Bought a new mower today and have an oil change question...

[Mr. Shamrock]

I bought a new Snapper today with a 22 HP Professional Briggs motor. The manual says to change the oil after 100 hours for engines with the yellow high-efficiency filter (which it has). This just doesn't sound right to me. Shouldn't there be an initial oil change at 5 or 25 or even 50 hours?

 

[okiepc]

Oil is cheap insurance, I change mine more often than recommended & I never have engine problems. I use the best oil I can find, like I said its cheap insurance, change it when you want, the owners manual is a guide.:smile:

 

[Mr. Shamrock]

Yeah I am going to go ahead and change it at 5 hours, then 25, and then every 50 after that. Maybe that is overkill, but like you said it's cheap insurance. I was happy that I caught Snapper while they were still offering one more year warranty for a total of 3.

 

[okiepc]

Yup, that is a good warranty, just maintain it & it will serve you well. My JD rider is around 16 yrs. old & still runs and looks new, just a little TLC goes a long way.:thumbsup:

 

[Grass ala Mowed]

I have always "short-changed" the first time; generally 5 hours for lawn equipment (like my Toro owner's manual recommended) and 3000 miles for a car. You need enough time for the bulk of the break-in wear to occur before going to the regular schedule. Some guys I know do two short changes before going to the regular change schedule but those are usually high performance builds.