How often to change oil?

[Wilhelm]

Check level and top off once or twice a year.
That's it.

 

[whitesnake]

Yep, most important thing to do is check the oil. I’ve seen many small engine fail cause people fail to check oil and next thing you know there’s an inspection port in the side of the block. But fresh oil every other year doesn’t hurt. If it’s used a lot I’d change every season, but hardly used just make sure there’s oil still in it.

 

[Coupe]

Yes whitesnake so true. I was always to beleive a lot of
people will do a lot of short running in there vehicle and
when they do a long run will notice the oil has dropped on the stick.
I was told by my father that it was the condensation burning out of the oil.
As we all know mos engines will burn a small ammount of oil even from new.
I have also noticed in my time of working on engines some you can fill to
the mark and the oil will drop a tad on the stick and stay there and others
it just doe's not move, seems to be the make up of different motors.

 

[Motorka]

Just wonder what others opinion is on changing oil on equipment that dont get used too often. So stuff like my wood chipper or rototiller i dont even hrdly run a tank or two a year. I usually try to do it once a year but it always looks new and seems like a waist.
Between generators(3 of them), tiller, chipper, 2 snowblowers, seems like im waisting my money on oil.

How often you people changing oil in stuff that dont get many hours?

2 years

 

[redneckhillbilly]

my generators, dirtbikes, and plow quad are the only 4-stroke stuff of mine I do actually change the oil on, rototillers, log splitter, chippers, ect just get the oil checked and added to if necessary.

winter time the whole house generator usually gets ran for a week when the power goes down, I have lost power twice in the past for 15 days in a row.

I use a 2200 watt honda to power a propane heater for work in the winter I will get changed 5 or 6 times in a normal winter, I probably put 300 hours a year on it.

if my big generator wasnt soo expensive, and my little one didnt keep me working sometimes in -25 degrees outdoors, I would not be on an oil change schedule with them.

 

[stretch5881]

Most important to check oil every time before starting. Most of the engine rebuilds or replacements that I do were caused by low oil. Failed sump gaskets, oil seals and sealer around split dowels. I tell everyone that I work for to check before starting.