please school me on this lawn mower

Ive lived in apartments my whole life and for the time ive had my house ive been paying my neighbors to cut my grass.
I found this craftsman mower at a yard sale for $40, i recognized the name brand and it started on the first pull so i bought it.
Can anybody tell me what kind of gas oil etc to put in this? And what kind of maintenance if any. The guy didnt have the owners book

 

I would have to say regular gas and probably some nd 30 weight oil the nd stands for non detergerant or straight 30 weight at least that's what I think

 

Yeah regular gas, not sure on the oil though.

 

Regular gas and 2 stroke oil. I buy mine at wal mart it's in a little bottle about half the size of normal oil. It will say lawn mower on it. You should also get an extra spark plug for it. Just take yours out and go to autozone or advance and tell them to match it.

 

Run strait premium gas with ethenol stabilizer. And like Zach said, probably a strait weight small engine oil. Pick up a fresh spark plug and air filter while you are at it too.

 

That mower is not a 2stroke.

 

Who makes the motor, Briggs and Stratton or Tecumseh? There also should be a sticker on the body of the mower with the Craftsman model and serial numbers. You can use straight 30w oil like wannabetrd suggested or 5w-30 synthetic for a wider range of operating temps. I'd pull the spark plug and air filter and bring those with you to Walmart or Home Depot to match to new ones. Take the blade off to get sharpened and your GTG for the season

 

Sometimes the oil cap says what to use.

 

On the tag right near the rubber flap you should be able to find model # of it. Post that up and it should help me.

Generally speaking, I bet you have a Briggs and Stratton engine. I have a Craftsman mower similar (6.75 hp about 10 yrs old) and that's what mine is. EDIT: Never mind, I blew up the pic a little and it does say B and S on it.

Home Depot usually has all you need for that. I'd do air filter, plug, oil for sure.

Fuel..I use super unleaded with Stabil or Startron additive. Just put the additive in the can before buying fuel. Runs a little better and won't junk up the carb that way.

 

Yea the motor says briggs and straton, thanks for the fast replies

 

SAE 30 for the oil, should be sold for small engines.

Also, you may want to replace the blade, wouldn't hurt.

 

Look on pure-gas.org and see if there are any ethanol free gas stations in your area. If you buy ethanol free gas you won't have to mess with a stabilizer (which you MUST use if you can't find a pure gas outlet) and there won't be the chance of fuel separation or the ethanol eating the fuel lines from the inside out.

The other suggestions about a new plug, air filter, and fuel filter (if it has one, if not you can buy a universal one and cut the fuel line and put it in, cheap insurance) are spot on. Also look at the blade and if it's dull on the leading edge, buy a new one and sharpen that one on a bench grinder or with a Dremel tool if you have a vise. A sharp blade takes a LOT of the load off the mower and will make it cut MUCH nicer.

Another newbie common mistake is cutting too low. Depends on the type of grass in your yard, but most grass should be cut 2.5 to 3" high. Lots of people shave it as low as they can, then wonder why they're fighting weeds and poor grass growth.

 

Run premium ethanol free if possible. Straight weight 30 oil. Also change spark plug and air filter. You might want to take a look at the blade as well, unless you want to beat your grass into submission.

 

Have you tried googling the brand/model, anymore you can find just about any manual on line.

 

13 replies and finally a sensible answer. Get the manual and take it straight from the manufacturer.