service classification.

[dbhost]

What is this snow thing I keep hearing about?

[steve-norrell]

What is this snow thing I keep hearing about?

Its a four letter word beginning with "s"!

Regards, Steve

[Salty]

Thanks all for the info.
I guess I'll get some SJ for the first oil change, although if it crapped out, would they be able to tell if I used SH instead of SJ??
So far it doesn't do too bad of a job for a vibrating snow thrower!
We got about 3" of the stuff today and it handled it fine. I'm sure my 'technique' will improve as the winter wears on.
One thing I would like to change is the flippin wheels. They are cheap plastic and when they get a little bit of snow buildup around them they refuse to turn. So, about half the time I am dragging 1 wheel when I pull it back.
I saw McMaster has the same size with a hollow rubber tire and ball bearings. For $5.50 each that would probably help a lot.