I agree with James that changing lawnmower engine oil every two cuttings is
obsessive! Also, I do not know where you live, but can't imagine anywhere
that you only cut the lawn 6-7 times a year. I live in Chicago and cut my
lawn once a week from the first week of April till about the end of April.
From then till Mid-July, it gets cut on a 4 day interval because if I go
longer I can't get through the lawn because the mower will die (I use a
Honda mulching mower to avoid bagging). It gets cut once a week again till
the first week of September when I go back to 4 day intervals till October.
I figure I get about 50 hours a year on the mower so I change the oil twice
a season.

My last Honda lasted 15 years, but eventually threw a rod. I picked up
another Honda that someone threw into the garbage. It was about 10 years
old and looked terrible. The oil was thick as molasses and it still had 5+
year old gas in the carb and tank. I flushed the tank, removed the carb,
cleaned the pickup with a needle and cleaned/regapped the plug. I then had
to change the oil three times to get it to look clean. I've now used the
old Honda for the last two seasons without any problems.

My wife hates when I scrounge something from the garbage, but I just hate to
see something that still has life in it tossed into the landfill.

Bob

"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:%c_Kd.444$bH.282@trnddc02...

I change the oil in my home mower before each use, or every two
cuttings at the most. On US made single cylinder simple air cooled
engines the oil is the lifeblood and dirty oil will greatly shorten
engine life.


Now that's a little ridiculous, change the oil after every use? That's
like
those people who change the oil in their car every 1000 miles. I've dealt
with enough 25-30 year old air cooled engines that were still in good
mechanical condition after obviously many hundreds of hours of use,
generally they had the oil changed occasionally but certainly not after
every use. Once a season is perfectly adaquate unless you're running 8
hours
a day, I change mine every year when I put it away for the winter.