Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I bought a Simplicity L14288 Snowthrower two seasons ago.  As fate would have it, we have not had a significant snowfall since I purchased the snowthrower.  That of course did not prevent me from taking it out to play with it during the dustings or the wet snows where a snowthrower was overkill.  That being said, I have only logged about two hours running the machine.  I checked the owner's manual and the maintenance schedule suggests changing the oil every 50 hours of use.  Since it's been two years, should I do it even though I have not come anywhere close to 50 hours of use?

Thank you!

Have you done the first oil change yet? You should dump the oil on a new engine within 5 hours of initial use just to flush manufacturing grit out of it. For less than a litre of oil, I suggest you change the oil every year if the machine is being used. If it's not being used, just leave the oil as is. I run Mobile 1 5W30 synthetic in the B& S snow engine on my Simplicity. Makes for easy starting in real cold weather.

Borat is right. Check your owner's manual. I also have a Simplicity and the owner's manual clearly states that the oil must be changed after the first five hours of use when the machine is new. Synthetic oil is also a good idea.