How to Change the Oil in Your Lawn Mower

While there are lots of guides, videos, and helpful information on how to change the oil in your car, a lawn mower is quite a different story. While it’s just as important to complete regular oil changes on a mower as it is on a car, there isn’t a ton of information out there outlining the various steps you’ll need to take, the tools you’ll need, or how to ensure the whole process runs smoothly. Thankfully, here at Bucklin Tractor & Implement, we’ve written up the perfect beginner’s guide in order to teach you everything you need to know about changing your mower’s oil.

Tools You’ll Need

While changing your lawn mower’s oil is a rather simple process, it does require a few important tools to ensure the job is done correctly. Thankfully, a majority of these tools are pretty common items, and you likely have all of them stored somewhere in your shed or garage. To start, you’ll want to locate an old canister that’s large enough to hold the oil you’ll be draining out of your engine. We also recommend grabbing a tarp or some newspaper to lay down under your canister to catch any spills or drippings. You’ll then want to locate a funnel and a socket wrench, and perhaps an old set of gloves, as oil changes can get messy very quickly. Finally, if you haven’t already purchased fresh oil and a replacement filter for your mower, you’ll need to hurry over to the nearest store to find them before you can get to work. 

How to Change the Oil and Filter 

Before you can refill your reservoir or even replace your old filter, you’ll first need to remove your mower’s drain plug with your socket wrench and allow all of the old oil to drain out into your canister below. However, this can be a slow process, and we recommend running your mower for a minute or two beforehand to heat up the engine and help it drain faster. Once the oil has stopped pouring into your canister, use your socket reach to reach up and remove the bolt holding your old filter in place. Removing the old filter will also require you to remove the bolt and gasket, and these items will need to be wiped down and lubed up with fresh oil before they can be reinserted. Once this is done, go ahead and re-install all three items – the new filter, the gasket, and the bolt – before finishing up by replacing your mower’s drain plug. Once everything is in place, refill the reservoir with fresh oil, checking the dipstick throughout to avoid overfilling. 

Here at Bucklin Tractor & Implement, we offer a wide variety of lawn mower parts to help you care for your model’s various maintenance needs! Feel free to visit any one of our six locations across the state of Kansas to find important components, purchase helpful accessories, or take advantage of our on-site service centers.