One thing I have been doing with my OPE for years is using Amsoil synthetic media filters in my OPE.
Now, before you get the wrong idea, I use Amsoil because they have high efficiency filters, no other reason. I am not a dealer. I tried it, I got really weirded out by the MM groupthink, so I quit. In fact, I have begun using other filters, Fram Endurance, which are nearly identical, with the same media, and up to half the price.
Stock Briggs and Stratton filters will cost you from $10 up, more likely $12+ on Amazon or locally. The Amsoil EaO34 filter only costs $15.45 (Preferred Customer price) and an equivalent FRAM Endurance will be about $12 at Walmart.
For a negligible increase in price, you get a filtering area that is around 3 times as large, and synthetic media. That means, with these low flow (relatively), low pressure engines, you get vastly increased contaminant holding capacity, and vastly increased filtering efficiency. Furthermore, because the filter is so large, you get much lower filter loading, which means the particles are not pushed so hard through the filter media, increasing filter efficiency, and chances are, the filter bypass will never need to open even when the engine is cold. Additionally, the filter volume increases oil capacity, which may allow extending OCIs. The larger filter also offers a little extra cooling.
In aggregate, this means vastly better filtering performance. My experience in my 13 year old Kawasaki powered Husqvarna lawn tractor is, that using Mobil 1 Extended oil, and an Amsoil filter, after 2 years, the oil is not even black. The oil has darkened somewhat but remains translucent. And this mower gets many hours every year, being used for mowing and hauling utility trailers around.
Recently, I purchased a piece of equipment for my fire engine, a 23hp B&S Vanguard powered pump. It had the standard oil filter housing on the side of the engine, with hoses to the oil cooler. The Amsoil EaO34 filter did not fit in the available space, and it turns out the B&S makes and sells a remote oil filter mount setup, I assume for big lawn mowers, maybe generators. So I purchased that, and have installed it. Now I can put the filter wherever I want, mounted in a spot which is easy to get to and change the filter while keeping it upright and not spilling, which is definitely better than the original option, hard to get to, and mounted diagonally.
So, next time you change your oil in your OPE, think about putting a better filter on it. On most lawn tractors, the filter sticks out the side, so you can put the biggest one on there you can find with no clearance issues. And if there are clearance issues, options are available.
Now, before you get the wrong idea, I use Amsoil because they have high efficiency filters, no other reason. I am not a dealer. I tried it, I got really weirded out by the MM groupthink, so I quit. In fact, I have begun using other filters, Fram Endurance, which are nearly identical, with the same media, and up to half the price.
Stock Briggs and Stratton filters will cost you from $10 up, more likely $12+ on Amazon or locally. The Amsoil EaO34 filter only costs $15.45 (Preferred Customer price) and an equivalent FRAM Endurance will be about $12 at Walmart.
For a negligible increase in price, you get a filtering area that is around 3 times as large, and synthetic media. That means, with these low flow (relatively), low pressure engines, you get vastly increased contaminant holding capacity, and vastly increased filtering efficiency. Furthermore, because the filter is so large, you get much lower filter loading, which means the particles are not pushed so hard through the filter media, increasing filter efficiency, and chances are, the filter bypass will never need to open even when the engine is cold. Additionally, the filter volume increases oil capacity, which may allow extending OCIs. The larger filter also offers a little extra cooling.
In aggregate, this means vastly better filtering performance. My experience in my 13 year old Kawasaki powered Husqvarna lawn tractor is, that using Mobil 1 Extended oil, and an Amsoil filter, after 2 years, the oil is not even black. The oil has darkened somewhat but remains translucent. And this mower gets many hours every year, being used for mowing and hauling utility trailers around.
Recently, I purchased a piece of equipment for my fire engine, a 23hp B&S Vanguard powered pump. It had the standard oil filter housing on the side of the engine, with hoses to the oil cooler. The Amsoil EaO34 filter did not fit in the available space, and it turns out the B&S makes and sells a remote oil filter mount setup, I assume for big lawn mowers, maybe generators. So I purchased that, and have installed it. Now I can put the filter wherever I want, mounted in a spot which is easy to get to and change the filter while keeping it upright and not spilling, which is definitely better than the original option, hard to get to, and mounted diagonally.
So, next time you change your oil in your OPE, think about putting a better filter on it. On most lawn tractors, the filter sticks out the side, so you can put the biggest one on there you can find with no clearance issues. And if there are clearance issues, options are available.
