Interesting thing I learned at lowes

[Ashful]

they should be ashamed of themselves for saying it's good for "life."

Considering the expected lifetime of the crappy pump to which that motor is mated, it likely is good for life.

Lots of talk here about how manufacturers have “recently” deleted drain plugs from motors, but that’s ignoring real history. I own a 1973 Toro walk-behind mower, and the procedure for draining that engine (right from the owner’s manual) is to remove the dipstick and tip the mower on it’s side to drain thru the dipstick tube. The engine does have a lower crankcase plug, access to it is blocked by the mower deck.

 

[vtwoodheater]

I changed the oil and filter in my riding mower last spring. 24 hp kohler vtwin. 10 years and 200 hours on original oil. Had to add a little 3 or 4 times. Bought new in 2007.

Long story short: oil analysis on Mobil 1 full synthetic after 27K miles in a 2005 yukon with a 6.0 came back good. Car didn't burn a drop even at 200K.

That engine on the pressure washer will outlast the pump for sure. Being full of dirty oil is better than having no oil.

 

[Ashful]

I changed the oil and filter in my riding mower last spring. 24 hp kohler vtwin. 10 years and 200 hours on original oil...

I’m not sure that’s really anything remarkable. The recommend oil change interval on the two Kawasaki V-Twins I’ve owned were both 200 hours. The only thing unusual here is that it took you 10 years to get there, these engines are made to do 200 hours per month, in commercial mowers.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I’m not sure that’s really anything remarkable. The recommend oil change interval on the two Kawasaki V-Twins I’ve owned were both 200 hours. The only thing unusual here is that it took you 10 years to get there, these engines are made to do 200 hours per month, in commercial mowers.

The only problem I see with letting the oil go ten years and only 200 hours is the amount of acid that might build up. A good indicator of this condition would be deterioration of the dipstick as its appearance will be altered at and below the oil level.

 

[vtwoodheater]

I’m not sure that’s really anything remarkable. The recommend oil change interval on the two Kawasaki V-Twins I’ve owned were both 200 hours. The only thing unusual here is that it took you 10 years to get there, these engines are made to do 200 hours per month, in commercial mowers.

You missed the point....My rider is a $1500 Cub Cadet, not a $8K+ commercial unit. I don't spend 5 hours a week mowing. How many hours do you have on your pressure washer? I might have 20 on my $379 honda powered pressure washer. I've never changed the oil in that either.

Not much worse than a car with "lifetime" transmission fluid.

 

[Ashful]

You missed the point....My rider is a $1500 Cub Cadet, not a $8K+ commercial unit. I don't spend 5 hours a week mowing. How many hours do you have on your pressure washer? I might have 20 on my $379 honda powered pressure washer. I've never changed the oil in that either.

Not much worse than a car with "lifetime" transmission fluid.

Ah, got it now. I do about 4 hours per week on the mower (2009 Deere 757 ZTrak) spring and fall, reduced to 2.5 hours per week in mid-summer. The pressure washer probably does 16-20 hours per year, but still gets a yearly oil change. Oil is cheap, and time alone in the shop listening to the radio while changing oil one evening per year is therapeutic.

It being the week or two of the year where I cycle thru the maintenance of all my OPE, I have my tractor in the shop right now. While at the store picking up a bottle of radiator flush chemical for its biennial flush and coolant change, I had a funny thought. I'm religious about following all of the maintenance schedules on my OPE, including this stupid old tractor (1986 Deere), for which I only paid $10k (used). Meanwhile, my cars cost 4x - 6x more, and I never bother with things like flushing their coolant system.

Then it hit me. I'd never keep a car long enough for any of this to matter, but tractors are a different matter. My tractor is 31 years old, and still runs like it did at age 3. So, if you like changing the oil in your OPE every 10th year, more power to you. It will be an interesting experiment, if nothing else. My tractor runs like new at age 31, and hopefully will when I sell it 20 years from now at age 50+, but I'm not sure yours will.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

I have to change my oil frequently on my 2008 taco , just have 332,000 + so far....

 

[Ashful]

I have to change my oil frequently on my 2008 taco , just have 332,000 + so far....

Taco? They make zone valves.

 

[jetsam]

Taco? They make zone valves.

Never heard of a Taco Truck? Jeez.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Typing with the left had is fun..Tacoma ..Taco for short..

 

[Ashful]

Never heard of a Taco Truck? Jeez.

Yes, I have. I just couldn’t imagine Sean fetching firewood in one.

 

[WiscWoody]

I was looking at pressure washers a lowes. I seen this on a Briggs and Stratton and makes absolutely no sense to me. And how is this good?

I saw the same thing at Menards last summer. My first thought was that they can sell more pressure washers and/or engines that way. Maybe they are thinking that most people who buy one of those washers won’t put but a few hours on them every year.

 

[WiscWoody]

I had a 1980 Buick that I used full synthetic in after the first oil change and didn't change the oil - just changed the filter every 3,000 miles. Had 80,000 when I traded it.

That’s why I like to buy cars that are nearly new, with around 20,000-25,000 miles on them in case some one had the idea that never changing the oil was a good thing lol.

 

[WiscWoody]

I’m not sure that’s really anything remarkable. The recommend oil change interval on the two Kawasaki V-Twins I’ve owned were both 200 hours. The only thing unusual here is that it took you 10 years to get there, these engines are made to do 200 hours per month, in commercial mowers.

I mow 23 yards during our short summers up here. One ZT mower engine is a Kawasaki and the 72" ZT I have has a fuel injected Kohler engine on it. I think they say to change the oil and filter every 100 hours but if I don’t put that many hours in in a mowing season then I do it in the spring before I get going on the lawns. A oil change isn’t that much work anyways. I have 14 things I change the oil on between mowers, cars and trucks, pressure washer, ATV, generator, lawn vac, wheeled leaf blower etc. they all get a oil change at least once a year if not more often. And if you put 650-700 hours on a commercial mower in one season then you are mowing about full time.

 

[WiscWoody]

Taco? They make zone valves.

And hydronic circulation pumps big and small. I’ve worked on many.