Lawn mower break in oil change?

F

Floyd1

Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
31
Location
USA
I just purchased a self propelled Snapper push mower with the B&S 625exi. Lots of mixed reviews on these motors but I had some odd dollar Walmart gift cards laying around, so I figured I'd give it a shot for $150 for a new mower.

It has the "never change just add oil" design. I will probably change it anyways each season, but was curious if you folks think a break in change would be necessary?

Do they do a break in upon assembly? If you would do a break in change, approximately after how many hours of usage?
 
My Honda 160 said to change the oil after 5 run hours. That's what I did, and the oil was full of sparkles.
 
Originally Posted by Floyd1
I It has the "never change just add oil" design.


Never heard of this one "design" Am I to infer that it burns oil since you have to add.

No design will ever be able to replace the job oil does to the engine. As BigD1 said, change it after 5hrs and then at least once a year depending on how big your lawn is.
 
Last edited:
I recently bought a Husqvarna tractor with the Briggs 22 hp engine. I changed oil to Rotella 15/40 along with filter after 5 hours. I'm working on getting it to 15 hours, when I'm gonna change it again. From then on, every 25 hours. Oil is cheaper than engine overhauls, and this tractor better be the last one I'm ever gonna buy - I'm going on 70 next year.

I also bought a PowerSmart 32cc 4 stroke trimmer. A quart of oil will do at least 10 changes.. I ran it 10 minutes, changed oil. The last 3 times I changed it after every use, about 30 minutes each. The last change I did, the oil was perfectly clean. I'm thinking 5 or 6 hours per change now.

BTW, that trimmer is great! First or second pull to start every time from cold. It runs smoothly with only a few seconds warm-up time.

Ethanol free gas in both machines, along with my TBilt (Huskee) push mower. That one gets oil change every year..
 
Perfectly good engine, but do as others have said and change the oil. You do realize that since you bought it at Wally World that it is not a true Snapper, right. It is a slightly modified Murray.
 
Go wild and try what Briggs says. They base it on engineering, the never change oil. 5w-30 synthetic would be best. Briggs owns Snapper. A Snapper at WM is not made by Murray or MTD. Sounds like got a steal.
 
I bought my Briggs-powered mower in May and used it the whole cutting season. I clean the mower and change the oil once a year before I park it.
 
Not everyone knows that Briggs & Stratton bought Murry, Snapper, Ferris, Simplicity am I missing anyone else?
The Snappers at Walmart are actually good mowers. The wheels are a tad wider and better quality than some more expensive mowers at the Home Depot.
Despite what the engine may have came with, Briggs & Stratton has switched their oil recommendation to a 5W30 synthetic.

My sisters Cub Cadet with a Honda engine bought this year said to change the oil after 5 hours.

Don't just glance at the chart, read.
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/eu/en_gb/support/faqs/browse/mower-oil-type-and-capacity.html
 
Originally Posted by Farnsworth
Go wild and try what Briggs says. They base it on engineering, the never change oil. 5w-30 synthetic would be best. Briggs owns Snapper. A Snapper at WM is not made by Murray or MTD. Sounds like got a steal.



LOL and you just ruined someone Trolling.

I've got that same engine basically on my 10 year old Sears. Never changed out the oil that was in it until that fall. So it got used for a couple months. Then I replace it with 10W-30 some top off oil from my Corolla that I hadn't used. Even though it isn't running right now that Briggs is likely to explode any second now!
 
Originally Posted by hatt
I'd change it at 1 hour. Then 5 hours. Then once a year(unless you mow a tremendous yard in Florida).


Me too! In fact I might even change it again at 10 hours depending on how the 5 hr. drain looked. IIRC they hold about 20 or so ounces of oil, so cost shouldn't be a factor. Just recycle the oil.
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
Originally Posted by Floyd1
I It has the "never change just add oil" design.


Never heard of this one "design" Am I to infer that it burns oil since you have to add.

No design will ever be able to replace the job oil does to the engine. As BigD1 said, change it after 5hrs and then at least once a year depending on how big your lawn is.


Yeah I find it kinda odd too. But my Troy Bilt from Lowe's with the 190cc has the same thing. No drain or anything. Just "add when necessary" but it's not a burner. I changed it anyways.
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
Originally Posted by Floyd1
I It has the "never change just add oil" design.


Never heard of this one "design" Am I to infer that it burns oil since you have to add.

No design will ever be able to replace the job oil does to the engine. As BigD1 said, change it after 5hrs and then at least once a year depending on how big your lawn is.


Yeah I find it kinda odd too. But my Troy Bilt from Lowe's with the 190cc has the same thing. No drain or anything. Just "add when necessary" but it's not a burner. I changed it anyways.
Originally Posted by old1
Perfectly good engine, but do as others have said and change the oil. You do realize that since you bought it at Wally World that it is not a true Snapper, right. It is a slightly modified Murray.


I'm hoping it'll treat me well, the motor that is. I don't keep up with mowers much. I wasn't really after a snapper in particular. I have a Troy Bilt from Lowe's that is with the 190cc B&S that has treated me well. The handle, self propelled mechanism, Height adjustment, blade, deck, catch bag, etc all is identical to the snapper from WM. I liked the Troy Bilt, so that's why I got the "snapper." The only noticeable difference is the tread on the tire/wheel and of course the motor
 
Originally Posted by hatt
I'd change it at 1 hour. Then 5 hours. Then once a year(unless you mow a tremendous yard in Florida).


That's what I was leaning towards. Thanks
 
Back when the "never change oil" engines came out I dug through the Briggs website for information on what they were doing different and they mentioned better cooling and better air filtration. They also based the no-oil-change-needed-recommendation on a life expectancy of 5 yrs and 150 hrs of use. As several people on Bitog have speculated, Briggs may have just given up on getting people to change oil in mowers since a large percentage don't, and just adjusted the engine's life expectancy number accordingly.
 
I have a Yard Machines/MTD mower with the Briggs and Stratton 500 that got its first oil change just last year. I used Dollar Tree 10w30 *the cute lil 16 oz bottle is perfect for lawn mower use). It is over 10 years old.

It's actually the first time I've ever changed the oil on any lawn mower
27.gif
 
Originally Posted by hatt
I'd change it at 1 hour. Then 5 hours. Then once a year (unless you mow a tremendous yard in Florida).

+1
 
Originally Posted by Lou_Boyle
Back when the "never change oil" engines came out I dug through the Briggs website for information on what they were doing different and they mentioned better cooling and better air filtration. They also based the no-oil-change-needed-recommendation on a life expectancy of 5 yrs and 150 hrs of use. As several people on Bitog have speculated, Briggs may have just given up on getting people to change oil in mowers since a large percentage don't, and just adjusted the engine's life expectancy number accordingly.


Face it, Briggs has never cared if you change your oil, really. It'll last past any warranty period by years maybe a decade in most applications without changing oil, always would have. Look at what the competition that's starting to take market share is saying..."don't mess with oil, or gas for that matter, buy our 56V lawn mower"

Briggs is trying to take away one of the excuses to go electric.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
How Old Is Your Lawn Mower(s)?? And How Many Hours Approximately?
3 4 5
Replies
93
Views
4K
Electromotive
M
Snapper mower
Replies
17
Views
2K
nwjones18
S
  • Locked
Two more weeks to buy a gas powered lawn mower in Cali.
Replies
10
Views
1K
Astro14
gregk24
Just purchased an EGO mower, any experience?
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
7K
wrcsixeight
E
Selecting a new gas mower for residential use
2 3
Replies
53
Views
5K
shortyb
Back
Top