Bill Hughes

So the function of oil filters in small engines is to catch any junk that is inserted into the oil by sloppy oil change or other maintenance procedures. Don't put junk into the oil fill tube and you don't have to worry.

Anything can be done with enough time and money, but it's totally unnecessary for a small engine. By the time a piece of the engine large enough for a filter to worry with gets in the flow, the damage is already done. There's a magnetic trap that collect very small metallics and this should only occur during break in.

Electric power comes from mechanical power. The charging system is small so it doesn't rob too much horsepower, not because it's cheaper to do it this way.

Its' not a car, this is a motorcycle engine with a small stator charging system. You can't expect to run high wattage accessories like a heater or huge light bars on these things . That will overwhelm the charging system, drain your battery an stop your engine. Could damage the charging system and voltage regulator too. You only have about 10 amps extra to run any accessories including lights.

It's not important to get every drop of oil out of the engine during oil changes. You won't anyway regardless of method. That's why most modern brands use the quick method with oil extraction pumps. That will get all but an ounce of oil. If you got sludge in the engine oil, you have bigger problems than an oil change will fix. If you change your oil every six months and haven't abused the engine or have engine issues the extracted oil should be pretty clean. You're changing oil because it wears out and ages not because it gets dirty.

The best way to change the oil is to use an oil extraction pump and pump the oil out of the fill tube with the engine warm (not hot). Fill with new oil in the amount you extracted then check the level and top off if needed. This will be close to 1.5 Quarts. When used properly the extraction pump will remove all but a teaspoon of the old oil (not enough to worry about. Done in 5 minutes and no mess. Even Mercedes and BMW do it this way these days. No real need to clean the screen and no need to worry with the sealing ring on the plug. If you had chucks of metal big enough for the screen to catch, you have much bigger problems than an oil change.

you won't feel a difference, you might hear a difference. If the octane is too low, then the engine can "ping" that's a bad thing and could damage your engine. An octane booster can make a difference. In case you're unfamiliar with octane boosters, they're designed to improve fuel stability (less explosive) under high compression by increasing the octane rating of the fuel you're getting at the pump. While they certainly aren't necessary for all engines, those that call for a higher octane level than is readily available will see significant improvements in performance and efficiency when octane boosters are used. Boostane octane booster is a reliable brand and is available at Amazon. See this chart for mixing levels. doesn't take much , about 1 ounce does 3 gallons of 87 regular fuel for 91 octane application.

As I said. Compression does not dictate octane. Go with the manufacturer recommended fuel or use standard 87 and add octane booster. Same same

You'll get all kinds of opinions. Just remember they are uninformed opinions because none of these people will know the specifics of the engine design. Required octane isn't based purely on static compression ratio. There are many factors such as valve timing and piston shape . The only thing higher octane provides is the ability to compress the fuel more without pre detonation. It doesn't improve power. Go with the manufacturer recommend fuel. They designed the engine. If you can't get that fuel, use 87 and add an octane boosting additive. Cheaper than unobtainable fuel and just as effective. There's absolutely no good reason or benefits to run 93 octane in these engines

There are many reputable brands. Most people don't understand what raising the octane does and its often mis advertised as a performance booster. It's not. It simply makes gasoline less explosive to allow for higher compression for engines that need that. Most modern engines are not designed for higher octane. I can't directly comment on the t410 engine design. I don't have one.

Typically higher octane is required for higher compression engines. Higher octane retards premature detonation of the compressed fuel. If you can't get it at the pump, there are octane boosting additives at the stores.

Don't know, I bought mine from Massimo and it came with nice clean 10-40w synthetic.

Tractor Supply is just a retailer. It's unlikely they have anything to do with checking or filling the oil. Did you ask them?

Check again after you change and run for an hour. If it's clean then the original probably just sitting around in storage for awhile, if its milky, you have a gasket probelm.

Water in oil doesn't look watery, it looks like milk. If you aren't used to 10-40w at room temperature, its quite thin.