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Just bought a new Honda HRX217VYA mower. As per the owner's manual it states: "Avoid steep slopes of more than 20 degrees." "Mowing on a slope can starve the engine of oil, causing engine damage,"

I checked the slope on my front yard and it is about 20 degrees, no more, Maybe a little less. And then it's only for maybe 40' at a time. Should I be concerned about this? Maybe an ounce more oil in the crankcase?

Thanks

All depends upon the length of time the engine is tilted for .
If the slope is long in the across & short in the up & down then mow it up & down
And visa versa
Some times you need to mow sort of zig-zag.
All of the morons who worked so hard to ban 2 strokes obviously had dead flat yards or lived in appartments.
Luckily he biggest selling mower down here 1954 to 1990 was a 2 stroke so there are plenty of old ones around .
The other alternative is to get a drum or reel mower which has a horizontal engine which is good to near 45 deg.

Is this an overhead camshaft engine?

marchboom said:

Just bought a new Honda HRX217VYA mower. As per the owner's manual it states: "Avoid steep slopes of more than 20 degrees." "Mowing on a slope can starve the engine of oil, causing engine damage,"

I checked the slope on my front yard and it is about 20 degrees, no more, Maybe a little less. And then it's only for maybe 40' at a time. Should I be concerned about this? Maybe an ounce more oil in the crankcase?

Thanks

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I wouldn't worry about it at all. They "more than 20 degrees". If you're AT 20 degrees you're well within their margins. I've never measured my yard, but pretty sure some parts of it are 20 degrees or more. The mower slides sideways on them... so it's not 5 degrees. I've had my mower since 2011 and while I have lots of complaints with the smart drive system - the engine has zero issues. No smoke, starts first pull, oil stays clean, and never replaced the spark plug. I change the oil once a year, vacuum out the air filter every other month or so, and replace the air filter every few years. The idea that you're going to starve the engine of oil and kill it operating it any where near their recommended max seems very very unlikely. I'd run the mower with the oil full but NEVER overfilled and not give it another thought.