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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:38:43 PM EDT
[#1]
Briggs engines are so shitty that you don't have to worry about them lasting beyond the oil life.
Over 40 years...I have never gotten a good Briggs engine. All crapped out within 5 years of real hard use. Hondas...you can't kill them. It's my main complaint with the surface drive motor industry. I want a Gator Tail motor badly...but FML, I'm not paying 8K for a glorified Briggs boat motor. Even the owners throw out the "Well, after you replace this plastic bearing and the gaskets, and this shaft, and this valve, and these hoses, it is good go go"...No....no way...no how. Somebody please build a 40HP sufrace drive on a Honda motor. Seriously...and get rid of the belt drive. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:39:55 PM EDT
[#2]
My Dad is 70 years old and he'd kick my ass if he found out that I wasn't changing the oil in my mower.
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:44:05 PM EDT
[#3]
My dad was a mechanic, he’s the one that told me you don’t have to change the oil in a lawnmower just top it off.
I’ve got a 10 yr old Craftsman that’s barely hanging on. When it goes I want something with a bigger deck and better pulling capablilities. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:44:20 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I don't think I've ever changed the oil on a vertical crank engine. Just top up as necessary. The engines have all long outlasted the rest of the mowers. I don't think we have even added oil in the 10 years we have had our mower. It came with a bottle, we poured it in and good to go. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:44:40 PM EDT
[#5]
I lucked out on a 2 stroke lawn boy with the aluminum deck for aboit $60. I love it.
Just make sure you run ethanol free in small engines |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:46:33 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just can't wrap my head around never changing the oil, it's so cheap and easy and lubrication so critical to the engines lifespan. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:49:05 PM EDT
[#7]
@ryandushku
My buddy is an R&D engine guy at the plant in Milwaukee.... I'm sure he'll come in and give the lowdown |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:53:42 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Over 40 years...I have never gotten a good Briggs engine. All crapped out within 5 years of real hard use. Hondas...you can't kill them. The Honda GC engines use a rubber belt to drive a plastic pulley on the camshaft - which doesn't last a long time. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 10:57:14 PM EDT
[#9]
My self propelled Honda Harmony is now 18 years old. Just mowed the grass with it today.
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Posted: 5/20/2018 11:00:22 PM EDT
[#10]
Never change is a marketing gimmick.
Get the kit that changes it back and change the oil. The Neva change is a new filter and about 1/3 new oil. I It's LOL stupid from a serious longevity standpoint. Dumb for the dumbed down. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 11:00:45 PM EDT
[#11]
The average consumer doesn't use a push mower enough to require changing oil. They maybe get 20 hours of use a year. Most people will throw out a mower when the carb or gasket fails due to ethanol or age.
It's a disposable society and the marketing is pushing ease of use over longevity. I made engines for briggs years ago. They were going to shit 15 years ago and started up making engine castings in china. The engine castings were pure junk. Not one out of 300 was in spec before machining. I change oil because it does break down, if not from heat and run time but from moisture, oxygen, and metal reactions. I've never had any small engine from any manufacturer die due to oil problems in 20 plus years. The cheap $110 briggs powered push mower I have right now gets a bit of two stroke oil in the gas and it seams to smooth out the automatic throttle and no longer pulses. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 11:05:24 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Read the owners manual. Its not just check and add. You either suck it out through check and fill hole or turn it completely over and pour it out. |
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Posted: 5/20/2018 11:21:03 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The average consumer doesn't use a push mower enough to require changing oil. They maybe get 20 hours of use a year. Most people will throw out a mower when the carb or gasket fails due to ethanol or age. It's a disposable society and the marketing is pushing ease of use over longevity. I made engines for briggs years ago. They were going to shit 15 years ago and started up making engine castings in china. The engine castings were pure junk. Not one out of 300 was in spec before machining. I change oil because it does break down, if not from heat and run time but from moisture, oxygen, and metal reactions. I've never had any small engine from any manufacturer die due to oil problems in 20 plus years. The cheap $110 briggs powered push mower I have right now gets a bit of two stroke oil in the gas and it seams to smooth out the automatic throttle and no longer pulses. 1. Kill the carb with ethanol and trash it 2. Move and leave the old, dirty mower behind 3. Become a lazy fatass and hire a lawn service Also doesn't help that replacement parts are obnoxiously priced. IE, an OEM carb costs more than an OEM motor, and a new OEM motor costs more than a complete new mower. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 12:17:06 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I never knew so many people didn't change oil on their mowers. No wonder there are so many on the curbs waiting for garbage trucks every week. It's just 15 minutes a year to do it. The Hondas are highly recommended if you have the money. Self propelled systems are durable as long you don't but the cheapest of cheap. I don't own a lawnmower (no lawn) but I have a bunch of things with small engines (generators, pressure washer etc). They get annual oil changes. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 12:37:46 AM EDT
[#15]
Anyone have a fuel tank ...2 quart for a Pulsa Jet carb....for my '69 3hp horizontal shaft motor ?
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Posted: 5/21/2018 12:54:32 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Had the same decision today. Bought a self propelled Honda to replace a husqvarna that didn't have a bagger and left behind too much grass clumps. Self propelled is worth the small amount extra. Never had one fail in the 25 years or so I have mowed lawns. Motor will go out maybe, or just starts rusting apart. I was unsure on the no oil change Briggs as well, and spent the extra 50 or so for the Honda. Also said the hell with gas powered weed eater and bought a 20volt black and decker. Should be enough for my sized lawn and fence. The gas ones weigh twice as much and are a constant pain. I wanted the dewalt fo match the pile of batteries I have but the reviews are beyond terrible. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Had the same decision today. Bought a self propelled Honda to replace a husqvarna that didn't have a bagger and left behind too much grass clumps. Self propelled is worth the small amount extra. Never had one fail in the 25 years or so I have mowed lawns. Motor will go out maybe, or just starts rusting apart. I was unsure on the no oil change Briggs as well, and spent the extra 50 or so for the Honda. Also said the hell with gas powered weed eater and bought a 20volt black and decker. Should be enough for my sized lawn and fence. The gas ones weigh twice as much and are a constant pain. I wanted the dewalt fo match the pile of batteries I have but the reviews are beyond terrible. I'm sure you'll like the B+D. Quoted: I read the big sticker on the engine. It says never change oil, just check and add. No small print disclaimer |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 2:12:39 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The average consumer doesn't use a push mower enough to require changing oil. They maybe get 20 hours of use a year. At that rate, 10 years of use would be just 200 hours. Typical recommended oil change interval for a small engine is 50-100 hours - So getting 200 hours out of these engines without an oil change probably isn't all that much of a stretch. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 2:23:54 AM EDT
[#18]
Hmmph, am I the only one who actually changes the mower oil? I mean I can't say I'm very good about it, but I've at least done it a couple times over the last few years. It's not particularly hard, my mower is a boring cheap push mower mtd with a b&s engine probably going on 10 years old now. The deck is starting to look like shit, but the engine still works ok. Swapped the carb, air filter, and spark plug for a $12 set off amazon last year which woke it up a little. I think mostly due to the air filter...
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Posted: 5/21/2018 6:45:32 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I change my riding mowers oil and fuel filter every year. It costs 20 bucks and fakes 15 minutes. That no change shit is for women. 
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Posted: 5/21/2018 6:46:59 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Briggs engines are so shitty that you don't have to worry about them lasting beyond the oil life. Over 40 years...I have never gotten a good Briggs engine. All crapped out within 5 years of real hard use. Hondas...you can't kill them. It's my main complaint with the surface drive motor industry. I want a Gator Tail motor badly...but FML, I'm not paying 8K for a glorified Briggs boat motor. Even the owners throw out the "Well, after you replace this plastic bearing and the gaskets, and this shaft, and this valve, and these hoses, it is good go go"...No....no way...no how. Somebody please build a 40HP sufrace drive on a Honda motor. Seriously...and get rid of the belt drive. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 6:57:06 AM EDT
[#21]
I paid $50 for one about 5 or so years ago, had been used at most a couple of years, couldn't get the money out of my wallet fast enough. Garage sales are great. Check oil, fill gas and go.
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Posted: 5/21/2018 7:05:01 AM EDT
[#22]
My gas moweres had a threaded drain plug underneath by the blade.
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Posted: 5/21/2018 7:08:16 AM EDT
[#23]
For what it takes, including a simple and easy oil change at the start of every season, it's worth it.....even if Arfcom says it's not needed.
I've got 35 minutes to sharpen blades and change a little 30 weight oil to keep that mower running smooth every year. It beats buying one every three years because I ran it and never checked or maintained anything. And.....I'm another Honda mower owner. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 7:16:36 AM EDT
[#24]
I just sold a Toro RWD that had a B&S engine, 11 years old, always started on the second pull, never had a single issue, changed the oil 3 times.
Pretty impressive. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 7:50:02 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I read the big sticker on the engine. It says never change oil, just check and add. No small print disclaimer Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Read the owners manual. Its not just check and add. You either suck it out through check and fill hole or turn it completely over and pour it out. As for Honda engines, the pressure washer I was replacing had one. It was a big piece of shit from day one. It was a Troy Bilt washer so it may have been a lower grade Honda or just a dud. It was the only Honda engine I have ever had problems with. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 7:56:25 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Don't lawn mowers already have no oil change engines Ive never changed the oil in a lawn mower. Never even checked it They are consumable. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 7:56:36 AM EDT
[#27]
I have one of the no oil change engines on my mower, last fall I changed the oil. Small price to pay for peace of mind.
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:07:11 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The Honda GX engines use a pair of metal gears to drive the camshaft - which lasts a long time. The Honda GC engines use a rubber belt to drive a plastic pulley on the camshaft - which doesn't last a long time. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Over 40 years...I have never gotten a good Briggs engine. All crapped out within 5 years of real hard use. Hondas...you can't kill them. The Honda GC engines use a rubber belt to drive a plastic pulley on the camshaft - which doesn't last a long time. Problem is, I don't trust small Briggs engines since they moved mfg to China. They used to be bullet proof. ETA: There isn't a push mower sold that includes the GX series engine apparently. Even Hondas $800 premium mower has a GC engine. Oh well, the engine has a 3 yr warranty. Hopefully I won't need it. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:09:58 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The body will probably rust or fall apart before the motor fails. Honda motors on lawn mowers are harder to kill than Steven Segal. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:18:41 AM EDT
[#30]
This reminds me, buddy bought a forclosed house for a song and had to clean the back yard, midway through cleaning we found a mower buried in a pile of leaves, half the push handle was missing and the deck had a tree growing through it(in from bottom, out through grass shoot. I bet my buddy a beer i could get it to start. He took the bet. chopped off the tree with a sawz all, filled with gas, shot WD40 nto the cylinder via spark plug, pumped prime 4 times, and got it to cough. realized i had the engine brake on because the handle was missing, so i vice gripped that in place like it had a safety stop. More WD40, then pulled. Fired right up. I couldn't stop laughing... It was I think a 4.5 B&S, but it was OLD the tree had 15 rings in it.
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:21:15 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Don't lawn mowers already have no oil change engines Ive never changed the oil in a lawn mower. Never even checked it The body will rust before the engine quits. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:23:45 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Do you wax it and ArmorAll the tires too? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I change my riding mowers oil and fuel filter every year. It costs 20 bucks and fakes 15 minutes. That no change shit is for women. I've changed the hydraulic oil twice in 350 hours. It's also a Deere 2305. 40-50 hours equals out to once a year. I typically need to change the fuel filter... Well, 3.6 quarts of oil and a filter is cheap. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:29:12 AM EDT
[#33]
My dad has an old “Pennycraft” (JCPennys) lawn mower with a B&S 3.5 hp engine on it. I’ve nicknamed that particular mower “beast mode” because you can run over anything with it and it just laughs. I use it as a bush hog.
It just goes to show if you take care of something, especially older, better made stuff, it will last a long time. New stuff just isn’t built as well. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:42:10 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I don't think I've ever changed the oil on a vertical crank engine. Just top up as necessary. The engines have all long outlasted the rest of the mowers. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:46:56 AM EDT
[#35]
When my Honda powered mower rusts apart, I’ll buy another mower and put my Honda motor in it.
8yrs and it starts first pull, every time. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 8:59:05 AM EDT
[#36]
Tipping mowers is for amateurs.
http://pelaproducts.com/index.htm One of the best tools I bought. Makes the cars, with filters on top, oil changes easy too. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 9:01:51 AM EDT
[#37]
My 6.5 HP Briggs has ran since 2002 with no oil changes, no air filter cleaning or spark plug change and still starts first pull. City lot. I’ve added oil a couple of times.
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Posted: 5/21/2018 9:02:13 AM EDT
[#38]
Ugh, my last Briggs push mower went out with a bang after 3 years. Literally blew the side of the case out and left a pile of broken pieces and oil on my lawn. That was with yearly oil changes.
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Posted: 5/21/2018 9:05:33 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I can't speak for now, but forty years ago my father purchased a self propelled "Push Mower" I remember we got tired of putting the chain back on the spocket so many times that we ended up disconnecting it altogether. I am rocking a "Weed Eater" brand push mower I bought at Walmart for $60 a few years ago. I would recommend that you stick with a conventional push mower. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 9:33:08 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ugh, my last Briggs push mower went out with a bang after 3 years. Literally blew the side of the case out and left a pile of broken pieces and oil on my lawn. That was with yearly oil changes. The manager had decided to stop buying certified feed stock for the casting line, and then to remelt bad parts all to save money. The plant metallurgist quit because it got so bad. He tried telling management that melting dirty metal that's already out of spec wouldn't make any good engines. The plant manager came back and told us to push the bad engines through to assembly because we were making mower engines, not swiss watches. I told him he'd be luck to be making anything if he kept pushing out of spec crap out the door. Plant closed 2 years later. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 10:34:38 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Never change the oil? What kind of madness is that? I got a self propelled few years back, worth every penny. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 10:36:50 AM EDT
[#42]
I had a Briggs that burned oil and then seized one day while it had plenty of it. I used it as a brush mower so I didn't have to leave the yard with my nicer Honda, so no loss.
It was actually kind of fun having it seize. I could hear it start to slow down and saw it starting to smoke. Said screw it and kept running it. Pretty sure it snapped the wrist pin or broke the whole piston skirt off. The crank would still turn but with no resistance and it sounded like a can of marbles when you pulled the cord. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 10:51:31 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Some semi trucks never change oil. They have a tank that you fill that tops off the crankcase when the engine is stopped. The system pumps a tiny bit of motor oil into the fuel tank to be burned up as fuel. You just changed the filters as specified. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Never change the oil? What kind of madness is that? I got a self propelled few years back, worth every penny. And it certainly wouldn't be done with emissions trucks. |
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Posted: 5/21/2018 11:13:40 AM EDT
[#44]
I have always run my mowers on the same oil change schedule as my cars.
Every 3000 to 5000 miles whether they need it or not! Serious confession here: I have never changed the oil in the engine operating any lawn equipment I've ever had. I've never had an engine fail. But chassis/frames/bodies have certainly rusted out and at the time it went to scrap, the engine still ran fine. Every time. If I were running a professional lawn service, that'd be a different story. But for home use? Frankly, WHY BOTHER? I make sure the oil's in the right fill level range. But change it? Don't see the need. Product performance history supports my decision. I know, it's not "by the book" but then again...neither am I. 
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Posted: 5/21/2018 11:14:04 AM EDT
[#45]
I'm not sold on the everlasting oil bullshit in anything. You certainly don't need to change it every three thousand miles and twice on Sunday in modern cars with modern oil. But it seems like it could breakdown and dilute over time. Plus sitting in the off season, the smallest engines not having a filter, being air cooled they run hotter than you think. A lot of variables breaking down oil in there
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Posted: 5/22/2018 12:12:24 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Honda GX engines use a pair of metal gears to drive the camshaft - which lasts a long time. The Honda GC engines use a rubber belt to drive a plastic pulley on the camshaft - which doesn't last a long time. Guess how well those poly parts lasted in the high dust and friction environment of a mower deck... Yet, it wasn't a bug...it was a feature...it is a "lifetime part" that "Never needs to be greased"... Yeah...because the life of the mower is crap. |
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Posted: 5/22/2018 12:24:42 AM EDT
[#47]
I'm going for a battery operated next time. I've got an electric start Toro, self pace thingamajig and something happened recently. It kinda locked up, didn't have any oil so I poured seafoam everywhere, added Mobile One and got one of those split prong spark plugs and now it runs. Weird how it stopped though. Battery operated weed eater is the bomb diggity. Come to think of it, are those Roomba mowers any good?
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Posted: 5/22/2018 12:30:32 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Would you trust the oil in any Hecho en China engine? |
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Posted: 5/22/2018 12:32:32 AM EDT
[#49]
I have a Honda engine B&S push mower with the ACT featuer (auto choke).
It’s a reliable starter even after a winter I’d being in the garage. |
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Posted: 5/22/2018 12:44:58 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Just seems creepy to me. I'll keep tipping my mower yearly. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would never not change oil in any engine. That seems asinine to me. |
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