Change mower oil now or in spring?
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If it was mine, I would have changed the oil while the engine was still hot right after the last use of the season. Being that it is an air cooled motor used in warm weather, I would use a good quality 30wt oil. Many people neglect these little motors, and they still last forever. Don't sweat it.
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
What advantage would there be to do it now?
I too have a Toro with a B&S engine. Every fall since I bought it, I run it out of gas and take the blade off for sharpening. In the spring, I drain the old oil, put in new oil (been using Pennzoil conventional HD-30), and put on the sharpened blade.
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
What advantage would there be to do it now?
I too have a Toro with a B&S engine. Every fall since I bought it, I run it out of gas and take the blade off for sharpening. In the spring, I drain the old oil, put in new oil (been using Pennzoil conventional HD-30), and put on the sharpened blade.
If the oil is fairly clean, might as well wait till spring. If you're bored and you feel like messing with it now that it's cold out, by all means go for it. I don't think it's nearly as important to put a mower away with oil that has some hours on it than it is an automobile engine. I wouldn't put a car in storage that has dirty oil in it because you don't want the chance that bearings and such parts being pitted and damaged by really used oil that ''could'' be acidic.
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
If you are like me, you would forget until the day you REALLY have to get out and cut grass. Then you remember you should have changed the oil, stabilized the gas, sharpened the blade etc.
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
If you are like me, you would forget until the day you REALLY have to get out and cut grass. Then you remember you should have changed the oil, stabilized the gas, sharpened the blade etc.
i change mine in after the last run of the season, that way the bearings are sitting in fresh oil without any acids for the winter.
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
The mower is stored in an un heated shed. I've read a few things that oil can start to break down when exposed to extreme cold. We will have a few sub zero days here in Ohio. Waiting until spring, puts the freshest oil in it for the mowing season.
FYI, I use Castrol 30 weight.
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
The mower is stored in an un heated shed. I've read a few things that oil can start to break down when exposed to extreme cold. We will have a few sub zero days here in Ohio. Waiting until spring, puts the freshest oil in it for the mowing season.
FYI, I use Castrol 30 weight.
Originally Posted By: barlowc
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
What advantage would there be to do it now?
We've had at least two threads on this in as many months which have seen a lot of contributions.
I am a change-in-fall guy because I don't see the point in leaving dirty oil containing wear material, fuel and possibly acids in the crankcase to settle and bond to the bottom of the case all winter before changing the oil COLD (another thing I don't do) in the spring.
I also can't believe how hard the "leave it till later" (which I see perpetuated by laziness just about as often as real arguments of benefits) crowd argues against changing it in the fall. The ONLY downside I see to change-in-fall is that some condensation MIGHT build up in the oil over the winter. It won't be enough to affect lubrication at startup and it will burn off during the first mow. I see a whole lot of downsides to leaving it in there until spring.
The change-in-spring crowd, just to humour us, should do a HOT drain of OPE oil into a plastic jug, then let it sit in the cold all winter, and then pour the oil off in the spring (cold) and look at how much junk is left behind. The answer is ALL of the junk that OPE oil must carry away, as a matter of fact, because there's no filter. Any kind of used oil of any sort I've ever kept in a jug for even a week or two has left deposits stuck to the bottom of the container that won't come off without agitation or scrubbing. The heat and agitation of running the engine will bring it all into suspension again which is when it should be drained.
IMO, the change-in-spring methods I see pushed by some here combine two bad practices: 1/ leaving contaminated oil in the engine during storage 2/ changing the oil cold. The latter is especially a factor on filter-less systems where suspension in the oil is the only way to get rid of waste material in the oil system.
Of course for every OCD maintenance story there's another neglect story where some push mower went 20 years on the factory fill with "no problems" so maybe it doesn't matter in the end. Some people smoke a pack a day and live to 90 too. That doesn't mean that there aren't some practices that are better than others.
When it comes down to it, changing in the spring or fall is the same amount of work, but I feel that one works better than the other for long-term ownership.
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
What advantage would there be to wait until spring?
What advantage would there be to do it now?
We've had at least two threads on this in as many months which have seen a lot of contributions.
I am a change-in-fall guy because I don't see the point in leaving dirty oil containing wear material, fuel and possibly acids in the crankcase to settle and bond to the bottom of the case all winter before changing the oil COLD (another thing I don't do) in the spring.
I also can't believe how hard the "leave it till later" (which I see perpetuated by laziness just about as often as real arguments of benefits) crowd argues against changing it in the fall. The ONLY downside I see to change-in-fall is that some condensation MIGHT build up in the oil over the winter. It won't be enough to affect lubrication at startup and it will burn off during the first mow. I see a whole lot of downsides to leaving it in there until spring.
The change-in-spring crowd, just to humour us, should do a HOT drain of OPE oil into a plastic jug, then let it sit in the cold all winter, and then pour the oil off in the spring (cold) and look at how much junk is left behind. The answer is ALL of the junk that OPE oil must carry away, as a matter of fact, because there's no filter. Any kind of used oil of any sort I've ever kept in a jug for even a week or two has left deposits stuck to the bottom of the container that won't come off without agitation or scrubbing. The heat and agitation of running the engine will bring it all into suspension again which is when it should be drained.
IMO, the change-in-spring methods I see pushed by some here combine two bad practices: 1/ leaving contaminated oil in the engine during storage 2/ changing the oil cold. The latter is especially a factor on filter-less systems where suspension in the oil is the only way to get rid of waste material in the oil system.
Of course for every OCD maintenance story there's another neglect story where some push mower went 20 years on the factory fill with "no problems" so maybe it doesn't matter in the end. Some people smoke a pack a day and live to 90 too. That doesn't mean that there aren't some practices that are better than others.
When it comes down to it, changing in the spring or fall is the same amount of work, but I feel that one works better than the other for long-term ownership.
If you want to be "anal" I could see why changing in the fall is better. Get all the contaminants out and get some fresh lube in there over the parts for the winter.
Too many used oil analysis have shown that oil is fine after a year or more so I won't be changing my oil at all this year. Not enough hours on the mower. Will change it out at the end of next season.
Many year's at my parent's house with dad never changing the oil..and the ol mower still chugging along. Ended up junking it for other reasons than lack of oil changes. I'm not sure he ever did.
Honestly, if this 3 year old Craftsman dies because the engine siezes, I won't be all that terribly dissapointed..
Just my
Too many used oil analysis have shown that oil is fine after a year or more so I won't be changing my oil at all this year. Not enough hours on the mower. Will change it out at the end of next season.
Many year's at my parent's house with dad never changing the oil..and the ol mower still chugging along. Ended up junking it for other reasons than lack of oil changes. I'm not sure he ever did.
Honestly, if this 3 year old Craftsman dies because the engine siezes, I won't be all that terribly dissapointed..
Just my
Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
Too many used oil analysis have shown that oil is fine after a year or more so I won't be changing my oil at all this year. Not enough hours on the mower. Will change it out at the end of next season.
Sure, sometimes once per year isn't truly "necessary". On the other hand the average push mower uses half a quart and who really cares about the cost of that small amount of oil unless you have a large fleet of mowers and it really adds up?
Whether to change after one or two years doesn't really affect a number of the before/after factors.
Quote:
Many year's at my parent's house with dad never changing the oil..and the ol mower still chugging along. Ended up junking it for other reasons than lack of oil changes. I'm not sure he ever did.
Yep, as I said, for every story of people actually taking care of their belongings, there's also an "easy come, easy go" story of neglect (or ignorance) to go with it.
Quote:
Honestly, if this 3 year old Craftsman dies because the engine siezes, I won't be all that terribly dissapointed..
Ah yes, here's something I forgot to mention in my other post. A lot of "advice" comes from people who spent very little on their OPE, found it on the curb and fixed it (nothing wrong with that - reduce, reuse, recycle) or hate it anyways and want something new. Those giving out "it doesn't really matter" or "why change the oil at all?" advice to the masses because it doesn't matter to *them* aren't really serving those asking the questions. In general BITOG is all about being "anal" and discussing best practices you should adopt to get the most out of something (e.g. used oil analysis, Magnefine filters, bypass filtration systems, rust prevention, best brake fluid, best anti-seize, best ATF, use of UCLs).
Some people have paid a lot of money for their OPE and it's important to them to get a good lifespan and performance out of the equipment. When there's a "better" way with virtually no downside (including effort and cost) - why not do it?
I've also seen a lot of these people who say they abused their equipment and "had no problems" also write up statements like "I just need a can of ether to get it started in the spring and it's good to go!". Yeeeeah - that means that what they're doing isn't actually working and they shouldn't be emulated. The number of marginal vehicles whose owners say "have no problems" is astounding too.
Too many used oil analysis have shown that oil is fine after a year or more so I won't be changing my oil at all this year. Not enough hours on the mower. Will change it out at the end of next season.
Sure, sometimes once per year isn't truly "necessary". On the other hand the average push mower uses half a quart and who really cares about the cost of that small amount of oil unless you have a large fleet of mowers and it really adds up?
Whether to change after one or two years doesn't really affect a number of the before/after factors.
Quote:
Many year's at my parent's house with dad never changing the oil..and the ol mower still chugging along. Ended up junking it for other reasons than lack of oil changes. I'm not sure he ever did.
Yep, as I said, for every story of people actually taking care of their belongings, there's also an "easy come, easy go" story of neglect (or ignorance) to go with it.
Quote:
Honestly, if this 3 year old Craftsman dies because the engine siezes, I won't be all that terribly dissapointed..
Ah yes, here's something I forgot to mention in my other post. A lot of "advice" comes from people who spent very little on their OPE, found it on the curb and fixed it (nothing wrong with that - reduce, reuse, recycle) or hate it anyways and want something new. Those giving out "it doesn't really matter" or "why change the oil at all?" advice to the masses because it doesn't matter to *them* aren't really serving those asking the questions. In general BITOG is all about being "anal" and discussing best practices you should adopt to get the most out of something (e.g. used oil analysis, Magnefine filters, bypass filtration systems, rust prevention, best brake fluid, best anti-seize, best ATF, use of UCLs).
Some people have paid a lot of money for their OPE and it's important to them to get a good lifespan and performance out of the equipment. When there's a "better" way with virtually no downside (including effort and cost) - why not do it?
I've also seen a lot of these people who say they abused their equipment and "had no problems" also write up statements like "I just need a can of ether to get it started in the spring and it's good to go!". Yeeeeah - that means that what they're doing isn't actually working and they shouldn't be emulated. The number of marginal vehicles whose owners say "have no problems" is astounding too.
I took [censored] good care of this mower until it turned into a large pile on me..no amount of changing the oil is going to fix the wrong things about it. I paid a lot of money ($300 is more than plenty) for my OPE but honestly, in hindsight, would have been better buying a better made used piece of equipment.
I get why you'd want to change your oil in your mower every year. Most years, I do. This year just does not make it worth my while to change it out. Got other things to do (like yak on BITOG, throw up sheetrock in the basement, or clean out the garage, whatever). Maybe someone else will choose to look at it the same way. And there's nothing wrong with that viewpoint.
You can twist my words all you want, but I DID answer the OP's question, along with some side bits of information. Seems like everyone gets to do that.
I get why you'd want to change your oil in your mower every year. Most years, I do. This year just does not make it worth my while to change it out. Got other things to do (like yak on BITOG, throw up sheetrock in the basement, or clean out the garage, whatever). Maybe someone else will choose to look at it the same way. And there's nothing wrong with that viewpoint.
You can twist my words all you want, but I DID answer the OP's question, along with some side bits of information. Seems like everyone gets to do that.
I would think changing it in the fall might have some tiny minuscule advantage. But just changing it at all is the important part and will put you way ahead of 95% of the population.
Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
I took [censored] good care of this mower until it turned into a large pile on me..no amount of changing the oil is going to fix the wrong things about it. I paid a lot of money ($300 is more than plenty) for my OPE but honestly, in hindsight, would have been better buying a better made used piece of equipment.
I once got 7-years out of a $50.00 yard-sale Murray lawn tractor - the little one with the engine over the back wheels.
Stupid thing just kept running. Bought it at the above-stated price and added a new battery/Plug/Air Filter/ and a steady diet of Rotella 15w40 - good to go.
I took [censored] good care of this mower until it turned into a large pile on me..no amount of changing the oil is going to fix the wrong things about it. I paid a lot of money ($300 is more than plenty) for my OPE but honestly, in hindsight, would have been better buying a better made used piece of equipment.
I once got 7-years out of a $50.00 yard-sale Murray lawn tractor - the little one with the engine over the back wheels.
Stupid thing just kept running. Bought it at the above-stated price and added a new battery/Plug/Air Filter/ and a steady diet of Rotella 15w40 - good to go.
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If you bother with things like changing the oil in the mower, I'd probably do it in the fall, after its last run of the year.
That way, you'll have fresh, uncontaminated oil sitting in it for the winter storage period, and it will be ready to go in the spring.
That way, you'll have fresh, uncontaminated oil sitting in it for the winter storage period, and it will be ready to go in the spring.
I like to change it in the fall, see all the technical reasons above. Big reason for me? In the spring I'm going to want to GO! I don't want to diddle around with changing oil, sharpening blades, etc. and THEN get to the mowing.
Add my vote for changing the oil before ya put it away in the fall.
Superbuick96
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As far as Briggs engines go, Ive heard,read,and witnessed to many stories of extream Oil change neglect regaurding these engines. That being said I change the oil in my Briggs in the spring, I figure if a Briggs can last 15 years without an oil change then changing every spring, keeps me way ahead of the game
Originally Posted By: Superbuick96
As far as Briggs engines go, Ive heard,read,and witnessed to many stories of extream Oil change neglect regaurding these engines. That being said I change the oil in my Briggs in the spring, I figure if a Briggs can last 15 years without an oil change then changing every spring, keeps me way ahead of the game
I'm 100% with you on this. The contaminated oil fear is way overblown. I've been leaving used oil in my machines over winter for decades. Never had a problem.
I have no set rules for changing oil. It gets changed when it has served it's purpose. If I put ten hours/yr on good oil in a lawnmower it will get changed every second or third year and I like to do it in the spring. My memory isn't a good as it used to be.
As long as the oil gets changed, it doesn't matter when it's done.
As far as Briggs engines go, Ive heard,read,and witnessed to many stories of extream Oil change neglect regaurding these engines. That being said I change the oil in my Briggs in the spring, I figure if a Briggs can last 15 years without an oil change then changing every spring, keeps me way ahead of the game
I'm 100% with you on this. The contaminated oil fear is way overblown. I've been leaving used oil in my machines over winter for decades. Never had a problem.
I have no set rules for changing oil. It gets changed when it has served it's purpose. If I put ten hours/yr on good oil in a lawnmower it will get changed every second or third year and I like to do it in the spring. My memory isn't a good as it used to be.
As long as the oil gets changed, it doesn't matter when it's done.
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