Briggs and Stratton motors

[appletonrc]

I'll run it empty, fog the cylinder, change the oil, and sharpen the blade every fall. Fill it with gas in the spring and after burning off the fogging oil it runs like a champ. I do the same with the snow blower (minus sharpening the blade) come spring. I can get it done in 30-45 minutes.

[fixtureman]

There is no oil plug so you have to suck the oil out

[MarkSLSmith]

It's simple economics.  Does B&S make more money when you do impeccable maintenance and it lasts for 20 years?  No, they want the engine to last just enough to make you think you got your money's worth and then dispose of it.  It is irritating, though, when they actively work against the customer by making it harder to do maintenance, as when they do away with the oil drain plug.

[Mike in kc]

As others have said, oil is cheap, and the best insurance to a long healthy life.

Five hundred bucks isn't BIG money now days, but those engines should be good for close to a thousand hours if cared for properly, and at 25 to 50 hours a year, they should outlast anything else on the mower, maybe even the operator.

My 27 horse, twin cylinder powered mower has north of 500 hours now, so at 1200 bucks more or less, I'm closing in on 2 dollars an hour after a dozen years.

[Tony Z]

Honda is your best bet, but Briggs & Stratton still makes good motors: but, to determine (I'm assuming a mower?), turn mower on its side and look how the blade is mounted. If directly to the shaft, RUN! If there is a blade retainer, with two puns on each side of the shaft hole, you're OK. The first is the disposable motor, which is fine, until you hit something, in which case, the shaft will bend (borg way of saving money-cheap blade mounting, softer shaft). The second will shear the two small pin protusions, and a $10 retainer, some blade sharpening, has you back in business. That motor also has the decades older style, harden crank shaft.

I used to make parts for some of these mowers, but since borgs came on the scene, it's a person's market to cheapen the motors.

Husqvarna and Honda are still great, though I have no knowledge of transmission construction for their tractors.

[daddo]

Mine doesn't have a drain plug, so I just tilt it over for a minute to drain it. This is fine if you are not tilting it toward the carburetor.

They say 50 hrs. That is too long in my opinion. 25-35 hrs is more like it, since about 20% or more of the old can stay in there on a cold replacement.

[FloridaRetiree]

The last home lawnmower I had was a "commercial" 23" Toro with a 5hp 2-cycle Honda engine. Bit the bullet and paid about $600 for it at the time (25 years ago).

I hated to sell it 15 years later when I moved into a condo development with lawn service provided.

Only maintenance was clean the large air filter, an occasional belt replacement, and blade sharpening/replacements.

And I used it to weekly cut 4 different properties at the time.

Great, great machine.

[Stwood_]

Older 52" Toro Groundsmaster here. I'll change it at the first of the season, then about halfway through summer.


If I ever own another B&S, I would change it about the same way.

[messmaker]

50 hours is comparable to 2500-3000 miles on a car. Most cars can go 7000 or so on a change. If you base it on that, once every year or so should be plenty.

[Gansett]

There aren't even any oil filters on most of them. Yep

Change it. Yep

Oil is cheap. Yep

In fact, use Mobil 1. Hang on a minute....

Straight non detergent 30W was recommended for the last mover we had. And I'd change it when I got a rounduit