How Often Should You Change The Oil In Your Lawn Mower?

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Regular maintenance is an important factor in keeping your lawn equipment running smoothly, and oil changes shouldn't be neglected. Regardless of what type of mower you own, it's a good practice to change your oil every season. In general, if you rack up 50 hours on your walk-behind push mower, or 100 hours on a riding mower, you should also perform an oil change. These figures can change, though, depending on your model, so it's a good idea to check your mowers manual for the manufacturer's recommendations. For instance, Cub Cadet advises an oil change every 50 hours on its residential zero-turn mowers.

It's also crucial to change your oil shortly after purchasing a new lawnmower. For example, Briggs and Stratton recommends an oil change after you've run the machine for five hours. According to Swisher, the Kawasaki engine on one of its new riding mowers needs an oil change after running for eight hours. And here's what kind of oil most lawn mowers use and if you can use 5W30, instead.

An engine has many moving parts that generate significantly high temperatures during operation. Without the cooling and lubrication provided by oil, your mower would easily overheat and could even seize up. But oil does degrade over time as its heated up and cooled down, slowly losing its effectiveness. Also, during use, metal particles and dirt can contaminate the oil, which is why it's crucial to replace it with a fresh supply. However, you need to ensure you're using the correct type, which is why it's vital to know the difference between 2-cycle versus 4-cycle engine oil.

While sticking to an oil change schedule is a great way to care for your lawn mower, it's also critical that you check it often. In fact, Cub Cadet recommends you check the oil level before every use on its zero-turn products. In addition, when checking the level, you can also visually inspect its color, as a dark shade generally means an oil change is in order, even before your regular scheduled maintenance. Running the engine hard, such as mowing a wet lawn, cutting in excessively high summer temperatures, or maneuvering around uneven and slopped terrain can all cause the oil to degrade faster.

Changing your mowers oil isn't complicated provided you have the right tools. For a walk-behind push mower, you'll want to first start the engine and let it idle for up to 15 minutes in order to warm up the oil. Then, shut off the engine, locate the spark plug, and disconnect it. Next, remove the fuel tank cap and cover it with a sandwich bag ensuring its sealed. You might need to extract the oil versus simply draining it. For example, some push mowers require something like the 500cc Fluid Extractor, Fluid Syringe Pump, Oil Extractor, to remove the old oil.

Empty the used oil in either a specialized collection pan, or plastic jug. Old oil can be recycled at most automotive parts stores, like AutoZone. Here's which lawn mowers have oil filters because not all of them do. But if your model does, look near the oil cap for a cylindrical filter, place something underneath to catch the oil and unscrew it using an oil filter wrench. Take a dab of fresh oil and apply around the seal of a new filter and install it using the filter wrench. Then, just add the recommended amount of fresh oil.

In terms of riding mowers, the process is similar, you'll just be working with larger quantities of oil. Many models like John Deere's zero-turn mowers do have an oil drain plug hose located underneath the engine, so an extractor isn't necessary.