I have a Briggs & Stratton 5500 watt generator using the OHV engine.   In the manual, it says to change the oil every 25 hours of operation.  Is that really necessary?  The last time we had a power outage, we ran the generator pretty much 24 hours a day only stopping to fuel up and, since this thing cost about $800 at the time, I was changing the oil every morning.  My dad has a Champion 3500 watt generator and he changes the oil every 100 hours.  Currently he has about 1250 hours on it with no problems.   Is this 25 hour oil change interval thing realistic?

Also, is there a way to put an aftermarket hour meter on this genny as it didn't come with one?

Thanks!

Full-pressure lube system?  100 hours is fine.  Splash and mist?  25 hours is the norm.



For run time meter, you can get 120 VAC meters  Surpluscenter.com (Burden Surplus) has a few.

No filter so I assume Splash and Mist.  So I pretty much gotta change it every day if I run it round the clock?   Will check that link for meters...thanks.

In the long run, changing the oil in any engine according to mfg instructions saves you money.

You could easily save enough to buy a team membership.  

Something like this will work
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTORCYCLE-HOUR-METER-ATV-GENERATOR-QUAD-MX-KTM-TACH-SX-/160673291846?hash=item2568dfde46&item=160673291846&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr#ht_2210wt_1177'

Excellent!  Thanks!

And fresh oil in the spring after it sits all winter collecting moisture is a good rule of thumb on most equipment that isn't used all the time.