New snow blower break in

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My experience with OPE like snowblowers and lawn mowers, give them a minute or two to get the cylinder warmed up and them let it eat, run em like they are made to run and change the oil after the first few uses. My current snowblower is at least 20yrs old as is my lawnmower and 2 of my 3 chainsaws. All were given the "use it like it's rented" treatment and none of them have ever complained. Also been holding pretty true for our fleet of various construction equipment (nearly 100 engines between 3-20hp)
 
Originally Posted By: linksep

... Are you going to keep the blower 40+ years?


Uh, I'd be a 100, don't think so
smirk.gif


Whimsey
 
Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork


Lawn Mower #1: I changed the oil after 5 hours and it looked like silver paint.
This was manufactures recommend.
I said I would never do that again.

Lawn Mower #2: I changed the oil every 1.5 hours. Dark & little silvery.
After 8 oil changes, the oil looked very clean.
Now I feel I can get by changing every 15-20 hours.

Why leave the (dirty) oil in while engine breaks in ? ? ?

Do frequent oil changes till oil starts looking clean.

Edit: I have an Ariens that my Father bought in 1977.
Like anything, don't neglect it.
With care, any Snow Thrower will last years longer.


I was under the impression that the oil that comes with a new engine is not regular motor oil. Its break in oil, and is supposed to stay in through the entire (5 hour) break in process. I followed this "rule" with my new mower, and after 5 hours, it did look like silver paint, but its looked just fine every time since then..
 
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Jakegday,
The theory that some manufacturers use a special "break-in oil" has been around for well over a decade in a number of applications ... but so far, it can't be proven.

If a UOA shows something different about the factory oil, it may simply be due to the presence of assembly lube that's washed down into the crankcase.
 
Well, you're right, I cant prove it. But the bottle of oil that came with my new craftsman mower had a warning on saying something like "Do not use as regular motor oil." I cant think of any other reason why it would have a warning like that on it.
 
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"the bottle of oil that came with my new craftsman mower had a warning on saying something like 'Do not use as regular motor oil.'"

Wow, I don't think I've seen that before. Still have the bottle? Can you post a pic?

Funny thing, though. I can't imagine an additive in a break-in oil that would be BAD to use on a regular basis. Gobs of moly may not be ideal for most motor oil blends ... but for OPE applications, I can't imagine they'd require a warning.
 
Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
"the bottle of oil that came with my new craftsman mower had a warning on saying something like 'Do not use as regular motor oil.'"

Wow, I don't think I've seen that before. Still have the bottle? Can you post a pic?



Unfortunately thats a "no" to both questions..
 
Originally Posted By: Jakegday
Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
"the bottle of oil that came with my new craftsman mower had a warning on saying something like 'Do not use as regular motor oil.'"

Wow, I don't think I've seen that before. Still have the bottle? Can you post a pic?



Unfortunately thats a "no" to both questions..


My take on this is, the oil supplied by the manufacturer is prolly an SJ spec, and is not suitable for modern automobile use. SG/SJ oils has lots of the good stuff--zinc & phos
 
Varying the load on the engine is the key to proper break in. I know it will be hard to resist but I'd wait for a substantial dump of snow before using the machine. The activity of blowing the snow will provide ideal conditions. The machine will be stressed while throwing the snow then relieved of the load in between passes. Just take your time allowing for the machine to cool down a bit if the snow is particularly heavy. Otherwise, just put it to work.

Regarding MTD products and durability. I've owned a couple Craftsman machines and they were adequate and a reasonable value. I worked mine very hard on a large driveway in northern Canada. With reasonable care, it lasted ten years. The old Tecumseh flat head likely would have lasted another twenty years if the blower's metal housing didn't start to crack and fall apart. Cracks started appearing around the impeller housing where it attaches to the intake housing. Could have had it welded but other things were showing signs of fatigue.

My neighbour just bought a 24" B&S 305cc engine Craftsman machine last year. I've used it and it's a nice little machine. Small and powerful and compared to my 307 lb. Simplicity, it's a pleasure to use until things get real tough. If I had a choice between the neighbour's Craftsman and my Simplicity, I'd take the Craftsman 90% of the time. It's light, powerful and effective. However, in real heavy/deep snow or dealing EOD snow, the Simplicity's added weight becomes an asset. Otherwise, it's just that much more to wrestle with.

If the snow conditions are average, MTD products will be more than adequate most of the time. Not saying they're in the same class as the higher end/cost machines but they get the job done and last reasonably long.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Varying the load on the engine is the key to proper break in. I know it will be hard to resist but I'd wait for a substantial dump of snow before using the machine. The activity of blowing the snow will provide ideal conditions. The machine will be stressed while throwing the snow then relieved of the load in between passes. Just take your time allowing for the machine to cool down a bit if the snow is particularly heavy. Otherwise, just put it to work.

Regarding MTD products and durability. I've owned a couple Craftsman machines and they were adequate and a reasonable value. I worked mine very hard on a large driveway in northern Canada. With reasonable care, it lasted ten years. The old Tecumseh flat head likely would have lasted another twenty years if the blower's metal housing didn't start to crack and fall apart. Cracks started appearing around the impeller housing where it attaches to the intake housing. Could have had it welded but other things were showing signs of fatigue.

My neighbour just bought a 24" B&S 305cc engine Craftsman machine last year. I've used it and it's a nice little machine. Small and powerful and compared to my 307 lb. Simplicity, it's a pleasure to use until things get real tough. If I had a choice between the neighbour's Craftsman and my Simplicity, I'd take the Craftsman 90% of the time. It's light, powerful and effective. However, in real heavy/deep snow or dealing EOD snow, the Simplicity's added weight becomes an asset. Otherwise, it's just that much more to wrestle with.

If the snow conditions are average, MTD products will be more than adequate most of the time. Not saying they're in the same class as the higher end/cost machines but they get the job done and last reasonably long.


Thanks, that's what I'll do. I didn't know snow blowers don't have air filters. I read up and found out why, air filters would freeze over and stop the air flow, they have intake heater boxes instead. So it's definitely not a good idea to run it outside of snow conditions. I'll just run it briefly to make sure it starts and the transmission and auger work. BITOG is a great site! You still learn a so much, even after 12 years as a member. I know this is a low end model but with care and the smallish size driveway in NJ I think it will do fine, I care for my equipment.

Whimsey
 
most of those engines people buy and put gas in them and run them for years that way some never ever change their oil and they still run. I use strait 30 in all my small engines and change it once a year.My snowblower is a briggs that my dad bought in 1964 still runs good but smokes a little all my other machines run well also
 
crazyoildude, as I and others have said, we understand it is possible to horribly neglect and abuse OPE and have them soldier on for years.

However, I think it's simply the right thing to do to take proper care of mechanical things. And, with just a little effort, I can ensure that my machines not only survive, but run strong (maximum compression) and smoke-free for a decade or more of heavy use.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I wouldn't run 5W-30 unless it was below zero outside.


Yeah...... Are you suggesting doing an oil change to suit the weather on any given day?

I've run 5W30 high mileage oil in my snow blower for years. Some day's it's -35F other days it's +35F. Easy starting on cold days and runs just fine on warmer days. From my experience 5W30 is suitable for snow blowers.
 
Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
crazyoildude, as I and others have said, we understand it is possible to horribly neglect and abuse OPE and have them soldier on for years.

However, I think it's simply the right thing to do to take proper care of mechanical things. And, with just a little effort, I can ensure that my machines not only survive, but run strong (maximum compression) and smoke-free for a decade or more of heavy use.




I agree. I've seen plenty of machines with the original oil in them. While some of them are fine many of them lack power, puff smoke and burn oil. It costs next to nothing to change the oil and can be done in 10 minutes on most machines. I run Rotella T6 5w40 or Rotella T 15w40 in machines that see summer use and 5w30 in snow blowers.
 
And don't forget, OPE that burns oil also tends to foul plugs more ... potentially costing you more $$$ to keep them running well.

Also, while I generally don't like 5W30 for OPE ... snowblowers are run in sub-freezing temps and I can't imagine they are in danger of overheating, thinning the oil and running the sump dry.

I run Yeti Blood in my Ariens. :yeti:
 
Since it doesn't have an air filter I'll follow the advice given to break it in during my first usage in the snow then change the factory oil, not over 5 hours on the factory oil though. I picked up a quart of SuperTech synthetic 5W-30 for the second change that will be also be much shorter than the 50 hour mark. After that I'll use Mobil 1 HM 5W-30 for longer periods but not exceeding the recommended 50 hour limit. This being my first snow blower for the first time in 50 years I'm actually looking forward to snow
grin.gif
.

Whimsey
 
Whimsey, be sure to capture that used oil then put it in a glass jar so you can see all the micro-shrapnel these unfiltered engines produce when they are brand new. You will be amazed!

And good luck with your new toy!
 
Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
Whimsey, be sure to capture that used oil then put it in a glass jar so you can see all the micro-shrapnel these unfiltered engines produce when they are brand new. You will be amazed!

And good luck with your new toy!


Thanks
grin.gif
. I did that when I changed the ff in my Briggs & Stratton 5500 watt generator. I ran it for about 2 hours under a 3000 watt load then changed the factory oil. It was "sparkly" to say the least
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. I will change second fill after about 10 hours, which should after my next "exercise" session. then I should be good for lot longer runs after that.

Whimsey
 
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