When was the last time I changed the oil in my mower?

If you buy an electric mower, you never have to change the oil again. Or the spark plug. Or buy gas. Or clean the carburetor.

83

And they're quieter! God I wish my neighbors all had electric mowers. Sometimes it seems like they're invited to all the zoom meetings I attend.

33
- And when they're being used the engine doesn't have to spin all. the. time.
  
  7
- The mowers are fine, it's the weedwackers that are the problem.
  
  1
If you never mow and grow insect friendly lawns...you wont ever have to buy a mower...fuck lawns.

9
- The HOA won't let me have goats to keep the grass low though
  
  11
- I did this for years. I even got into the HOA board just to keep them off my back. It was so freeing to not have to mow.
  
  4
- #NoLawn
  
  1
My next mower will probably be a lawn service

7
- After spending several hours on Saturdays doing yardwork I didn't enjoy doing for years on end, I finally hired a gardener. Now I get to spend that time doing yardwork I do enjoy, like making landscaping improvements, or gardening.
  
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I expect they do need lubrication from time to time. I just bought an electric mower this year and it's pretty low power, so I predict that any amount of additional friction in the system is going to be too much.

3
Jokes on you, I never did most of that anyway.

Also still got the gas can from pre covid.

3
Wish they made an affordable electric zero turn that could handle mowing 7 acres of field 3-4 times a month in the summer. I need commercial grade sadly and there’s nothing in the homeowner space that comes close to my needs. The commercial ones are like 30k to compare with what I got for 6k

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But you will have to buy $1000 worth of batteries if you have a large yard.

-7
- On the flipside if your yard is that big you can save a lot on gas.
  
  3
- While I can’t say I have a large yard. My 80v Greenworks system can do the job 90% of the time on 1 battery (I have 2). When it can’t from being lazy and not mowing as often as I should have or it was especially rainy, I can swap the batteries in moments and the battery charges within 20 or so minutes. By then I am done or using the battery from the mower in the leaf blower or weed whacker.
  
  I would imagine if I had a larger yard I would go with a third in the event of having longer grass to cut and would have a battery charged, battery charging, and one in use.
  
  I would not trade my yard system with a gas one for any amount of money. If i do anything it’d be to hire someone that uses electric (quieter!) to mow and edge and all that jazz. Or use a Fiskars reel mower.
  
  Oh yea. I drive an ID.4. Suck it gas stations trolololol.
  
  2
- I have 1/3rd acre, takes 2 batteries to mow uninterrupted. Anything bigger than that I hope it's not just grass, that's a waste of space.
  
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Mine burns a little oil, so I just keep adding it. That way it gets a perpetual oil change. guytappinghead.jpg

39

I've owned a car like that. Drove that thing for years until the driver's side door fell off and I parked it.

8
- You parked the door?
  
  10
Do you just have a cloud of smoke around you as you mow

1
Some mowers are designed that way. Mine advertised "no oil changes", but really it means I have to add oil a couple times a year instead of draining it.

1
I think most mowers are two stroke engines, which generally are designed to burn oil.

0
- Most mowers are four stroke like automobile engines, this includes pushmowers. Modern ones even have oil filters. Generally, riding mowers have two cylinder v-twin engines and pushmowers are single cylinder.
  
  Two stroke engines are generally found on smaller things like chainsaws and weed eaters.
  
  You mix special oil into the gas for two strokes. They do produce more smoke, especially when first started.
  
  5
- Nah, most push and riding mowers are definitely 4 stroke. You're absolutely correct that 2 strokes need to burn oil and create some visible smoke (to be properly lubricated). Only small, powered equipment (such as trimmers, blowers, and chainsaws) are still commonly made with 2 strokes. My smoking push mower was made in the mid 1980's and is miraculously still running. It apparently has worn seals that are allowing crankcase oil into the combustion chamber.
  
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A true shower thought

29

I thought two-stroke engines mix the oil and fuel together? Every time you refuel, you should also be topping up the oil. Am I wrong?

26

I'm not sure you can even buy a two stroke lawnmower. Snowblower, maybe.

Yes, you need to have oil mixed with the gasoline in a two stroke, because the area under the piston (where the crankshaft is) creates the vacuum on the upstroke to draw in the next fuel charge. Lubrication of the crankshaft bearings, then, must come from oil that is in the gasoline, either by premixing it, or from an oil injection system.

A four stroke, on the other hand, uses the top of the cylinder, above the piston, to draw in the next fuel charge through an intake valve, and the area underneath the piston is bathed with oil. Over time, that oil (including its additives) breaks down and loses its lubricity, and must be changed for fresh oil.

22
- I've got and used them.
  
  Making sure I'm reading this right - are two and 4 strokes oriented differently? I always thought both were above the cylinder.
  
  1
Most lawn mowers are 4-stroke.

6
Never seen a two-stroke mower...

6
- I knew some folks with a repair shop as a kid and got to use one of these.
  
  https://youtu.be/-pG7TKX8RCM
  
  4
- I found a Lawn Boy in a barn a few years ago that I'm using. Two stroke from 1979. Infact those engines were also used as air cooled outboard boat motors.
  
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- I've seen and used them. Not for 10 years or so though.
  
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Look at buddy over here with the 1960s lawn boy

6
- Which PS was a damn good lawn mower
  
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Only for some engines. Make sure you read the manual and the cap.

3
Depends on the engine. Small 2 strokes usually use premix. Big ones, like on scooters or motorcycles, usually have an oil pump and an oil tank. You add oil every few thousand miles.

2

I haven't pushed it anywhere near 10,000 km, so I should be good, right?

Right?

17

For the money you save by not doing the oil change you can probably afford a new mower every 10 years or so.

14

How often were you changing the oil in your mower? I own an electric lawnmower now, but before that I just changed the oil once at the beginning of each mowing season.

2
- I only changed it once with the extra can I bought with the mower but never since. I'd imagine it easily costing somewhere around 20 to 30 euros a year so that'll pretty much cover a new mower every 10 years.
  
  -2
This is my strategy. I've never done any maintenance on any of my mowers except for sharpening the blade, and they still run for around 10 years.

2

I’ve had my current mower about 14-years.

I don’t think I’ve ever changed the oil.

7

I never changed the oil in my mower. Never had an issue, except with the power cord getting in the way.

7

I got my lawnmower about 9 years ago secondhand and have never done any maintenance on it. I'm pretty sure that's how you're supposed to do it.

6

You nailed it

3

I got an ev mower. Solved.

6

I also solved mine but by never changing the oil.

7
- I had a mower I bought in 2001, took it with me for a few moves. Sometime around 2011 it started sputtering and just take running like crap. Tried to drain it, and it basically took so afternoon. But I got it drained and replaced. The filter had disintegrated.
  
  With the electric mower, I've had it since 2013 or so. The battery is finally starting to show its age but it does still work well enough. Still haven't done anything to it. Might replace the blade soon
  
  2

The mower I got from my grandpa has never had an oil change and it still works as of last week. Your mower will almost certainly be fine.

Now my pressure washer... I forgot to empty the gas from my pressure washer before storing it for several years and it became mucky glorp inside.

6

I would be cautious with this thought process though. Oil cools, lubricates and cleans the engine. These engines are air cooled so keep that in mind. Degraded oil can't do the job very well.

2

I've changed the air filter on mine and I think that's all the maintenance I will ever do

6

Sharpen/replace the blade. It's cheap and easy to do, and it will cut like a brand new mower.

Also, this is a PSA that you should sharpen your shovel. Makes digging way easier.

4
- Also, this is a PSA that you should sharpen your shovel. Makes digging way easier.
  
  A shovel with the sides of it sharpened via angle grinder works wonders for chopping tall weeds too. Swing that mf like a baseball bat.
  
  1

My neighbor had a crazy old Montgomery Ward tiller, I'd guess from the late 60 or early 70s. I borrowed it once and decided to be nice and change the oil in it since I doubted he ever had. Could not for the life of me figure out how to drain the oil without flipping it over... It's ran for this long on old oil, it'll run for a bit longer!

5

Flipping it over is often the correct way to drain the oil.

3

Most mower engines are 2-strokes, they're designed to burn oil as lubrication basically, it's added to the gas. You don't need to change the oil. Unless it's a 4 stroke engine (unusual due to size/complexity), or you've got a transmission or some other motorized mechanical behavior.

4

I wouldnt say most are two stroke. In fact most mowers available for purchase at your local hardware store are going to be 4 stroke if not all of them. 2 stroke lawnmowers are a thing of the past. Everyone wants 4 stroke and self propelling now.

8
- Hmmm, I guess that makes sense. It's been a while since I've bought a gas mower, roughly the late 90's/00's hah, been using electric/battery since then.
  
  0
Most mower engines are absolutely not 2 strokes… they are 99.99% 4 strokes.

Now strim trimmers are maybe 60/40 2s to 4s.

4
As a 2-stroke myself, I can confirm oil for lubrication is not required

3

Drain the fluids completely for Winter

3

Too hard! I just use it until it explodes. Still lasts about 10 years.

6
Genuine question as I haven't actually thought about this, how does that work when you don't have a winter? Where I live it doesn't get below 40° ever, or above 85°. Those are literally the overnight low in Feb, and midday high in Aug/Sep. Do I still need to drain, or just treat it like changing the oil in my car? I.E.: Every 6 months or 3500 miles, whichever comes first.

3
- Like u/possiblylinux127 said, any time you’re not going to use it for more than a month or two, it’s best to drain the fluids. Oil is less important than gas, and you can leave gas in it as well if you add a stabilizer to it.
  
  Personally, I wouldn’t use gas stabilizer for more than one season, but I know many who use it every year with no problem. Just make sure you run the motor with the stabilizer for a few minutes before you store it so the gas in the carburetor doesn’t gum up.
  
  As for oil, I tend to only change it when it looks darker than a piece of burnt toast I’d still be willing to eat. I know that’s vague, but it’s how I do it.
  
  5
- If you don't need it there is no point in having fluids in it. It might not be necessary but it is good practice
  
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- My grass doesn't grow for like 5 months of the year. If you don't have winter, you don't need to store your mower for half the year.
  
  2

If it's a Honda, it's fiiiiiine

Probably due an oil change about 2029

2

I just did my first oil change in 4 years and it's still running strong.

2

Oof glad I don't have to do that anymore. My car on the other hand... 😐 It's probably due

1