First oil change at 18 hrs!!

[Mini Motors]

First, engines are never shipped with oil in the crankcase. The risk of spillage if the carton is tipped over is too great. Oil is installed at the dealer, or is up to the purchaser to do.

Now when I hear "red", I think of Marvel Mystery Oil, and I can see some young kid that doesn't know any better putting that, or something else red in thinking "oil is oil, right?"

 

[TnHusky]

I think it was oil, not marvel mystery oil. That stuff stinks. Anyway all is fine, I mowed after the change and it ran well. But looking at the oil on the dip stick you couldn't tell it had any color in it at all. I still think it was assembly lube, that's all.

 

[Rivets]

Hate to burst, your bubble Mini, but Kohler does ship their motor in both push mowers and tractors with oil in them. Most of the time you just have to top it off. That said, I have never seen them with anything but the normal color of oil in them

 

[Brucebotti]

First, engines are never shipped with oil in the crankcase. The risk of spillage if the carton is tipped over is too great. Oil is installed at the dealer, or is up to the purchaser to do.

Now when I hear "red", I think of Marvel Mystery Oil, and I can see some young kid that doesn't know any better putting that, or something else red in thinking "oil is oil, right?"

I bought my Toro MX5060 on line, and it arrived with oil in it. I would think that most would come with oil. Hopefully spillage would not be an issue. If the carton tipped over, I would think that there would be a bigger problem than some spilled oil.
Take care,
Bruce

 

[Mini Motors]

Well I don't want to get into a war here, but I would point out that it's illegal to "ship" anything like we're talking about with oil in the crankcase. I used to work as a shipping clerk at a large motorcycle dealership, and I know what obstacles have to be overcome just to ship oil in cases. Look up "ORM-D".

But I find it real hard to believe that something the size and scope of a MX-5060 shipped from a factory without any dealer assembly or adjustment. First, anything coming off an assembly line needs final adjustment to run properly, and traveling hundreds/thousands of miles can take a toll on things. And most manufacturers require a dealer to do final adjustments before a warranty is valid on something of this size and complexity. I don't doubt that you bought it online and that it was delivered. I'm just saying that you probably weren't aware of it's last stop on it's journey to you.

 

[Brucebotti]

Well I don't want to get into a war here, but I would point out that it's illegal to "ship" anything like we're talking about with oil in the crankcase. I used to work as a shipping clerk at a large motorcycle dealership, and I know what obstacles have to be overcome just to ship oil in cases. Look up "ORM-D".

But I find it real hard to believe that something the size and scope of a MX-5060 shipped from a factory without any dealer assembly or adjustment. First, anything coming off an assembly line needs final adjustment to run properly, and traveling hundreds/thousands of miles can take a toll on things. And most manufacturers require a dealer to do final adjustments before a warranty is valid on something of this size and complexity. I don't doubt that you bought it online and that it was delivered. I'm just saying that you probably weren't aware of it's last stop on it's journey to you.

Mini Motors,
I agree. I have no desire to get into a war either. My Toro was shipped directly from MowerSource in MN. Maybe they added it, but I doubt it. It was shipped via FedEx Freight. I worked at the terminal that it was delivered to and I know that they don't touch any shipments other than to load and unload. As a sidenote, my set-up instructions, that came with the mower, said to check the oil level prior to the initial startup.

So, I have no idea who put the oil in, but my money would be on Toro doing it at the factory.
Take care,
Bruce

 

[Rivets]

All I know is that any mowers we receive with a Kohler engine has oil in it.

 

[Brucebotti]

All I know is that any mowers we receive with a Kohler engine has oil in it.

That's what I thought. I think there would be a lot of blown engines (due to lack of oil), if they were shipped direct to customers without oil. Plus, I would hope that they would at least start them at the factory to make sure that they at least run.
Thanks for the info,
Bruce

 

[Mini Motors]

And there a few blown engines. Most people know what to do, but... Hilarious story. I'm at my local lawnmower shop getting some parts, and a guy had his brand new walk behind he had bought from Home Depot. It was locked up. The service writer checked the oil, and it was dry. He asked if oil was put in it, and the guy said yes. He then asked where he put it, and the guy pointed to the air filter! And it gets better. The customer said he had this issue with THE FIRST mower he bought, and got Home Depot to replace it.

And this shows that people in general, do the wrong thing sometimes. The Code of Federal Regulations title 49 states that flammable or combustible liquids(I don't quite know which one of these categories oil falls into, but clearly it's one of them) must be shipped in their "primary containers", and that means in the bottle/can, not an engine.

 

[Rivets]

To my understanding unused motor oil doesn't meet any of the requirements to be classified by the DOT as "hazardous."

Flammable liquids included in Class 3 are included in one of the following packing groups:

* Packing Group I, if they have an initial boiling point of 35ｰC or less at an absolute pressure of 101.3 kPa and any flash point, such as diethyl ether or carbon disulfide;
* Packing Group II, if they have an initial boiling point greater than 35ｰC at an absolute pressure of 101.3 kPa and a flash point less than 23ｰC, such as gasoline (petrol) and acetone; or
* Packing Group III, if the criteria for inclusion in Packing Group I or II are not met, such as kerosene and diesel.