Simple Push mower maintenance question

[iwannadie]

Just a random question regarding an older Crafstman Briggs and Stratton push mower, nothing fancy.

For years when changing the oil I followed the manual and tipped the mower on its side to dump the oil out of the oil fill hole. The manual said to do that, included pics so I just went with it even though it was a pain and caused a mess.

One day while changing the blade I saw what I was sure to be an oil drain bolt underneath it... Cracked the bolt and sure enough, oil drains right out nice and easy.

Years later I was telling someone about not having to tip it and hassle with that method. He mentioned having been to a specialized mower repair shop and they claimed you should always drain the oil from the filler.

Is there some real reason to dump the oil from the filler vs the drain bolt and I am missing something here? I've measure the amount of oil that comes out and its the same as what comes out when dumped. Is it just easier for the manufacturer to suggest that to avoid stripped drain bolts? Why would a repair shop care about that though, to me they would want the business of people stripping that drain bolt.

Just curious while prepping for my yearly mower tuneup(yea its that hot in AZ already).

 

[8Mud]

Just guessing, but maybe a holdover from the days when the motors didn't have the automatic safety brake. Fiddling with the blade could get dangerous if you forgot to disconnect the spark plug. You could rotate the blade and start the motor.

Probably just for safety, the less you fiddle around the blade area with your hands and/or tools the better.

I don't tip my mower because of the mess, from the oil spill and fuel seeping out of the vent hole. I have an old battery filler squeeze bulb that I use to suck the oil out the top without tipping the mower over. Same thing I use for taking the old fuel out and adding new fuel after winter ends.

I just mostly make sure I have good fuel and the proper amount of oil in there. Changing the old oil out is kind of a hit or miss thing with me. The motor has been running for around thirty years now, with an occasional new plug, new blade or starter rope. I even MIG welded some new sheet metal on where it had rusted through and painted it.

One thing I have noticed is when I tip the mower to clean around the blade area, it would sometimes start really smoky the next time. I always figured it was from oil running past the piston into the combustion chamber. I avoid tipping it much anymore and put it on a set of saw horses and hose it out.

 

[Wayne Sihler]

I have never drained the oil from the filler plug.
Use an old frying pan,tip mower over on side,carb side up ,loosen drain plug> set mower on pan,loosen filler plug>wait for oil to drain>Re-install drain plug,remove oil filled pan>set mower on level surface,fill to proper level.
All of this is done after following proper safety procedures......
While you have it flipped up,,check condition of blade and for strings,ect wrapped around shaft,and seal condition.
Happy Mowing....