After many years of mowing lawns, I have come to learn the importance of changing your oil and also the best time to do so.
Lawnmower oil should be changed at least once a year. Some people change it after fifty hours of use and that’s a good benchmark too. Whatever you settle on be sure to change your lawnmower oil!
Changing the oil in your mower is one way to ensure your lawnmower is being maintained well, there are other simple steps you can take that should extend the life of your mower. Want to know more?…keep reading!
Lawnmowers can be expensive so ideally, you want yours to work for a long time, right? Thought so!
In order to get the best out of your mower then it’s going to require a spot of maintenance every now and again.
This is a great opportunity to spot potential issues before they become real issues and cost you a lot of money.
Leaving issues also opens you up for the possibility that whatever is wrong could be fatal to the mower and you need a new one altogether so don’t be that person!
Here are a few steps you can take that ought to mean your lawnmower will be usable for many years to come.
So as you now know, checking your oil should be done often. Check the oil levels when the engine is cold, otherwise, the reading may not be very accurate.
At the point in which the oil is below the minimum level, it’s time to change it.
I’d always be looking at changing the oil at least once a year anyway. Before spring is a great time to do it. Get your lawnmower working brilliantly before the season starts.
Some people recommend changing your oil after every 50 hours of use. That’s possibly not a bad principle to adhere to either so whichever you find works best for you.
If you’ve just picked up a brand new lawnmower then firstly, nice, enjoy! Secondly, it’s best to check the oil level after you’ve been using the mower for around 5 hours as it may need a top-up.
With a new lawnmower, I’d check the oil level more frequently. It gives you a chance to understand how much oil the mower is getting through.
If you find yourself cutting grass in wet conditions or challenging conditions then check your oil more frequently.
Anything that is challenging can result in the need to change your oil more frequently. The lawnmower is working harder so it makes sense that it burns through more oil.
The majority of people will choose to change the oil themselves and in all honesty, it’s not too difficult once you understand the method.
The time needed to complete the job is about 5 minutes so it’s not a time-consuming task!
You will need to remove the old oil from your lawnmower, this can be done by:
Some lawnmowers come with a dedicated drain plug, if yours does…you’re in for an easy job! All that you have to do is remove the plug and watch the oil drain away.
However, if yours doesn’t, that pop your lawnmower on one side and drain the oil this way.
You will need to remove the pol fill cap to this. When you’re tilting your mower, you should do this slowly. You don’t want the risk of oil going everywhere…just in the container will do nicely!
Your lawnmower may not have an oil filter so this step doesn’t apply. However, if yours does then I would always recommend changing the filter when you’re changing the oil.
An oil filter is an inexpensive part of your mower, that can be changed easily but it does play an important part in keeping your mower running smoothly.
Now it’s time to put the new stuff in!
One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to overfill or underfill your mower with oil so it’s important to get the correct quantity of oil.
[If you do overfill your lawnmower, here’s how to fix it!]
Before pouring the oil, I’d recommend checking how much oil your lawnmower will take. From experience, it’s usually around 0.6/0.7 of a litre.
Then all that’s left to do is put it back together and get mowing!
Changing the oil in your lawnmower is a quick job and a fairly simple one. It doesn’t need to be done often, most likely once a year.
Failing to change your oil can impact the life of your lawnmower and cost you more in the long run so it’s also a good skill to have up your sleeve.
When did you last change your lawnmower oil?