What's the best way to change a lawn mower's oil? (push and rider)

[bret]

Thanks for sharing that. I need to change the oil in our equipment but didn't know the best and most efficient way to do it, that looks far easier.

 

[jet62095]

I hate changing my oil. It is a messy experience... so what do I do... I procrastinate doing it...

Most push mowers now have a 3/8" square head drain plug on the bottom, and just drain that into a pan. Riding mowers often have drain plug bolts on the side or bottom of the block or a quick drain on the side of the block in place of a drain plug.

 

[BearMan]

Last fall I tried a product called the LiquiVac oil changer. It is so cool. You just pump it up and stick the hose down the dipstick tube and it sucks the oil right out. It really works ... no joke. It was so easy... and I didnt spill oil all over the place too... I bought it @ Home Depot for $34 bucks. oh yeah I also used it on my 4 cycle outboard engine too. :thumbsup:

 

[irbylawn]

Common sense reminder,,,make sure the gas tank is empty. My employees never remember that.

 

[Fred B]

Every paper manual I have for my pushers say to tip it over and empty the oil out of the fill tube...makes sense to me, otherwise you would have to set the mower deck on sawhorses or another type of stand to get access to the drain plug.

Two 5 gallon buckets make a good "lift" for a push mower. Put on your safety glasses, unplug the spark plug. Push the handle bar down to raise the front of the mower, catch the bottom edge of the deck on the first bucket, then lift the handle bar to raise the rear of the mower and use a foot to slide the other bucket under the bottom edge of the rear of the deck.

 

[7394]

My vintage MTD Briggs Flathead powered 22" mower has a 3/8" square in the drain plug. I just put two 1 gal paint cans on my work bench, lift the mower to sit on the cans, then I can easily access the drain plug, & remove the blade, sharpen & balance, cap the drain. Put it back on the ground & add my fav oil & service the rest..

It's not rocket science. Neighbor tipped his push mower over to the wrong side & thought his motor locked up. I told him to remove the spark plug & start pulling the rope till the oil stops squirting out the spark plug hole.. He had filled the combustion chamber with oil, thus preventing the piston from being able to come up on the stroke..

He was gonna throw that mower away...............I could have had it for FREE. But nice to be nice..

 

[cpurvis]

My vintage MTD Briggs Flathead powered 22" mower has a 3/8" square in the drain plug. I just put two 1 gal paint cans on my work bench, lift the mower to sit on the cans, then I can easily access the drain plug, & remove the blade, sharpen & balance, cap the drain. Put it back on the ground & add my fav oil & service the rest..

It's not rocket science. Neighbor tipped his push mower over to the wrong side & thought his motor locked up. I told him to remove the spark plug & start pulling the rope till the oil stops squirting out the spark plug hole.. He had filled the combustion chamber with oil, thus preventing the piston from being able to come up on the stroke..

He was gonna throw that mower away...............I could have had it for FREE. But nice to be nice..

You're a good man.

 

[7394]

Cpurvis - I'm trying.. Since then we became good neighbors & much later he said he was gonna throw out an old FG-100 Honda mini-tiller that's been in his shed for 10 years, or so.

Asked if I wanted to take a look at it. I did, & put it in my yard wagon & brought it home, he had been running 2 stroke oil mix in it. (which imo was a plus, kept an oil film on cylinder wall.)
But it's a 4 stroke. It had compression & spark, so..........

I flushed everything & got a $9. chinese carb off eBay with all the hoses, hooked all up & it fired up on 2nd pull. Ran so well, I detailed it up nicely. He saw me tilling & couldn't believe it was the same old tiller..

He said it never did till good for him.. I hated to tell him, but he had the tines on backwards..

Been tilling our garden ever since..:thumbsup:

 

[bertsmobile1]

Last fall I tried a product called the LiquiVac oil changer. It is so cool. You just pump it up and stick the hose down the dipstick tube and it sucks the oil right out. It really works ... no joke. It was so easy... and I didnt spill oil all over the place too... I bought it @ Home Depot for $34 bucks. oh yeah I also used it on my 4 cycle outboard engine too. :thumbsup:

Yep, there is a whole raft of sump pumps from a plain syringe for push mowers through mechanical vacuum pumps right up to battery/mains powered ones.
Any one who picks up a hot mower then tips it on the side to remove the hot oil is begging for a serious burn followed by some serious lasserations as they drop the mower

 

[7394]

I still like removing the drain plug, no excuse for me then to not service the blade.. :thumbsup: