new mower

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hello and good day everybody. my trusty old mower finally bit the bullet the other day. ended up getting a new mower. wanted to see if the Bitogers changed out early the motor is a briggs and stratton and did not have oil in it at delivery.I added the 18oz of sae 30 that came with it. put some gas in the tank ( gas had neutra 131 in my gas can ) and cut my lawn the other day. was thinking of changing the oil out early or sould I just run it until the last cutting then change it like I usually do, before I put it away for the winter. also thinking of using synthetic 5w30 since I have a bunch of it around. I have M1, royal purple , PP. what say you ?
 
Should be in the user manual how many hours break in takes, maybe 10 hrs? I always change mine after break in, and the oil stays a perfect color from there. Also make sure you store your mower inside, not outside. Condensation builds up in the carb/fuel tank if it is left outside.
 
Originally Posted By: Need4racin
Should be in the user manual how many hours break in takes, maybe 10 hrs? I always change mine after break in, and the oil stays a perfect color from there. Also make sure you store your mower inside, not outside. Condensation builds up in the carb/fuel tank if it is left outside.



Thanks for the reminder on the break in period. figured they would want you to change it after a certain number of hours. I do keep my mower in my garage when I am done. I also make sure to run some kind of additive like neutra or fp in it all the time.
 
I like the "end of season" idea. 5 hrs is the usual break in time. Clean the deck before you park it.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I like the "end of season" idea. 5 hrs is the usual break in time. Clean the deck before you park it.



cleaning the deck sure is a great idea at the end of the season. will run the oil until the suggested break in time, then change it out.
 
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I just bought a new Craftsman rider. The OM doesn't specify any break in, but it's on the B&S website....5-10 hrs then change it out. I'm hoping we'll get enough rain to even get up to the break in hours!
 
I have a Briggs engine in my mower as well. The 5-hour break-in oil change is a must. You'll be amazed at all the crud that comes out.

I run Pennzoil Platinum 10w30 in mine. I'll normally change it twice each season--Once before the spring mowing season starts & again once most of the leaves have fallen.

I normally mix some Seafoam into the gas I run through it too in order to keep the carb clean. I change the spark plugs every other year.

Air filters can be found on Amazon for much less than you would find at a store.
 
As others have mentioned, find the B&S manual on the Briggs website. On my Craftsman mower, the manual was very outdated. The Briggs manual for my engine listed a different recommended viscosity and other stuff.
 
wow went away for a spell and it looks like a lot of responses... thanks. I am at work but did look on the Briggs and Stratton webiste. their advice is to drain oil at 5-10 hours. they say 5w30 synthetic is good for all heat/ cold ranges. hoping my mower has a drain plug on the bottom of the deck like my old one. I would always run a couple oz of fresh oil though while it was draining to get out as much as possible. thanks for the ideas so far, keep them coming !
 
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