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I'm planning on changing the oil in my 42" Big Dog Alpha in this upcoming offseason. Is there any benefit to me waiting just before I start to cut next spring/summer to do it, or can I do it here at the end of the fall before I quit cutting for the winter?

every 100 hrs. , what does oil on dipstick look like? if black i would change oil & filter soon as well as air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, clean engine cooling fins after removing blower housing, i use a shop vac on engine, visual inspection of coil, adjust valves with engine cold, inspect blades for sharpening or dressing up with a file, i prefer the file method & balancing blades, inspect all belts, pulleys, & bearings for wear , grease unit, check tire air pressures. I guess that about covers it, let us know how it goes, thanks, Mark

One more thing, keep water hose away from mower, water & electrical components & mechanical parts do not go well together, corrosion, rust, & component failure will occur prematurely, use a leaf blower after each use.

I'd rather have my mower parked over winter with fresh oil in it rather than older oil.

Not important if you change in Fall or Spring. Lots of people will tell you they change in the <blank> and have had no problems.

gtduck said:

I'm planning on changing the oil in my 42" Big Dog Alpha in this upcoming offseason. Is there any benefit to me waiting just before I start to cut next spring/summer to do it, or can I do it here at the end of the fall before I quit cutting for the winter?

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The cheapest part you can put into an engine is oil.
Oil change intervals are MAXIMUM RECOMMENDED PERIODS.
So if you don't get to the MAXIMUM time by the end of the season, change it on the last mow so over winter when all of the corrosion happens you have nice clean oil in there to slow it down.
Get a paint pencil and write the hours on the side of the oil filter and the oil filter change date & hours on the end.
Considering the price of oil filters & the fact you get box discounts on them . no real reason not to change it every season as well.
If they are loose in a box, wrap them in glad wrap.

I change oil & filter in everything at end of mow season, regardless of how little the hours used.

Oil doesn't wear out, but the additives weaken over time.

Just my $0.02 on this....

Every year at the start of Spring, I give my mower a tune up regardless of how many hours the mowers indicator has. Some may consider that a bit much but that's just me.

I start off by changing the oil & oil filter, spark plugs, engine filter, fuel filter, change the blades and check and inspect the battery, tires, wiring, bolts, etc. (really all bolts should be checked before each time the mower actually gets used....in accordance with the mowers Owner/User Manual).

Also use ETHANOL FREE FUEL ONLY for my mower then add the recommended fuel additive per the engine's manufacturer as well as all the other products as mentioned above.

But keep in mind, from time to time you should also check the Owners/User Manuals Check List for other important things on your mower (I highly recommend that you view the Check List for your model).

For me that takes care of that for the rest of the year, then do it all over again early in next years Spring.

I start off by changing the oil & oil filter, spark plugs, engine filter, fuel filter, change the blades and check and inspect the battery, tires, wiring, bolts, etc. (really all bolts should be checked before each time the mower actually gets used....in accordance with the mowers Owner/User Manual).

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No grease zerks on your mower?

cpurvis said:

No grease zerks on your mower?

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Like I said, I check "everything" yes even grease fittings as well (just because I didn't list it doesn't mean it doesn't get checked).

Read your Owners Manual's "Check List Maintenance Schedule"!

How do you "check" a grease zerk? I don't check mine; I give 'em a few shots of grease.

Remain calm. Just messin' with ya!

Good to have a sense of humor here.. :thumbsup: