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Just today I took ownership of a brand new Ariens Apex 52” w/ Kohler 7000 My early assessment is that it runs, handles and mows as well as I hoped... but... after a quick check it occurred to me that a do-it-yourself engine oil change could be unnecessarily convoluted and messy.

The user manual ignores the issue and the Kohler 7000 manual is too generic to help. I can’t believe there aren’t a multitude of YouTube vids on changing the engine oil with the Apex or the Gravely ZT HD with the 7000 or even some web how-to instructions, but I can’t find any.

After some head scratching, it looks to me that the best way to accomplish this is to pull the ‘passenger side’ rear wheel for filter accessibility and disconnect the end of the drain hose so it can dangle over the side of the frame. Is this a reasonable appraisal of the situation?

Any constructive suggestions are welcome.

Bruce

How different is the ZT HD from the ZT X?

There's a YT video for the ZT X oil change. It does look like a bit of a pain but not horrendous. https://youtu.be/ZAf3pMRjNy8

Darryl G said:

How different is the ZT HD from the ZT X?

There's a YT video for the ZT X oil change. It does look like a bit of a pain but not horrendous. https://youtu.be/ZAf3pMRjNy8

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Thanks for the reply.

Very similar 7000 series engine although my Kohler has a drain hose that takes a right angle and runs rearward on the frame for a foot or so (almost) to an opening in that frame. That 'almost' will make a big mess unless I unattach the at-the-end fastener and snake that tubing somewhere else.

But it is a markedly different zero turn frame, I'm not sure I could get the filter on and off without pulling the fat 23"wheel/tire on that side. I'd like to have confirmation of that. It then looks like access is a piece of cake as there is a large opening that presents itself. If that is the only way...that seems like some engineer really dropped the ball.

Bruce

I have the same mower with the 60" deck and have changed the oil a couple of times already as I have over 100 hours on it. The drain hose on mine just slips out of the keeper and I hang it over the side of the frame and let it drain. The filter comes off without removing the rear tire and the residual oil drains out the hole in the frame under it. I jack up the left front of the mower a little to assist the draining process and to make sure the residual oil from the filter doesn't run back towards the motor. Hope this helps and happy mowing!

handtools said:

I have the same mower with the 60" deck and have changed the oil a couple of times already as I have over 100 hours on it. The drain hose on mine just slips out of the keeper and I hang it over the side of the frame and let it drain. The filter comes off without removing the rear tire and the residual oil drains out the hole in the frame under it. I jack up the left front of the mower a little to assist the draining process and to make sure the residual oil from the filter doesn't run back towards the motor. Hope this helps and happy mowing!

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Great news, thanks.

Since my post, I've thought more on this and it looks like I can get at the filter from the rear and snake it out between the tire and frame. Not ideal but doable and it looks like what you are describing. I was worried about permanently bending that keeper when I relocated that drain hose but that keeper must be designed to do this given its ' C_ '-like shape. This is a grimy job and will give me an ample opportunity to make a mess Tightening the filter properly is more problematic as I think it would have to be done pretty much blind. I really didn't want to remove the wheel.

I've got a while to sweat this out before I do the first oil change. Thanks again

Bruce

Filters don't really get tightened...not even fully hand tight.

If that is your 1st oil change, your Owners Manual should state to do this at the first 8 hours of use, to get the "break-in" oil out.

7394 said:

If that is your 1st oil change, your Owners Manual should state to do this at the first 8 hours of use, to get the "break-in" oil out.

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The mower manual has no engine oil change schedule and the Kohler 7000 manual states every 100 hours. There is no mention of a break-in period.

Regardless, I will be changing the oil much more frequently.

Bruce

Good Luck with that. My neighbor has a Kohler 7000 engine in his Z, & I read his Kohler manual, since i service it for him, & I changed his oil at under 8 hours.

That is not broken-in, just getting that oil out & getting good oil w/additive package in.

I did my first oil change around 10 hours. The Ariens owners manual says to do the first oil change at 25 hrs. then every 100 hrs.

View attachment pg. 22 owners manual.pdf

I wouldn't go over 10 hours on 1st oil & filter change. That is when all the internals are making friends w/each other & lots of scrubbing in.

handtools said:

I did my first oil change around 10 hours. The Ariens owners manual says to do the first oil change at 25 hrs. then every 100 hrs.

View attachment 43934

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I was skeptical but you apparently read more thoroughly than I did. Yes, it's right there on page 22 (EN-20) of the Apex Owners manual and, FWIW, on the same page in the Gravely ZT HD manual as well

25 hours and a first engine oil change it is. Then every 100 hours thereafter. (... or sooner)

*** There's air filter change and hydraulic oil change recommendations on that page also for anyone getting here via search engine. ***

Thank you very much.

Bruce

7394 said:

I wouldn't go over 10 hours on 1st oil & filter change. That is when all the internals are making friends w/each other & lots of scrubbing in.

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Manufacturing tolerances and materials on all engines have been getting better every decade and lubricant protection is that much more robust with synthetics. I suspect that a decent garden variety engine today is manufactured ‘better’ than blue-printed engines of bygone years (fill in an appropriate number of years for ‘bygone’). These new oil change recommendations don’t really surprise me and I don’t doubt they must have some validity. But I still questions the specifics. For example, with the last generation of BMW autos, their engine oil change regimes make me cringe. I can’t help but feel that some bean counter looked at failure statistics and felt that their engines were going to statistically last x number of miles no matter the poor maintenance and that number was so far removed from their warranty... why should they care other than use it as a marketing ‘gimmick’. They can afford to give a free oil change once in a blue moon as a perk. As an example, if a 750K engine lasted only 125K, it (mostly) only mattered to second or third hand buyers and wouldn’t affect new car sales. This is just a gut feeling and my inner cynic would love to be proven wrong.

In the meantime, I look at these small engine recommendations as absolute worst case scenarios and I intend to significantly reduce those stated hour numbers. Its cheap insurance.

Bruce

I hear ya, I know what I read in his Kohler powered Toro manual.

And I know what I read in my Kawasaki powered Toro manual. So mine was changed just under 8 hours w/filter back in 2014 when I got it new, as per Kawasaki's maintenance chart.

Oil & a Filter are the cheapest thing on a mower.