Whether it's a push, riding or stand-on, your mower is a significant investment for your lawn care business. Keeping up on the maintenance schedule is essential to help avoid costly repairs and replacement. And while owners may remember services like changing the spark plugs or cleaning the deck, often times changing the oil is overlooked.

Oil Group

Changing the oil on a regular basis can have a tremendous impact on the performance of your mower.

  • Engine runs cooler
  • Run more efficiently
  • Reduce gas usage
  • Increase longevity of the mower
  • Improves overall performance

Probably the most overlooked oil change is the first one. For riding mowers, both Kohler and Kawasaki recommend an oil change after the first 8-10 hours of usage. That probably seems pretty quick, especially for a maintenance professional. When you purchase a new mower, it includes “break-inr” oil, designed to allow the rings to wear down the peaks on the cylinder wall to form a good seal. Push mowers also come with break-in oil and that initial oil change should come at 8 hours.

After that, a commercial engine should need an oil change about every 100 hours, or about every 2-3 weeks if you are using your mower all day every day. But don’t just rely on your hour meter! It’s important to check your oil every day to ensure there are no leaks or issues. Depending on operating conditions like Heat, humidity, Dust, Terrain, and accessories some oil changes may need to be under 100 hours.

Want to learn more? Check out this quick video on our YouTube channel.