I change oil and filters at the end of the mowing season. I like to have fresh oil in the mower over the winter.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
Every year on the lawnmower.

I'll sometimes skip a year on the snowblower if it doesn't get much use, but the mower hours are pretty consistent.

Exactly the same with me. My snow blower logged 1.5 hrs this past season so I just added fuel stabilizer and parked it in the shed. Along with the oil change on the mower I either clean or replace the air filter and sharpen the blades.

When I think of it...if I have extra time....on a nice day...with old clothes on... and have to tools to clean deck.... and sharpen the blade, and don't have to make extra trip to get oil. Oh, and the planets have to be aligned too.

In other words some years I forget.

It's filtered. I tend to let it go a couple years. I'd guess the rest of the mower will die before the engine. It's only a 24 yr old John Deere after all. I ordered a tune up kit the other day and a new traction belt the other day so it will get fresh oil.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I bought a self propelled Husqvarna mower with Honda engine about 4 years ago. It's probably time to change the oil. How often do you change the oil in your mower?

Every Fall on all lawnmowers, Mobil 1 5w-30. Those little engines are harder on oil than any motorcycle or car engine plus they run down there in the dirt and dust much of which ends up in the oil.

John Deere sends out a flyer in late winter offering an early spring service special where they will come out and pick your stuff up and service it.

I let them come out and grab my push mower, lawn tractor and gator each spring because they only charge the one pickup and delivery fee for all three! I own a towing service and can't sent a carrier over and back for what they charge...

I have always tried to buy the best tools and equipment and have always kept them service and maintained too.

disconnect the battery at the end of the season. You'll get a few years out of one.

quote:

Originally posted by jezsuiz:
Every year. Also seem to have to change the battery every year...

quote:

How often do you change the oil in your lawnmower?

Every time a buy a new lawnmower.

I change it about once every 5 years.
I have never had one fail due to engine failure either.
I have a zero turn mower for most of it though.
But even before I got a rider, I never changed it more than that and have never had an engine failure. My last mower I gave to our daughter and it still works. The drive belt went out of one and we took it to another property we own and use it there, but we have to push it. They wanted a fortune to put a new drive belt on it. Not sure how hard it is to put on or I might do it myself.

once a season...the book says 25 hours...it takes me an hour to mow and 25 seems like about how many times I mow each season

Honda Commercial new in 1985. Never fails to start on 2nd pull. Change the oil 2x a season. Still love the machine.

I have a little John Deere riding mower. Not sure who makes their engines. Every winter it goes to a guy who tunes it up, sharpens the blades, even touches op the paint , and stores it inside. $200.00 Since I am not what anyone would even charitably call handy, this is a great deal for me. The rest of my stuff is all two stroke, so it runs on the gas/oil mix.

IDK. If I spoke Spanish, I could ask Jose....

Scott's mower with B&S engine. One change in 19 years so far. Still first pull start.

Meh. It is probably due.

I always said you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their lawn mower, and how it is maintained.

I have a Toro personal pace mower. I haven't changed the oil since I bought it 14 years ago. The self-propel mechanism doesn't work and the pull cord rewind thing-a-ma-jig doesn't work right but it still starts on the first or second pull. I don't even winterize it and it sits outside all year long. It even has an air filter that is actually a piece of foam that is supposed to be used on my vacuum cleaner. My wife even put diesel fuel in it and it actually ran. I have been trying to kill this mower ever since it stopped self propelling but it just won't die.

Twice a year even though I mow only every two weeks. (have a service that does it the other two weeks a month)

It takes less than a quart of oil and recycling used oil is easy with the city so why not. Seems like good insurance to me.

Interesting timing...

My Fiancee's mom just purchase a new Toro push mower and while I was at her house this morning she showed me the owner's manual that specifically states "Oil changes are not required". There's not even a drain plug on it, so if you wanted to change the oil you have to tip if over.


I change mine every year in the spring.

quote:

Originally posted by ShouldBFishin:
Interesting timing...

My Fiancee's mom just purchase a new Toro push mower and while I was at her house this morning she showed me the owner's manual that specifically states "Oil changes are not required". There's not even a drain plug on it, so if you wanted to change the oil you have to tip if over.

Briggs markets a new engine that they state never requires an oil change. This is marketing, nothing else. Anyone with a smidgen of knowledge about combustion engines realizes that you will get better service and longer life from your equipment if you maintain it. And its perfectly normal and acceptable to tip over a push mower to drain the oil through the oil fill hole.

quote:

Originally posted by ShouldBFishin:
There's not even a drain plug on it, so if you wanted to change the oil you have to tip if over.

That's how every push mower I've ever owned has been set up. So that seems to be the norm, for consumer-grade mowers at least.

They do sell siphon pumps for removing lawnmower oil, but I've found it's easiest to simply tip them over on top of some blocks and drain the used oil out the fill tube, as recommended in the manuals.