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I would love to know which imbecile designed the oil drain system and where they got their mail order engineering degree. It's a level of dumbassery I've almost never seen. You slip a hose onto the barbed tee fitting (in cramped space) open the long plug, etc etc....

I'm thinking of replumbing the thing and extending the piping out/towards the back with an ell, a nipple, and a plug (or cap), and cap off the barbed end of the tee. I'm not even sure if the plug on the end of the tee (where I would add an ell pointing towards the back) is NPT. Does anyone know? Anyone come up with a better solution other than sucking it out of the fill pipe?

Maybe I'll see f I can find a size of fuel line / emissions hose that fits onto that barbed end and leave it in place permanently.

The oil change set up is designed by B & S not Toro
Then the engine gets plonked into the frame & out the door they go
Seen many a mower where the supplied engine had an original long oil filter that an not be removed without moving the engine.
Very common on ZTR's .
There are dozens of spring loaded bayonet style oil drain & oil drain extensions
Some with a hose on the end, some without
The other thing to take into account is where the oil from the filter spills to.
The bulk of them dump it right down onto the drive belts
And people wonder why I liked the Kohler Courage mowers with the hang down oil filters for clean oil changes .

You gotta ditch this 1st POS ......................... & add this, OE flex drain line.. On my former Toro 4260 Kawasaki
I had same issue.. You can cut off the drain barb with utility knife, or hacksaw blade, so it can be rotated out of engine block.

BTW: Threads are metric M20 x 2.50 ( I corrected the thread size, Thanks to "Star Tech" for pointing out my error).

7394 said:

You gotta ditch this 1st POS ......................... & add this, OE flex drain line.. On my former Toro 4260 Kawasaki
I had same issue.. You can cut off the drain barb with utility knife, or hacksaw blade, so it can be rotated out.. BTW: Threads are metric M21 x 1.5
View attachment 63551View attachment 63552

Click to expand...

Perfect! mine is the Kawasaki engine with that same POS fitting. I was thinking the same thing - I'd have to cut off the barb to turn the fitting. It will be worth it. Thanks again !

bertsmobile1 said:

The oil change set up is designed by B & S not Toro
Then the engine gets plonked into the frame & out the door they go
Seen many a mower where the supplied engine had an original long oil filter that an not be removed without moving the engine.
Very common on ZTR's .
There are dozens of spring loaded bayonet style oil drain & oil drain extensions
Some with a hose on the end, some without
The other thing to take into account is where the oil from the filter spills to.
The bulk of them dump it right down onto the drive belts
And people wonder why I liked the Kohler Courage mowers with the hang down oil filters for clean oil changes .

Click to expand...

Thanks Bert. I should have specified that I have the Kawasaki FRV engine.

7394 said:

You gotta ditch this 1st POS ......................... & add this, OE flex drain line.. On my former Toro 4260 Kawasaki
I had same issue.. You can cut off the drain barb with utility knife, or hacksaw blade, so it can be rotated out.. BTW: Threads are metric M21 x 1.5
View attachment 63551View attachment 63552

Click to expand...

Close on the threading but it is M20-1.50 instead of M21-1.50

Kawasaki part ordered from Amazon. It's $40 and worth every penny.

Why in TF didn't I do this 10 years ago!!?? Dammit!!! bahahahaha.

The sales rep should have tried to sell you one as an add on accessory when you bought the machine .

need-for-speed said:

Perfect! mine is the Kawasaki engine with that same POS fitting. I was thinking the same thing - I'd have to cut off the barb to turn the fitting. It will be worth it. Thanks again !

Click to expand...

Cool, I think the 4260 only came with the Kawasaki engine. Anyhow mine was last year Toro made the 4260 (2014). So I was told.

need-for-speed said:

Perfect! mine is the Kawasaki engine with that same POS fitting. I was thinking the same thing - I'd have to cut off the barb to turn the fitting. It will be worth it. Thanks again !

Click to expand...

The Dealer would probably tell you, have to remove the engine bolts & raise the engine to remove the POS poly-plastic drain. but likely they would just saw off the barb, then charge for that the whole deal....

Doing same thing on my Liberty w/Kawasaki engine..

StarTech said:

Close on the threading but it is M20-1.50 instead of M21-1.50

Click to expand...

Thanks for the good catch, I had a Muncie car tranny in my head from earlier.. I stand corrected, & edited my post.

And I found it to be M20 - 2.50

7394 said:

The Dealer would probably tell you, have to remove the engine bolts & raise the engine to remove the POS poly-plastic drain. but likely they would just saw off the barb, then charge for that the whole deal....

Doing same thing on my Liberty w/Kawasaki engine..

Click to expand...

Agree. As I recall, the Kawasaki engine was the only one for that model. Which is the engine I wanted anyway. Yeah I plan to cut off that stupid effing Barbed T and then unscrew what’s left of the POS fitting.

p.s. I suspect you are correct on the potential dealer methods lol.

need-for-speed said:

As I recall, the Kawasaki engine was the only one for that model. Which is the engine I wanted anyway. Yeah I plan to cut off that stupid effing Barbed T and then unscrew what’s left of the POS fitting.

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Yep, cut that barb off, & that was the only engine I wanted as well. I have same engine in my Liberty also. They should have came stock with the flex hose.

For POS removal, (Drain all oil 1st of course) You will likely have to loosen the IIRC 1" lock nut against the engine so you can rotate the POS plastic drain to un-thread it, but would suggest cutting barb off 1st..

Use a bit of grease on the O-ring on the Flex hose, B-4 install. So it doesn't chaff it.. then after, Enjoy !

7394 said:

Yep, cut that barb off, & that was the only engine I wanted as well. I have same engine in my Liberty also. They should have came stock with the flex hose.

For POS removal, (Drain all oil 1st of course) You will likely have to loosen the IIRC 1" lock nut against the engine so you can rotate the POS plastic drain to un-thread it, but would suggest cutting barb off 1st..

Use a bit of grease on the O-ring on the Flex hose, B-4 install. So it doesn't chaff it.. then after, Enjoy !

Click to expand...

Thanks!

p.s.……..that POS tee is already loose. I guess I’m lucky LOL.

need-for-speed said:

Thanks!

p.s.……..that POS tee is already loose. I guess I’m lucky LOL.

Click to expand...

Ur welcome. I guess so, mine was tight, take care of that 4260. Mine was never a problem. Good machine.

Pela PL-2000 2.5 Liters Oil Extractor​

I use this on all my small engines

I have stopped draining oil, I suck it out with Pella 6000 suction/vacuum pump. I have proved on several cars, after sucking the oil out, hardly a drop remains. First did it on Mercedes G-wagon where the drain plug was easy to reach. After suction, two drops came out the drain. I can now do oil changes with clean clothes!

There ought to be a special hell for certain people. (1) Those who design oil change set ups with ridiculous arrangements. One example, My old Tacoma had an upside down filter....duh...but they did have a little moat sort of arrangement with a nipple on which you could put a drain hose that only a 5 year old could snake through the suspension. (2) People who make the bubble packaging. They need to go through eternity with cuts and scratches all over their hands. (3) And these days, cars that talk to you.

MarineBob said:

There ought to be a special hell for certain people. (1) Those who design oil change set ups with ridiculous arrangements. One example, My old Tacoma had an upside down filter....duh...but they did have a little moat sort of arrangement with a nipple on which you could put a drain hose that only a 5 year old could snake through the suspension. (2) People who make the bubble packaging. They need to go through eternity with cuts and scratches all over their hands. (3) And these days, cars that talk to you.

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My Subaru has upside down filter to, I punch a hole in top of filter with screwdriver to drain before removing

bertsmobile1 said:

Seen many a mower where the supplied engine had an original long oil filter that an not be removed without moving the engine.

Click to expand...

that's where a reciprocating saw comes in handy.

need-for-speed said:

I would love to know which imbecile designed the oil drain system and where they got their mail order engineering degree. It's a level of dumbassery I've almost never seen. You slip a hose onto the barbed tee fitting (in cramped space) open the long plug, etc etc....

I'm thinking of replumbing the thing and extending the piping out/towards the back with an ell, a nipple, and a plug (or cap), and cap off the barbed end of the tee. I'm not even sure if the plug on the end of the tee (where I would add an ell pointing towards the back) is NPT. Does anyone know? Anyone come up with a better solution other than sucking it out of the fill pipe?

Maybe I'll see f I can find a size of fuel line / emissions hose that fits onto that barbed end and leave it in place permanently.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have a somewhat similar, cheap, ill designed way to drain oil on Toro Timemaster Kohler. I’m going to replace the drain line with a braided piece and the Stens drain plug. Better than original, I think. Purchased on Amazon. Hope that helps. Stens 125-508 Oil Drain Plug , Black

need-for-speed said:

I would love to know which imbecile designed the oil drain system and where they got their mail order engineering degree. It's a level of dumbassery I've almost never seen. You slip a hose onto the barbed tee fitting (in cramped space) open the long plug, etc etc....

I'm thinking of replumbing the thing and extending the piping out/towards the back with an ell, a nipple, and a plug (or cap), and cap off the barbed end of the tee. I'm not even sure if the plug on the end of the tee (where I would add an ell pointing towards the back) is NPT. Does anyone know? Anyone come up with a better solution other than sucking it out of the fill pipe?

Maybe I'll see f I can find a size of fuel line / emissions hose that fits onto that barbed end and leave it in place permanently.

Click to expand...

All the engines I have worked on were 3\8" npt

From what I gather, many of these engines come to the manufacturer of the machine with simply the pipe plug stuck in them and often one on each side because they have multiple drains.
They probably come with the foot drain thing that Briggs has used for a long time in a little bag with the engine or maybe they buy those separately but it's pretty much up to the manufacture of the machine to put them in and this also creates a problem because for a couple of decades now I can tell you that over 70% of those are not tightened enough when they are first installed and by the time they get to me, or any other tech, or the owner in just a few short number of years, they are so loose you can take them out with your fingers and they are typically leaking oil at least seeping a little bit.
I would venture to say it's more like 8 out of 10 of them are loose.
So many machines over the years have had a set up of plumbing pipe installed currently with a nice little cap on it so you can drain your oil quickly, much easier, and much cleaner.
Be happy that you at least have some sort of quick drain because being able to stick a piece of hose on that makes it a lot easier. Remember, you don't necessarily have to have the same diameter hose. I've used a piece of probably half inch or 5/8 heater hose for years.
It doesn't stick and stay on the nipple but it still works fine.
Also, I made up a nice little drain out of a 2 L bottle and off it out of those 20 oz or 1 L bottles by cutting it so it's open on the half top after cutting the bottom off then you can slide this right underneath the drain up against the engine and this works even for the ones that just had the pipe plug because those will make it extreme mess without some sort of drain or funnel attachment.
Many of the newer machines come with a little trough style plastic drain thing that's meant to do just this but I find that my homemade cut up bottle works better.
Then I have another one that I use to pour my used oil back into the 5-quart and the 2 gallon containers because it flows much faster than your typical funnel.

I have a zeroturn Toro with the same issue. When draining oil, I finally just gave up on the setup they had and let it run out. Idiot design...must have been someone from Rio Linda. I was at the dealer one day and talked to him about it. He knew ,and he agreed. He sold me a screw in hose ($45) similar to the one Lawn Addict posted for you. It was actually a hose for another mower. Its pretty stiff so I just screwed it into motor, curved it to the rear of the mower, and just leave it there all the time. Drain it into a bucket. Pizazzz.

Freddie21 said:

All the engines I have worked on were 3\8" npt

Click to expand...

Freddie21- The New Kawasaki's are Metric thread.. Just saying. M20 - 2.50

jcworks said:

He sold me a screw in hose ($45) similar to the one Lawn Addict posted for you.

Click to expand...

Cool, I get mine off Fee-Bay for a few bucks less..

need-for-speed said:

I would love to know which imbecile designed the oil drain system and where they got their mail order engineering degree. It's a level of dumbassery I've almost never seen. You slip a hose onto the barbed tee fitting (in cramped space) open the long plug, etc etc....

I'm thinking of replumbing the thing and extending the piping out/towards the back with an ell, a nipple, and a plug (or cap), and cap off the barbed end of the tee. I'm not even sure if the plug on the end of the tee (where I would add an ell pointing towards the back) is NPT. Does anyone know? Anyone come up with a better solution other than sucking it out of the fill pipe?

Maybe I'll see f I can find a size of fuel line / emissions hose that fits onto that barbed end and leave it in place permanently.

Click to expand...

need-for-speed said:

I would love to know which imbecile designed the oil drain system and where they got their mail order engineering degree. It's a level of dumbassery I've almost never seen. You slip a hose onto the barbed tee fitting (in cramped space) open the long plug, etc etc....

I'm thinking of replumbing the thing and extending the piping out/towards the back with an ell, a nipple, and a plug (or cap), and cap off the barbed end of the tee. I'm not even sure if the plug on the end of the tee (where I would add an ell pointing towards the back) is NPT. Does anyone know? Anyone come up with a better solution other than sucking it out of the fill pipe?

Maybe I'll see f I can find a size of fuel line / emissions hose that fits onto that barbed end and leave it in place permanently.

Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I have used a plumbing pipe nipple extension and cap for the oil draining purpose. But, more recently, just suck the crankcase dry with a 3/8 copper tube and 12v vacuum pump. It does a good job - messy, but quick. My cub cadet 1554 27 hp Kohlar with 800 hours still going without a hitch. Good luck.

Doesn’t sound as bad as the mower I was working on over the weekend. It was a Toro zero turn. And even worse it was a Kohler engine Kohler Confidant to be exact. I looked like a total idiot because the YouTube video showed a plastic drain like a traditional riding mower has well get there and it’s a square plug in a really confined space and bad angle. And of course I grabbed my wrench sets that didn’t have an 11mm or 7/16 in it. Luckily this person lives right across the street from three auto parts stores so I ran across the street to AutoZone and got the needed wrench and picked up a stubby adjustable wrench too. I ordered a socket to fit over the square. That’s a really stupid design. And when I drained the oil it went everywhere to all over this persons driveway. At least I have two wrenches to add to my over 200 wrenches that I already own though LOL. Had I not been 30 miles from home I would of ran home and got stuff to make the job easier or to work which this person also lives right next to my work however it was Sunday and I couldn’t get into the shop. It was also the first mower I’ve seen with two spark plugs I showed up with one and luckily AutoZone had those too. At least I’m not the only one dealing with a bad design and since this person is a family member I’ll have to work on it again since I’m the mechanic haha.

My 4235 Kohler has a drain hose which disappears under the engine somewhere and a square pipe plug in the end. It's awkward to remove, but the real problem is it's the slowest draining of any of the dozens of small engines I've owned over sixty years.

packardv8 said:

My 4235 Kohler has a drain hose which disappears under the engine somewhere and a square pipe plug in the end. It's awkward to remove, but the real problem is it's the slowest draining of any of the dozens of small engines I've owned over sixty years.

Click to expand...

My neighbor has the Kohler on his Toro, Hose isn't fastest draining. But it is clean & EZ...
PS: remember to loosen the oil fill cap to allow air in during drain.. I always cover the opening with clean rag..

It may be slow, yes. My 23hp Kawasaki is slow too. I had to add on a drain hose because it came from the factory with a short drain hose that was inadequate. But at least now that I've added the drain hose it doesn't drain all over the frame of the mower. Just change oil at a time when you can let it sit overnight, and move on -- thats my best advice.

Exactly.