Storing your equipment
Here’s a big one I haven’t touched on in this series of easy maintenance. Properly storing your equipment goes a long way to protecting your investment and reducing problems when you go to use the equipment again.
By performing some simple seasonal maintenance in the spring, fall, or whenever you plan to store your equipment for a prolonged period, you can reduce the chances of having stale fuel or water condensing in the fuel, rust, corrosion, or a dead battery.
Below is a checklist for four-stroke engines. The process for two-stroke engines is a little different since fuel and oil are mixed together, and I will try and address those differences at the end.
Clean your equipment
1. Don’t put your equipment away dirty. Clean the engine surface, mowing deck, and any other moving parts of debris, chaff or grass.
2. Remove the spark plug lead from the engine and use a garden hose to wash away any residual grass clippings.
3. Once the majority of the dirt and debris has been removed, it will be easier to identify a clump of grass that may be interfering with blade motion, belt or pulley motion.
4. Using a wooden stick or other implement other than your hands and feet, remove the offending material and wash the deck thoroughly.
Fuel
Before topping off the fuel tank, add a chemical stabilizer to the fuel. I am not a fan of paraffin based stabilizers as they tend to cause as much trouble as they prevent. Paraffin stabilizers do not mix with the fuel, rather, the “wax” congeals at the fuel’s surface to form a barrier to prevent air and water (and to a lesser extent, debris) from getting into the fuel. However, the paraffin has to eventually run through the carburetor and combustion chamber(s) and this can cause problems. With the chemical fuel additive mixed in, run the engine for a few minutes to circulate the stabilizer throughout the carburetor and valves. This will prevent gum and varnish from forming in the fuel system or on essential parts.
Next, top off the fuel tank before putting the equipment away. By filling the tank, you eliminate the opportunity for moisture to condense on the walls of the tank and prevent rust and scaling before they can start.
Note: if you do not want to add fuel stabilizer to the system or if you use a fuel containing alcohol, such as gasohol, then it is my recommendation to run the tank dry. That is, drain any fuel from the tank and run the engine until it stops on its own from lack of gas.
Oil
With your engine already warmed up, it is a good time to change the oil and any oil filters. Typically splash-type lubrication systems (typically those without an oil filter) will use a straight 30 weight oil as it is less likely to foam up than a multigrade.
In a pressurized system a multigrade oil such as a 10W 30 is OK to use, but it is best to follow the owners manual to prevent voiding the warranty.
Battery
If you plan to keep your equipment’s battery (if it has one) on the machine, than I recommend disconnecting the negative terminal from the post. This prevents corrosion and any unintentional draining of the battery. Some machines with hour meters or lights will drain the battery if left on.
Better yet, remove the entire battery and store in a cool dry place. Heat might be even more damaging to a battery that cold temperatures, but its best to keep it out of the weather and in a controlled environment.
Finally, clean the terminals with a wire brush or terminal cleaner. You may even want to coat the terminals with a terminal protector to prevent rust and corrosion.
One more thing
Refer to your owner’s manual for exact storing procedures, but use these tips help your equipment last longer and start easier when you need them to. One extra tip: it might be a good idea to start your equipment once or twice a quarter and let them run for a few minutes just to keep things moving and lubricated
