I was very neglectful, 9 years on one oil change - Technumseh Snow King 10HP

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SW Ontario Canada
The amount of time since I changed the oil is way too long, but the hours of use is less than 15, so that's my excuse. I have had this 29" Yardman Professional since 1999 when I got it new. In 2014 I rebuilt the carb, replaced the belts, repainted the body and changed the oil with some 5W30 Penn Platinum I had on hand. I rarely use this machine, it's so big and noisy that unless there is more than 5" of snow, I just leave it in the backyard shed and use a shovel.

I have a driveway that holds 6 cars, and 85 feet of sidewalk along the front, and the apron of the driveway. I usually shovel this all myself, or my wife or kids will help if I'm too whooped. Now that I'm 60, I expect my wife will insist that the Beast is used more often :cautious:

So the old drained out, the new Supertech 5W30 Full Synthetic (0.73 Litres) went in. See you again in February 2032?
 
The amount of time since I changed the oil is way too long, but the hours of use is less than 15, so that's my excuse. I have had this 29" Yardman Professional since 1999 when I got it new. In 2014 I rebuilt the carb, replaced the belts, repainted the body and changed the oil with some 5W30 Penn Platinum I had on hand. I rarely use this machine, it's so big and noisy that unless there is more than 5" of snow, I just leave it in the backyard shed and use a shovel.

I have a driveway that holds 6 cars, and 85 feet of sidewalk along the front, and the apron of the driveway. I usually shovel this all myself, or my wife or kids will help if I'm too whooped. Now that I'm 60, I expect my wife will insist that the Beast is used more often :cautious:

So the old drained out, the new Supertech 5W30 Full Synthetic (0.73 Litres) went in. See you again in February 2032?

When it comes to these types of motors I'm a big believer that keeping if full is way more important than keeping it changed.. I have tillers on a similar OCI as to what you're describing..
 
The amount of time since I changed the oil is way too long, but the hours of use is less than 15, so that's my excuse. I have had this 29" Yardman Professional since 1999 when I got it new. In 2014 I rebuilt the carb, replaced the belts, repainted the body and changed the oil with some 5W30 Penn Platinum I had on hand. I rarely use this machine, it's so big and noisy that unless there is more than 5" of snow, I just leave it in the backyard shed and use a shovel.

I have a driveway that holds 6 cars, and 85 feet of sidewalk along the front, and the apron of the driveway. I usually shovel this all myself, or my wife or kids will help if I'm too whooped. Now that I'm 60, I expect my wife will insist that the Beast is used more often :cautious:

So the old drained out, the new Supertech 5W30 Full Synthetic (0.73 Litres) went in. See you again in February 2032?

No offense, but you were neglectful on the fuel since you had to rebuild the carburetor. My advice would be 2 either run the fuel out or use some VP Racing fuel that is good for like 2 ta 5 years or so.
 
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Does it really specify 5w30? Many of those engines specify straight weight SAE 30. No VIs, more shear resistant. And since air cooled engines tend to contaminate the oil, mineral oil keeps contaminants in suspension better than synthetic.
 
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Remember, today's oils don't have as much in the way of additives. So the Calcium and Magnesium that combats acid over time, is probably 1/3 what it used to be. I'd change modern oils more frequently, in this kind of service, due to this alone.

Otherwise, 15 hours on oil is no problem over an extended period of time.
 
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Remember, today's oils don't have as much in the way of additives. So the Calcium and Magnesium that combats acid over time, is probably 1/3 what it used to be. I'd change modern oils more frequently, in this kind of service, due to this alone. ...
Some of the restrictions for API certification don't apply to all oils. For example ZDDP limits intended to preserve catalytic converters don't apply to oils heavier than 30 weight.
This make me wonder what the additives in a straight weight SAE 30 would be, and if they have changed over the years.
 
The amount of time since I changed the oil is way too long, but the hours of use is less than 15, so that's my excuse. I have had this 29" Yardman Professional since 1999 when I got it new. In 2014 I rebuilt the carb, replaced the belts, repainted the body and changed the oil with some 5W30 Penn Platinum I had on hand. I rarely use this machine, it's so big and noisy that unless there is more than 5" of snow, I just leave it in the backyard shed and use a shovel.

I have a driveway that holds 6 cars, and 85 feet of sidewalk along the front, and the apron of the driveway. I usually shovel this all myself, or my wife or kids will help if I'm too whooped. Now that I'm 60, I expect my wife will insist that the Beast is used more often :cautious:

So the old drained out, the new Supertech 5W30 Full Synthetic (0.73 Litres) went in. See you again in February 2032?
My brother had a session with a personal trainer and his advice was whatever your heart rate goes to while shovelling, make sure that same rate is reached routinely at the gym. A friend of mine died of a heart attack while shovelling just before Christmas. Listen to your wife! ;)
 
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My brother had a session with a personal trainer and his advice was whatever your heart rate goes to while shovelling, make sure that same rate is reached routinely at the gym. A friend of mine died of a heart attack while shovelling just before Christmas. Listen to your wife! ;)
Yes noted. I am at the YMCA every other day, I burn off 800 calories each time and the HR monitor on the treadmill tells me what my average and max BPM are, and based on my experience with shovelling, I never reach this level.

I used to visit a Cardiologist, but he told me that 99% of his patients couldn't achieve my endurance on his treadmill, so we agreed to stop the visits.

I think the biggest problem is when you're late for work because the City plow blocked off your driveway with 2 feet of compacted snow, so you hussle with the shovel, go 110% right off the bat, show who's boss, clear out the snow blockage...and then your heart says 'time out' I take my time, well at least I try to pace myself.
 
Does it really specify 5w30? Many of those engines specify straight weight SAE 30. No VIs, more shear resistant. And since air cooled engines tend to contaminate the oil, mineral oil keeps contaminants in suspension better than synthetic.
Using a straight 30 grade in the winter will make it a bear to start and may lead to lube related failures. Since it's an air cooled engine, it cannot control it's oil temp (think get it hot), and if you look through the manuals (especially the older ones), you'll even see 5w20 called for at certain temps. Sump temps on a really cold day or night may never climb above 100*-120* F. Remember, a cold 5w20 is still thicker than a hot SAE 30.
 
Using a straight 30 grade in the winter will make it a bear to start and may lead to lube related failures. Since it's an air cooled engine, it cannot control it's oil temp (think get it hot), and if you look through the manuals (especially the older ones), you'll even see 5w20 called for at certain temps. Sump temps on a really cold day or night may never climb above 100*-120* F. Remember, a cold 5w20 is still thicker than a hot SAE 30.
Sure, though the challenge with 5w30 and 5w20 is they are usually energy conserving oils made for cars. The API symbol on the bottle will say "resource conserving". The energy conserving additive package or formulation isn't necessarily what you want in a small engine like this. Some engines like this, and also many motorcycle engines, say not use use "energy conserving" oils. This might not be an issue for this particular engine, but it's something to be aware of.
 
Sure, though the challenge with 5w30 and 5w20 is they are usually energy conserving oils made for cars. The API symbol on the bottle will say "resource conserving". The energy conserving additive package or formulation isn't necessarily what you want in a small engine like this. Some engines like this, and also many motorcycle engines, say not use use "energy conserving" oils. This might not be an issue for this particular engine, but it's something to be aware of.
The majority of small engines won't really care. Sure they have flat tappets, but there is so little spring pressure that it really doesn't matter.

In shared sump engines, you can have clutches to contend with and you're right, they prefer a different add pack, but this is a snow blower engine, just a basic design, run of the mill small engine and as long as it has something resembling lubricant that can be distributed at low temps, it'll be quite happy.
 
The 10HP most likely has the cast iron bore. Other than the power vs displacement being kinda low, this is still a good engine. The little use it gets proabably is no hurting anything with how you are doing the oil changes. I would however pay strict attention to the oil level and not allow it to go low.
 
For my Snow King, I change the oil annually with the lowest priced synthetic 5W30 I can find. Annual oil changes may be overkill, but after 15 years it runs well and burns no oil, so I’m happy.
 
In late 2014, rather than rebuild the 7hp Tecumseh flathead on my 24" Ariens, I went with a 6.5 HP Predator. I remember changing the break in oil and using it practically every weekend in Feb -March '15. , I changed it last May just to use up a left over 1/2 QT of 5w30. It was barely used last winter and is yet to be used this season. It started on the 2nd pull when I got it ready for use before Xmas.
 
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