Now that I think about it, it was probably before the pandemic. 🤔
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A true shower thought
I never changed the oil in my mower. Never had an issue, except with the power cord getting in the way.
I thought two-stroke engines mix the oil and fuel together? Every time you refuel, you should also be topping up the oil. Am I wrong?
Most lawn mowers are 4-stroke.
I got an ev mower. Solved.
My neighbor had a crazy old Montgomery Ward tiller, I’d guess from the late 60 or early 70s. I borrowed it once and decided to be nice and change the oil in it since I doubted he ever had. Could not for the life of me figure out how to drain the oil without flipping it over… It’s ran for this long on old oil, it’ll run for a bit longer!
Most mower engines are 2-strokes, they’re designed to burn oil as lubrication basically, it’s added to the gas. You don’t need to change the oil. Unless it’s a 4 stroke engine (unusual due to size/complexity), or you’ve got a transmission or some other motorized mechanical behavior.
Most mower engines are absolutely not 2 strokes… they are 99.99% 4 strokes.
Now strim trimmers are maybe 60/40 2s to 4s.
As a 2-stroke myself, I can confirm oil for lubrication is not required
I’ve had my current mower about 14-years.
I don’t think I’ve ever changed the oil.
If you buy an electric mower, you never have to change the oil again. Or the spark plug. Or buy gas. Or clean the carburetor.
But you will have to buy $1000 worth of batteries if you have a large yard.
While I can’t say I have a large yard. My 80v Greenworks system can do the job 90% of the time on 1 battery (I have 2). When it can’t from being lazy and not mowing as often as I should have or it was especially rainy, I can swap the batteries in moments and the battery charges within 20 or so minutes. By then I am done or using the battery from the mower in the leaf blower or weed whacker.
I would imagine if I had a larger yard I would go with a third in the event of having longer grass to cut and would have a battery charged, battery charging, and one in use.
I would not trade my yard system with a gas one for any amount of money. If i do anything it’d be to hire someone that uses electric (quieter!) to mow and edge and all that jazz. Or use a Fiskars reel mower.
Oh yea. I drive an ID.4. Suck it gas stations trolololol.
On the flipside if your yard is that big you can save a lot on gas.
I expect they do need lubrication from time to time. I just bought an electric mower this year and it’s pretty low power, so I predict that any amount of additional friction in the system is going to be too much.
And they’re quieter! God I wish my neighbors all had electric mowers. Sometimes it seems like they’re invited to all the zoom meetings I attend.
The mowers are fine, it’s the weedwackers that are the problem.
Leafblowers. Fucking 2 cycle leafblowers.
Those too.
Electric weedwackers are also quieter.
If you never mow and grow insect friendly lawns…you wont ever have to buy a mower…fuck lawns.
I did this for years. I even got into the HOA board just to keep them off my back. It was so freeing to not have to mow.
Jokes on you, I never did most of that anyway.
Also still got the gas can from pre covid.
My next mower will probably be a lawn service
After spending several hours on Saturdays doing yardwork I didn’t enjoy doing for years on end, I finally hired a gardener. Now I get to spend that time doing yardwork I do enjoy, like making landscaping improvements, or gardening.
The mower I got from my grandpa has never had an oil change and it still works as of last week. Your mower will almost certainly be fine.
Now my pressure washer… I forgot to empty the gas from my pressure washer before storing it for several years and it became mucky glorp inside.
I would be cautious with this thought process though. Oil cools, lubricates and cleans the engine. These engines are air cooled so keep that in mind. Degraded oil can’t do the job very well.
I haven’t pushed it anywhere near 10,000 km, so I should be good, right?
Right?
