The type of engine oil drain valve varys between engine manufacturers. however with the oil filter right above the drain valve there may be some residule oil around it from when the oil filter was removed. I would wash the area with a mild solvent to remove any left over oil from the filter change and still check the drain valve.
I have a 26 HP B&S ELS engine on my Tiger Cub and I use an oil withdrawal system to remove the engine oil by putting the suction tube into the dipstick tube with the dipstick removed. I also have modified a small plastic pan to catch most of the engine oil that drips from the oil filter when I remove it. I wipe the oil from the filter housing and quickly install a new filter. On my machine I also put several shop towels around the electric clutch to prevent engine oil from dripping onto it.
As for the deck chute, I usually have the collection blower on the deck and seldom use the plastic chute, but I keep it handy should I decide to not use the collection system. I have two pins that I slip into the chute when I install it on the deck, an easy install or removal. The tang of the spring fits into it's hole in the deck, the chute is spring loaded to the down position.
In season I change engine oil every 20-25 hours and the filter every other oil change. I am slowly getting out of the commercial mowing business, I'm down to about 15 hours a week in season, and this is spread across two machines, but mostly the Tiger Cub. I have two Hustler ZTRs on order, one for the cemetery assoc of which I am a member and the other for me. The one for me will be used exclusively on a large property for which I am the responsible party. Both of these machines will have rear discharge decks and Hustler is one of the few manufacturers that offers rear discharge decks. I'm not bailing out on Scag!!!
Mad Mackie in CT:biggrin::laughing: