Getting old stinks. I really should start keeping a maintenance log of my equipment. I've got stuff that doesn't get a lot of use and so doesn't need annual oil changes. Some stuff I change oil on once a year whether it needs it or not, but sometimes I don't remember if I last changed the oil at the start, middle, or near the end of the season. Suppose I could go by the colour and wait until the end of this season if it still looks good. ISTR that my thinking on the annual changes was to put it away with fresh oil versus leaving the cruddy oil in over the Winter.
OK, so what got me thinking about this is that I'm readying my splitter for the 12 cord I have to split. I know I changed the oil on it last year sometime but by the colour of it, I'm thinking I did it at the start of the season cuz I forgot to do it the year before. That means there's over 12 cord of run time on it since. Do I run another 12 cord and then change it this Fall so that there's fresh oil sitting in it for the Winter? I can't gauge time in running hours, so how many cords do you split on one oil change?
Some of you are probably thinking that for the price of the oil to change it now and again in the Fall, but it's such a messy job, what with the stupid drain on the underside that dribbles oil all over the place. I really should put an extension pipe on it the next time I change the oil. There's a gap between the underside of the motor and the mounting plate and oil runs all over the place in the gap. I don't like to hose it down afterward cuz the top seal of the pump is right there. I'm tempted to pull the motor off of the base to add a pipe to the oil drain and wonder if I can just leave the top half of the spider coupling attached to the motor and if the two halves will just separate?
Here's a pic of the drain (recessed hole in the centre of the pic).
![[Hearth.com] How long between oil changes and when?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/100_0329-webp.180411/ "[Hearth.com] How long between oil changes and when?")
OK, so what got me thinking about this is that I'm readying my splitter for the 12 cord I have to split. I know I changed the oil on it last year sometime but by the colour of it, I'm thinking I did it at the start of the season cuz I forgot to do it the year before. That means there's over 12 cord of run time on it since. Do I run another 12 cord and then change it this Fall so that there's fresh oil sitting in it for the Winter? I can't gauge time in running hours, so how many cords do you split on one oil change?
Some of you are probably thinking that for the price of the oil to change it now and again in the Fall, but it's such a messy job, what with the stupid drain on the underside that dribbles oil all over the place. I really should put an extension pipe on it the next time I change the oil. There's a gap between the underside of the motor and the mounting plate and oil runs all over the place in the gap. I don't like to hose it down afterward cuz the top seal of the pump is right there. I'm tempted to pull the motor off of the base to add a pipe to the oil drain and wonder if I can just leave the top half of the spider coupling attached to the motor and if the two halves will just separate?
Here's a pic of the drain (recessed hole in the centre of the pic).
