Up here in New England it is best to have your equipment ready before the snow flies. There is a few things you should do for your summer equipment and your winter equipment.
1.No Gas - The best thing you can do for your equipment is not keep gas in it. So any Summer or Fall equipment run out the last of your gas and rain out the rest. Pour the gas out through where you pour it in. Ethanol in the fuel will destroy the rubbers in your gaskets and fuel line over a short period. You can try gas additives like Startron to help keep the fuel. But Still try not to keep gas in your trimmers,mowers and blowers.
2.Clean - Clean and scrape any old grass off of your machines. The left behind grass will form mold under your deck. One it is very bad for your lawn, it also decreases the power and air flow under your mower. Plus who wants to do it first thing in spring.
3. Oil- You can leave the oil in the machines. For lawn mowers or tractors I would leave it in until next Spring. For snow blowers now is a good time to change it. 5w30 in snow blowers and 30W in lawnmowers. Most tractors take 10W30. You can reuse the oil in most cases. Check to see if it black, replace if it is.
4. Spark Plug - Since your equipment is sitting for a little while. Loosen up the spark plug. Let air flow into the cylinder. The old timers used to put a little emery oil in the spark plug hole to keep the metal in the cylinder from seizing.
5. Cover- Your snow blower was designed to be out in the wet and cold. Your lawn mower and tractor were not. Make sure you cover your machine to keep it from getting wet and rusting. If not done this could damage the mower down the road. With snow blowers always brush them off after you use them. Melting snow can leak into your belts and freeze the belt to the pulley which will cause some damage.
6. Adjust - Snow id the time to make all of the proper adjustment on cables, skid shoes, belts and anything else that moves. Simply just increase the tension on belts just a little to take up any slack created from use. Same thing with cables, over a few years they can slip out of adjustment. If your machine is over 5 years old now is the time to get them adjusted!
7. Test - Get the unit running now! Get all of the inner gaskets wet and the cylinders and pistons working. It is a lot easier to start a machine when it is warm and has been running. It will be next to impossible to start a snow blower on a cold day that has never been started.
8. Fuel - Because ethanol will separate the alcohol from the gasoline and create condensation in your tank. it is important to use Fuel stabilizers. Items like Fuel Medic, Star-tron are great and work well. try to buy 89 octane gas if possible.
9. Clear debris - Many times we forget to clean leaves or sticks from our driveway. Remove any Stones or Rocks. Also during the season check for frozen news papers or dog leashes.
10. Get Ready for Spring - Your Summer Equipment will need the same treatment come April. Start early and all the prep work you did in October and November will pay off and make your equipment easy to start. If you keep with this routine in 15 years you will still have the same equipment you have today.
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