I just did my annual service on my 553. Its a garage queen that I use for snow plowing my own driveway and misc. projects. I put about 25 hrs a year on it.
I've been changing the oil every year and got to wondering if I could go longer because of the low amount of usage. Maybe switching to synthetic would be better if I went 2 years between changes.
I'm curious what others think. Thanks!
just my 2 cents
I am pretty sure one can go a LONG time without changing oil/filters, and I know many do so
I know farmers that have old tractors that go decades without replacing fluids, due to such low use, and they been doing this for 50+ yrs problem free
BUT I also know folks that had oil go bad on them, and get very thick from just sitting
SO< the way I tend to see things is like this
if you can afford to replace every yr , new oil and filter is never a BAD thing!(just remember to also replace crush washer on drain plug, there also cheap, so worth doing)
so if money isn't an issue, I would change ever yr , peace of mind has a value too IMO! but is most likely over kill!
if budget is tight/er , well then , you can certainly go longer and odds are never have an issue!
also food for thought is, if you park machine some place where it is exposed to a lot of temp swings, or from very sunny to shady , or damp area's
where condensation can be a bigger issue, that may suggest when to replace fluids too
ALSO, you can always send out an oil sample to be analyzed, and use that as a tool to decide when to replace oil too!
oil tests are not that costly, so its a viable option if you wish to do so, and have actual proof of conditions of oil, as to suggestions from me or???
and VERY last, HAHA
switching to a full syn oil, MIGHT actually cause issues in older high hour machines, as it tends to flow thinner and I have both seen and know of folks having issues with leaks after switching from dino oil to syn,
I am NOT saying YOU WILL HAVE ISSUES, but just that it has been known to happen!
so call this food for thought
