Changing The Oil To Much

[RICHIE K]

I CHANGE THE OIL ON ALL OUR MOWERS ONCE A WEEK AND THE FILTER EVERY OTHER. MY GUYS THINK IM NUTS , BUT I HAVE A GRAVELY PRO 50 THAT IS GOING ON 13 YEARS OLD AND IT STILL RUNS GREAT. I ALSO ADD A LITTLE LUCAS. I BARLEY EVER HAVE ANY MACHINES DOWN. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK.

RICHIE K

www.kulakandcompany.com :cool2:

[Travis Followell]

Well I guess it certainly can't hurt anything but it looks like to me that it would cost you a fortune in oil and filters. I always change my oil at thr recommended intervals and havn't had any problems. You certainly can't go wrong adding a little Lucas to your oil because from what i've sen it keeps the engine parts coated with a thicker layer of oil constantly which dramatically reduces friction causing less wear on the engine parts.

[RICHIE K]

PRICE ISN'T TO BAD. I BUY THE FILTER AT A REASONABLE PRICE FROM MILL SUPPLY. WWW.MOWER-PARTS.NET BEATS BYING NEW MOWERS ALL THE TIME, SOME OF THE OTHER LANDSCAPERS AROUND HERE BEAT THE **** OUT OF THERE STUFF. MY GUYS ARE TAULT TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS AS IF IT WERE THEIRS OR THERE IS THE DOOR....

[jim dailey]

There is NO such thing. I have never heard of an engine failure because of the fresh oil in it. I have several old mowers with plenty of hours on them, that are still as strong as ever, having their oil changed quite often. I have a 1986 chevy silverado 4x4 with 387K for mileage, with the oil and filter being changed every 4th sunday, mileage not mattering. I did it faithfully, every 4th sunday, since 1986. AND, it will be plowing snow again this winter in the Northeast. Again, there is no such thing as changing the oil and filter too often.

[mikemerritt]

No, changing the oil often won't hurt a thing. It does increase the chances of something that happened to me a couple of months ago. I have done my own service work for 30 years on my vehicles and tools and never had a problem. In that I'm old hat at this and do 3 new cars every 2500 miles I was blown away when I almost blew it with my 02 F150. Drained the oil, R&R'd the filter, added new oil and fired it up. I dropped down to have a look under the front and low and behold my oil was pouring out from somewhere. Shut her down and back tracked and found that I had left the old oil filter seal on the block. With two seals it quickly blew them out. 3 quarts of oil blew out before I could cut the key.

Point of this is, change the oil as often as you can afford but NEVER stop checking the little things.

Mike

[saw man]

Stop adding the Lucas oil and carry on with what you are doing!

Let me get a link about the Lucas oil and you can decide for yourslef.

Oil manufactures spend lots of $$$ on decideing what the additive package of their oil will be the best. So DO NOT put in an additive!!


Edit: - Here it is - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

[fixer67]

I was told by a owner of a tool rental company that he changes the oil in his rental equipment after every return and he has push mowers that the engine has out lasted a dozen bodies and frames. He was buying up junk mowers just for the frames.

[xcopterdoc]

I worked at a large nursery/landscape and lawn maint company. I changed the oil and oil filters in the mowers every other Saturday, along with the air filters. This did several things.. Clean oil of course, let me have a good look at things so I could order parts AHEAD of time and I could make sure the crews were taking care of their equipment. The push mowers oil got changed at every blade change by the crew at the shop. We had no oil related engine failures.

[xcopterdoc]

On a side note... I now work for a global company that provides rental power, temperature control and compressed air systems to companies around the world. We change oil on an hourly basis. Just changed oil in one of our units yesterday... 158 gals of oil, 6 oil filters, 6 fuel filters, 32 pre air filters and 2 air filters. Hows that? Anyone want that bill?? LOL!

[KenH]

On a side note... I now work for a global company that provides rental power, temperature control and compressed air systems to companies around the world. We change oil on an hourly basis. Just changed oil in one of our units yesterday... 158 gals of oil, 6 oil filters, 6 fuel filters, 32 pre air filters and 2 air filters. Hows that? Anyone want that bill?? LOL!


Ill take that bill if you also give me the income that beast produces......
:dizzy: :dizzy:

[KenH]

I CHANGE THE OIL ON ALL OUR MOWERS ONCE A WEEK AND THE FILTER EVERY OTHER. MY GUYS THINK IM NUTS , BUT I HAVE A GRAVELY PRO 50 THAT IS GOING ON 13 YEARS OLD AND IT STILL RUNS GREAT. I ALSO ADD A LITTLE LUCAS. I BARLEY EVER HAVE ANY MACHINES DOWN. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK.

RICHIE K

www.kulakandcompany.com :cool2:

Im surprised no one asked you how many hours you put on the machines in a week. If you put on 5 hours, then weekly oil changes are a waste of time. If you put on 500 hours, then it is not soon enough....it is all relative.

[Joe B J]

I would like to see him put on "500" hours in a week. ;)

[RICHIE K]

WE HAVE (3) 2 MAN CREWS OUT MON - SAT. EACH CREW WORKING APPROX. 10 HOUR DAYS . 167 LAWNS, 2 OF THEM BEING LARGE APT. COMPLEXES. AND 1 OF THEM BEING A CEMETERY. SO YOU DO THE MATH. I LIKE TO TAKE CARE OF MY STUFF.. :cool:


RICHIE K

www.kulakandcompany.com :blob3:

[SER]

I was told by a owner of a tool rental company that he changes the oil in his rental equipment after every return and he has push mowers that the engine has out lasted a dozen bodies and frames. He was buying up junk mowers just for the frames.

FIXER67;
I noticed you have your masters cert from Briggs & Stratton.
How hard was it to pass your B&S masters test? I have been thinking of taking this test for a while. How much did you have to pay to take it, and were you required to be currecntly employed at a B&S shop?
email me at matast1@yahoo.com.
Thanks
SER

[Staffordnurseries]

You are right that you do increase the risk of a mistake. Almost did the same, always look for old seal on the filter I pull out. I hope you guys changing that often recycle

[Stillwater]

I would like to see him put on "500" hours in a week. ;)

on planet earth hear in the milkyway Galaxy where the earth rotates 1 time every 24 hours their is only 168 hours in a 7 day week. to put 500 hours on a machine a week you would have to be on another planet.

[SLR]

Richie k wrote:I CHANGE THE OIL ON ALL OUR MOWERS ONCE A WEEK AND THE FILTER EVERY OTHER. MY GUYS THINK IM NUTS
----------
Your self-evaluation is indeed C-o-r-r-e-c-t !!
You are indeed "nuts"..once every 3rd week at MOST for this other 'nut',though in reality it is closer to 6weeks between intervals.

Here's a little diddy for ya..my neighbour bought a brand new 'lawnworks 26hp mower in 2005 and "Gasp"..he still hasn't changed his oil since purchase,even after my MANY attempts explaning how those rubber molecules break down/winter condensation..old school people!

[Grass Happens]

Stop adding the Lucas oil and carry on with what you are doing!

Let me get a link about the Lucas oil and you can decide for yourslef.

Oil manufactures spend lots of $$$ on decideing what the additive package of their oil will be the best. So DO NOT put in an additive!!


Edit: - Here it is - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

Man, I fell for that little display at carquest too. Nice article, thanks!

[LawnTamer]

Stop adding the Lucas oil and carry on with what you are doing!

Let me get a link about the Lucas oil and you can decide for yourslef.

Oil manufactures spend lots of $$$ on decideing what the additive package of their oil will be the best. So DO NOT put in an additive!!


Edit: - Here it is - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm

Thank you for that link. After seeing that oil froth up like that with the Lucas, I'm not getting that stuff near my motors! Just good ol' synthetic for this hombre.

[topsites]

It all depends how you value your time, what I don't get is why folks fail to see how with synth it's cheaper and easier.

I change my oil once / season, I check it when I feel like it, and I run it till she blows.
Which way is cheaper?

Here's my math:
Synthetic oil and filter and 1/2 hour once / year: $50 dollars.
Run it till she burns up: ~$100 / year, the cheap ones last 4-5-6 years, the good ones 8-10.
So, about 150 a year + the labor, say 1-2 hours dealing with it = 250 a year.

That's just how I figure it, costs me 4-6-700 for a new engine and an hour or two labor to replace it.
Cost of oil at 5 a quart + 1 filter, new engine every 6-8 or 9 years.

If I did things your way I would be out 15 hours a year in labor = $900 dollars, haven't even figured the cost of the oil.
Assuming 25 quarts at $2 each + $3 filter x 25 = $125 a year there, not counting the labor.

But at $60 an hour I just don't got time for it.
.

[rsp1961]

It's good to see someone else thinks like I do, thanks TOPSITE for breaking that down. Living in fear of blown engines causing one to obsessively change the oil, is a good case for being "nuts"..but thats just my opinion. Time is much more valuable to me. I probably am a little more moderate though, not wanting to run it til it blows, but rather, changing oil based on engine hours.

As far as the oil additive demonstration goes, thanks for that. :clapping: Ive always wondered why, if the additives did everything they say, why are they not more widely accepted or used...that demo in the stores IS deceptive, and I always appreciate the efforts people make such as the one on that site, to show what is really going on.