Best suggestion I can give is check the manual. If there's a breakin procedure, the seller should have it there.

Good luck on your new machine.

 

Congrats on a sweet new machine!

I would check the manual for more precise details, however it is usually 5 hours of use (blowing snow and running the machine combined) After you drain the oil that it came with after the break-in period switch over to a good synthetic oil. 5W30 is the most common used in a winter snowblower engine but check your Honda manual.

Additionally always use a good fuel stabalizer like Star-Tron or Marine Stabil to protect against ethanol issues.

Best of luck with your new unit.

 

Thanks guys
I have read the manual and it doesn't say anything about a break in procedure. I guess I'll just use it as normal and keep an eye on the first oil change.
I was just looking to see if anyone took extra steps to ensure longevity and reliability.

 

I thought I read where the first oil change was at 30 hours run time.

 

I have a new HSS1332ATD and my dealer told me the break-in period was 5 hours and I don't have to baby it. Now, I would rather be a little on the gentle side at first, with slowly running it longer or harder (like in deeper snow) during those first 5 hours, while taking it up to full load periodically.

He said to change the oil after 5 hours and to use regular spec 5W30 oil (Honda preferred, but not required...like robert@honda has said) and if I wanted to go to synthetic, to do so after the first season.

I am leaning towards full synthetic after the 5 hour break-in. Just stay with 5W30 (like robert@honda has told us).

My 24 year old HS828TAS (GX240 - 8HP) engine has been great and I changed the oil at 5 hours with regular dino 5W30, then yearly from then on and that's all I've ever used.

 

Yea, this is one of those things where opinions vary. Half the people will say run the engine for 5 hours with no load on it varying the throttle between 1/2 and 3/4 and the other half of the people will say run the engine through 3 foot snow drifts at full throttle.

Some say baby it the first 5 hours and some say run it as hard as possible.

Some say only use normal oil for the first 5 hours and some say use synthetic.

I haven't bought too many things new, but when I have I have not concerned myself with any special break in. I just start the engine and use it for its intended task.

 

The standard rule of thumb unless something different is spelled out in your owners manual is to run it for up to 5 hours and then change oil.

What you change it to is a whole can of worms :facepalm_zpsdj194qh

 

Of course any engine can run with conventional oil or Synthetic after the 5 hours but as for myself I run Synthetic based on 2 observations, one is the color of synthetic oil doesn't change much after much use as conventional will get black which shows how synthetic fills the molecular gaps, and secondly from an experience I had with my daughter's Toyota Echo, she called me one afternoon saying there was a light flashing in the dash which I told her to look in her manual what was the flashing light but instead she chose to drive another 15 minutes to her destination. She then called me to say it was the engine overheat light, duh. I told her to drive the remaining 2 miles the next morning to our regular garage mechanic. He called me and said was it not for the synthetic oil the engine with aluminum heads would have warped. So for us it's synthetic in all our gas engines.

 

I stand corrected. The manual for my HSS724 says to change the oil in the first 20 hours in one place. In another place it says to change the oil in the first month or 20 hours.

 

Hope you don't have to put 20 hours on it in one winter!. On one hand, if you only use it for 2 or 3 hours in the first month, is that long enough to get all the bearings and rings seated. Keep an eye on the oil before every startup, make sure its at the full mark. Around 5 hours or so, see if the oil is getting dirty. If its still clean, check again at 10 hours. When the original oil starts showing signs of dirt, change it.

You can never change the oil too often, but it can be a messy job depending on where they put the oil drain and what unintended places the draining oil lands. While you are at it, make a few copies of the maintenance schedule in the manual, and each time you do maintenance, fill in one of the copies with checkmarks beside what you did, what oil/plug/ or other items you used and the date you did it. Keep those sheets someplace where you won't forget where they are, such as in the ziplock bag the manual came in. Keep those records for AT LEAST as long as the warranty lasts.

 

Just food for thought- Running an engine with no load on it for 5 hours seems very very pointless to me. Run it through it's paces. let the engine break in on the types of conditions it will have throughout it's life.