No oil change mower

[williestreet]

Maybe it's been done before but I just noticed Yardworks mowers on sale at Canadian tire touting no oil changes for the life of some new mowers.

We all know these small engines can be tough and withstand lots of abuse but to promote it is really getting under my skin.

Is anyone else trying this?

 

[FowVay]

Mowers are a throwaway item these days. If a consumer gets three years out of one then they seem to be happy with it.

An intelligent person would either tap the block and install a drain plug or make preparation to invert the mower and drain the oil through the dip stick (assuming it still has one of those) port.

It is a shame that we as a society have become so lazy and wasteful that we won't even change the oil in our lawn mowers every couple of years. At what point does the old mother Earth stop providing?

 

[JerryBob]

Wait - I'm supposed to change it?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

So what? If you don't like it, don't buy one. There's no reason to get your knickers in a twist over it.
And yes, I've known a number of folks who have never changed the oil in their small lawn mowers.

 

[JustinH]

My cousin has a toro lawnmower that the oil has never been changed in. 11 years.

Oil level was low and black. Thing ran fine.

I am going to change it with some Delo that I have on hand, put a new plug and filter in as well.

 

[Charlie1935]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
My cousin has a toro lawnmower that the oil has never been changed in. 11 years.

Oil level was low and black. Thing ran fine.

I am going to change it with some Delo that I have on hand, put a new plug and filter in as well.


Then if the motor grenades it will be your fault!

 

[CoconutTelegraph]

Several years ago I bought a well used commercial scag walk behind mower from a guy I knew that cut grass professionaly. It needed a lot of work but the price reflected that. I ran into him several weeks later and he asked me about the mower. I ran down a quick list of things I'd done with the mower and my heart sank a little when he replied " man!! If you're going to to change the oil, that thing will last you forever!!" Kinda like the concept was new to him. It still runs great today.

 

[toneydoc]

Yep the average person abuses their small engine OPE and do not care to do average maintenance on it. They just get another one.
I change my oil in my mowers and edger every year no matter what. And they are way over 3 years old.

Buddy of mine just put small engine into shop because it would not start. parts were 15 bucks and labor 61 bucks. That is why people who are lazy or do not know anything about engines just buy another. Labor for repairs is crazy expensive these days unless you DIY.

Some people, other than BITOG folks, treat their auto in a similar fashion.

 

[fdcg27]

If I made inexpensive small engines intended for inexpensive small mowers, I could save maybe a buck per unit by not providing for an oil drain plug.
Since both I and the mower maker know that nine out of ten buyers will never change the engine oil anyway, why should I waste money on something that will never be used?
I would imagine that more of these engines die due to lack of oil than lack of oil changes.
Do no more than keep the engine topped up with oil and it'll run for a very long time.

 

[CoconutTelegraph]

I guess what surprised me so much about his attitude toward maintence (or lack of) was he makes his living with his equipment and the mower I bought wasn't a $150 20" MTD push mower. It probably cost $1800-$2200 new when he bought it and the kohler has a clearly visible spin on filter right on the side. He also had several other ZTRs and various other expensive pieces of equipment.

 

[CoconutTelegraph]

They certainly don't build them like they used to. In the mid 80's my dad bought a Murray 22" big wheel push mower from our local Kmart. I remember it having a Briggs and Stratton on it. As a kid those big wheels helped me drag that thing behind my bike 3-4 blocks away to neighbors that would let me make $10-$15 cutting they're overgrown yards. After about 8 years of heavy use. A hidden brick bent the crankshaft and it still ran like a paint shaker for another 2 years till the motor locked up.
Since then, he was lucky to get two three years from push mowers. Decks rusting, plastic wheels breaking, steel handles breaking. Endless carburetor problems. He upgraded to a gravely ztr when he retired.

 

[IndyFan]

I have to ask how hard these things really are on oil? I have a 23hp Kholer V-Twin on a John Deere L130. I bought it new as a 2004 model, so its at least 11 years old. I've run Mobil 1 10w30 the entire time, with John Deere filters. I used to change the oil every year, but I noticed the oil was coming out looking brand new. I then moved to every other year, and guess what? Same thing. I'm on year 3 now, so I'll change it again, but on the dip stick, the oil still looks new. I'm really thinking about the 5 year plan. I think this thing could probably go a decade, easily, on this oil, especially if I check it and make sure it stays full. (I've never had to add oil). One thing I do change every year, though, is the air filter. It gets pretty nasty after a season.

 

[Bror Jace]

If you can add oil to a mower, you can get it out and change it. It just might take a lil' planning and figurin'.

Yes, it's unbelievable that some people think of oil changes as unnecessary (some, even with their cars). What's more unbelievable is that some engines take this abuse and keep chugging along.

However, for every engine that suffers neglect with seemingly no ill effects, there are plenty of engines out there that smoke, burn oil, are hard to start and some seize and the owner quietly (shamefully) throws them away.

Me? I'll maintain my stuff to the Nth degree and simply make sure all my used oil gets recycled.

Dad has a Honda tractor that was purchased in 1995 and runs great until today. He got a good deal on a John Deere mower late last year ... but the Honda soldiered on for 2 decades with just a few belts, some #2 grease and annual oil changes.

 

[Blazered]

"There's no need to change the oil with the new Briggs engine, but it won't hurt if you do it anyway, according to the company."

http://www.jsonline.com/business/new-bri...-290423731.html

 

[JustinH]

Originally Posted By: IndyFan
I have to ask how hard these things really are on oil? I have a 23hp Kholer V-Twin on a John Deere L130. I bought it new as a 2004 model, so its at least 11 years old. I've run Mobil 1 10w30 the entire time, with John Deere filters. I used to change the oil every year, but I noticed the oil was coming out looking brand new. I then moved to every other year, and guess what? Same thing. I'm on year 3 now, so I'll change it again, but on the dip stick, the oil still looks new. I'm really thinking about the 5 year plan. I think this thing could probably go a decade, easily, on this oil, especially if I check it and make sure it stays full. (I've never had to add oil). One thing I do change every year, though, is the air filter. It gets pretty nasty after a season.


Yep, my Deere self propelled with a briggs looks clean every year. I run Delo or whatever Diesel oil I can find. I only change it out of habit once a year. I think changing the air filter is more important than the oil. I can spend 10 minutes once a year and 3 bucks for a quart of oil.

Late in the season down here in Texas the dust flies all over the place, and the air filter gets trashed. I replace it 3x per year.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Blazered
"There's no need to change the oil with the new Briggs engine, but it won't hurt if you do it anyway, according to the company."

http://www.jsonline.com/business/new-bri...-290423731.html


Yep. Like we've talked about in other threads on this topic, the Briggs "no oil change" engine has a means to add oil and check oil level, just like all cheap push mower engines. I haven't seen the owner's manual for one, but I'm sure it recommends checking/adding oil regularly.

Like bror said, you flip it over to dump the used oil out the fill port.

 

[old1]

Just to address a few points, many (not all) newer small Briggs engines do not come with drain plugs, and some of them that do, have them covered up with belt guards making them VERY hard to access. they drain very well by removing the dipstick and turning the mower on its side. Of course I feel that the "no oil change" advertising is simply another way to make people think the "cost of ownership" is lower with their engine/mower than the other companies.
On the thread of longevity, My riding mower is a Big-Mow 3 wheel 32inch cut manufactured by Swisher mfg in Mo. It has a 6 HP Tecumseh engine and I bought it new in 1972 It has been used every year since, and for 30 of those years it mowed an acre. I change the oil every year with HD30 of various brands. At this point it burns very little oil, and I have cleaned the carb once, and replaced the points once and a few spark plugs and air filters.

 

[Rick in PA]

Originally Posted By: FowVay
...It is a shame that we as a society have become so lazy and wasteful that we won't even change the oil in our lawn mowers every couple of years. At what point does the old mother Earth stop providing?


Yup.

My parent's generation came from a time when you took care of things and mended them because they were hard to get.

The lesson I absorbed growing up was to take care of things because it was good for mother Earth.

Today's generation... I guess they were bred on cheap consumer goods.

The promise of never having to change the oil in an internal combustion engine just doesn't ring true to me. It reminds me of when synthetic oils came out and the "promise" was that the oil would last the life of the car (they often touted it would last 100K miles). It didn't work out that way.

From inside the crankcase, on the other side of those piston rings and valve stem seals is a hellishly foul and dirty environment. And it just wants to get in and contaminate the oil.

The way I see it, if the manufacturer tells me I don't have to change the oil, I'm not going to expect much out of that mower.

 

[sciphi]

More trashed engines = more money that B&S can make.

Spend 30 minutes changing the oil once a season and the other parts of the mower should die before the engine.

 

[horse123]

Everything is a throwaway now.