OT 30 Second Oil Change

Dean

Well-known Member
While tire kicking the JD big box lawn tractors at Lowes yesterday, I noticed that JD has a new "30 second oil change system."

The V twin air cooled engines have an inverted oil filter about the size of a full size spin on automotive filter from the 1960s. One buys the filter completely filled with oil and simply removes the old filter filled with the old oil and spins on the new assembly. The filter assembly has a small valve near the mounting plate, which one probably closes to prevent oil from draining from the old filter upon removal. I would expect that one opens the valve on the new filter assembly once installed.

The engine has "full pressure lubrication" and appears to be a "dry sump." There is a drain plug at the bottom of the engine but apparently it is not necessary to drain any oil from the engine, which has little or no sump.

One wonders what a new prefilled filter assembly costs.

Just when I thought that everything had already been invented....

Dean
 
They are probably doing this so the proper oil goes in the engine. Homeowners are notorious for putting the cheapest oil they can get their hands on in their mower. Add to it the dizzying array of oils we have available to us today and the chance of using the wrong oil is increased. I kind of like the idea myself.
 
Brother-in-law had bunch of rentals. He would buy them a new cheap lawn mower and tell them to keep the lawn mowed. Knowing that they would never check the oil. He would just go buy another when they burnt that one up.
 
I've always believed vehicles should have an oil level gauge like a gas gauge letting you know if there is a loss of oil. Then I think it would be good if while the motor is running it pumps a very small amount of oil into an empty container for disposal and you continually add new clean oil to the engine. Then maybe annually change the filter. People just don't do maintenance like they used to.
 
It's probably much better than no oil changes what so ever. Most snowblowers and many lawn mowers never get any oil change for as long as the machine is owned by the original owner. Manufacturers are admitting that fact and are trying to make that work as well as possible.

www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/campaigns/just-check-and-add.html

Myself, I will stick to complete oil and filter changes. However, if the "oil change in a filter" is priced under $15 I think it will be huge success and very popular with most lawn tractor owners.
 
This got my curiosity going so I look at it on the JD site.
Things I noticed.......

Only available for 100 series lawn tractors. Cheapest tractor JD sells.
It replaces 0.8 quarts of oil with the filter. About half of what the engine holds.
I'm betting the filter is only available from JD.
And the filter cost $40.

I read all this as make it last till the warranty runs out but not much longer so we can sell you a new one.
 
Yeah, I thought about that and it makes good sense, Fixer.

No doubt JD (or someone) has a patent on the system, but I expect it will spread to other brands in a year or two once the patent holder licenses it to other manufacturers. FWIW, the label said "Engine made in USA," so I'm guessing it's a B&S. It didn't look like a Kohler, but I'm not an expert on air cooled engines.

I too like the idea for the typical, not-a-farmer, homeowner. It will probably make it more likely that the oil gets changed once in a while.

Next time I'm in the store, I'll find out what one of the pre-filled filters costs. I'm betting $35-$50.

Anyone have any guesses?

Dean
 
If I understand this right the valve on the new filter comes in the closed position. Wonder how many people will forget to open the valve and seize the engine after changing the filter. Just the first thing I thought of.
 
I'll wager this, If it costs 35 dollars or more the oil will never be changed in 95% of them. Deere will get more warranty claims on this one than you can imagine. I knew a fellow that bought a new Dodge Dakota and put close to 30,000 miles on it and never changed the oil in it. It locked up on him on the interstate, he had it towed to the nearest dealer. They refused to fix it under warranty because it had the original filter on it. I was in the towing business at the time. I went to the dealer,picked it up and took it to his house. He sued Chrysler, claimed the the dealer didn't tell him that the oil had to be changed at certain intervals and somehow he didn't get and owners manual. They gave him a new engine and paid a local garage to install it.
 
JD must be figuring that they will sell more units if the "easy oil change system" is noticed by the shopper.
Especially if they are shopping after another brand they were using failed due to an oil related failure.

Plus the easy "no dirty hands" and disposal of old filter and oil features of the system will be attractive to many nancy suburbanites.
 
Anything is better than my Scag with Kohler that dumps a quart out under the engine every oil change.
 
I was/am not certain about this.

There is a valve but it may be in the housing into which the filter attaches rather than part of the filter assembly.

It appears to be a small ball valve, similar to the ball valves in the tank drains on my vertical tank air compressors.

Maybe the valve is needed to prevent spillage during filter changes. Maybe the filter has a membrane that is punctured upon installation....

Dean
 
The home owner who works an office job doesn't like to get oil on his hands or even his garage floor, probably one of the reasons messy oil changes aren't performed.
 
Funny, we are encouraged to go "green" and some automotive applications have gone back to a (less waste) simple cartridge oil filter.

Then they come out with that monstrosity for a little Briggs and Scrapiron!
 
Heck, John Deere already has the filter delete kit.
https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Easy-Change-Conversion-Kit-AUC12916-KIT.html
It seems like this "quick-change" oil filter kit is a solution for a problem that doesn't (or shouldn't) exist.
 
Hi, you're right about some everyday home owners really neglecting the maintenance on there machines. I brought home a little snapper lawnmower from the dump. I took the air filter off and it was plugged solid. I cleaned it and changed the oil. It ran perfectly. I still have it. Although I use my lawn boy, it's about 30 yrs old. Ed Will Oliver BC
 
(quoted from post at 14:55:11 03/18/18) Heck, John Deere already has the filter delete kit.
https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Easy-Change-Conversion-Kit-AUC12916-KIT.html
It seems like this "quick-change" oil filter kit is a solution for a problem that doesn't (or shouldn't) exist.

I just bought a new E140 model a couple of weeks ago from my local dealer. For some reason, it's the only model that doesn't come with the easy change oil filter. That's part of the reason that I bought it.

I think Deere is marketing to the the current generation of video game players and transplanted suburbanites. My thinking is that they've probably done their research before offering it, and they will probably sell some mowers because of it.
 
(quoted from post at 13:55:11 03/18/18) Heck, John Deere already has the filter delete kit.
https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Easy-Change-Conversion-Kit-AUC12916-KIT.html
It seems like this "quick-change" oil filter kit is a solution for a problem that doesn't (or shouldn't) exist.

FUNNY, the "delete kit" includes all this stuff:

John Deere Oil Filter
(2) quarts of John Deere Oil
Oil Drain Assembly
Oil Filter Adapter

...and sells for $23.07, about HALF what the "throw the whole thing away every time" filter costs!
 
The first thought that I had is what do you think that homeowner is going to do with that used filter? He's going to throw it in the trash full of used oil because he doesn't want to handle it!

That's not very green is it? Out of sight, out of mind...
 

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