Good advice, Les.
A couple of things I differ from... sort of a "philosophical thing", that I see as being something to be "designed around", so to speak. Nothing major, though...
This one, though, I do have problems with:
#3 - Never change the brand of the oil from the day that the Engine has broke in. ... I recommend Castrol straight 30 weight detergent oil.
Both Kohler and Briggs specify 10W 30. Using anything else goes contrary to what they say to do in their owner's manual.
I've heard all kinds of things about breaking in a motor, from running with one "load" of 30W ND for the first time, to (for a Kohler...)starting it up and running it at full throttle until it's hot (about 3 minutes), then shutting it down until cool, to get the rings to seat well. (This is recommended by a friend who is a master mechanic for Kohler, Briggs, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda...).
I recommend to my customers that they change to synthetic after 200 hours, which isn't in the manuals either, but Briggs' brand oil is now a synthetic. It's not "required"... yet, but they do say:
"Oil-Synthetic 32 oz. - 100074
32 oz. Recommended for use in all air-cooled small engines.
Synthetic oil offers better wear control of your engine, even under severe operating conditions. Since synthetics have better “inherent strength” they have the hey have the ability to keep functioning at the highest level for the longest possible time."
Kohler says:
"Unlike standard automotive motor oil, KOHLER oil is specially formulated for small engines. Heavy-duty additives offer protection against oxidation, viscosity breakdown and acid contamination from combustion by-products, wear and friction.
Command 10W-30 This multi-viscosity oil pumps easily to provide instant lubrication to overhead valve components during start-up. Providing the full protection of an SAE-30 oil at operating temperatures, KOHLER Command universal oil is extremely resistant to viscosity shearing and stays in grade through its normal service life. "
They recommend 30WT oil for the older, "Magnum" Series motors, though.
When it comes to oil, everybody seems to have a favorite. I use and recommend Valvoline, personally. And I stick to the 10W 30 thing...
Your recommendation on the oil filter change is a good one, BTW. My friend tells me that they're supposed to void a warranty if a motor comes in with an oil- related problem and an after- market filter on it... even though a good after- market filter, in his opinion, and mine and yours, is actually better...
BTW... Although you're right about the idea of running a motor slower to extend it's life, (The piston only goes up and down in the cylinder a certain (limited) number of times, and the faster it does that, the faster it burns out, so to speak...), I don't see the trade- off in vacuum performance as worth it. I don't set systems to run full- out and have come under criticism for it at times. I set mine to run at 3,200 RPM. I know your philosophy is to match the components, in terms of torque, and run the motor at torque max, which is less than RPM max. It's a logical approach. I just prefer to use a little larger motors, so that they don't lose anything by running a bit past that 2800 mark, in terms of noticeable power. In fact, they "hum", as I say, at 3,200...
It's pretty easy to demonstrate if you have 2 systems next to each other with, for instance a #36 blower and an 18 HP motor on one and a 20 on the other. The 20 runs undeniably smoother...
