Biennial Oil Change?

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Jun 6, 2020
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Fill in the blank:

A riding mower used fewer than ______________ hours this season, with synthetic 10W-30, can skip the fall oil change and use the same oil again next season.
 
A rider takes what, 2-3 qts to change it. Every fall when you store it with new oil.
These both seem like reasonable schools of thought. Although, I would expect that with very low usage, changing the oil doesn't do much good. I'm attempting to identify what constitutes very low usage. 1 hour? 5 hours? 10 hours? 15 hours? No sense changing the oil unnecessarily.
 
I have three mowers, two with over 4000 hours and one with (I think) around 2500 hours (the meter stopped working). I don't keep track of when I change it but I'm guessing every 150-200 hours based on how often and how long they get used. They get whatever 15w-40 the trucks and tractors drank last and I change it when the oil gets dark.

I wouldn't dream of changing it just because they were about to be stored for the winter. I just don't care about 'em that much.
 
JRed
You must have a lot of grass to cut
At 200 hours those mowers would have 20-25 oil changes
I hope you have a lawn service business
Either that or you are real old
 
JRed
You must have a lot of grass to cut
At 200 hours those mowers would have 20-25 oil changes
I hope you have a lawn service business
Either that or you are real old
Bought them all used and also have a lot of grass to mow.
 
My lawn tractor with a Briggs V-Twin sees an average of 30 hours per year. The maintenance schedule calls for an oil change every 50 hours or once per season. For me it is easier to remember to change the oil ant the end of each season, but I am extending the filters to two seasons. I run a Fram TG3614 which could likely go a lot longer in this application.
 
There are mowers out there running just fine that haven't had a change in 10+ years, so I wouldn't sweat running low hour oil for a second season.
 
It's probably more important to clean and rust proof the deck plus blowing out the tins and cooling fins than obsessing over the oil change intervals in terms of mower longevity.
 
Yeah, but manufacturers also want us to change all parts annually, not just oil (air filter, spark plugs, etc. etc. etc.). Seems a bit excessive.
Does this machine run a filter?
Yes.
...but I am extending the filters to two seasons.
Perhaps that's the ticket. Anyone else doing this?
 
I would say 25hrs or less, leave it in if it is clean looking. If the oil is black, I'm not leaving it. I don't want that crud settling in the bottom of the crankcase all winter.

Being a little OCD, I usually change my mower oil annually in the fall regardless. It's usually darker than new, but still clean looking.
 
I run my Kohler Command about 35-40 hours per year. I change the oil every year and filter every other year.
 
25 hours or less I'd keep it in there. The factory specs are changes every 50 hours. I would only change it more frequently than that if the engine has a carburetor issue and there is fuel contamination, or it is stored outside in the elements and has water contamination. I see water contamination more than anything else honestly.
 
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