Use up all the gas (last bit of gas I pour a shot of fuel stabilizer in the tank). Then I normally use fogging spray in the cylinder.
Mower storage for the winter
- Thread starter RazorsEdge
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I stuff dryer sheets there. And the battery and wiring area.
i normally just run the mower out of gas and leave it for spring. I only run 1/4 to 1'2 a tank this time of year so that ill run it out each time so if the weather goes south on me i dont worry about it.Fill i t in spring and couple pulls and its up and running.
Before I had a snow blower I just parked it. Now I change the oil and clean out the dust and grass clippings. Had to start using a charger the last couple of years but the battery is from 2008. Only need it for the long periods when it isn’t used.
Non-ethanol gas all the time. Of all things, I think this is the most potent thing.
For the push mower, I run it dry and park it. For the lawn tractor, I keep the tank full and then park it. I also cover the exhaust pipe to keep out potential nesting vermin.
For the push mower, I run it dry and park it. For the lawn tractor, I keep the tank full and then park it. I also cover the exhaust pipe to keep out potential nesting vermin.
Run tank dry, drain carb. Change oil. E10 fuel is not an issue as long as you don't let it sit in your carb bowl for months.
For a long time (meaning decades) I would just run everything dry at the end of the season. When Ethanol came around and my 2-cycle stuff started dropping like flies, I started using Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer but didn't always run things dry. The snow blower would be the exception given that is a short season machine. For the past two years I've been able to get 89 octane E0 fuel at a very reasonable price. I purchased some today for $2.829/gal. Now I just treat the last gas of the season and don't worry so much about running things dry.
All that being said, seldom have I ever had a fuel related issue with a piece of 4-cycle OPE. Definitely with 2-cycle, but almost never with 4-cycle. My 35 year old Troy-Bilt rototiller needed a new carb last year, but that's been the extent of it. There's also a 20 year old MTD snowblower with the 8 HP Tecumseh Snow King engine that I gifted to the neighbor last year. It ran a little rough at time under no to light load, but dug in hard under heavy load.
All that being said, seldom have I ever had a fuel related issue with a piece of 4-cycle OPE. Definitely with 2-cycle, but almost never with 4-cycle. My 35 year old Troy-Bilt rototiller needed a new carb last year, but that's been the extent of it. There's also a 20 year old MTD snowblower with the 8 HP Tecumseh Snow King engine that I gifted to the neighbor last year. It ran a little rough at time under no to light load, but dug in hard under heavy load.
Until recently I could say the same. But no more. My push mower recently would not start. After some troubleshooting I found it had fuel, spark & compression so what could the problem be? Long story short, turned out to be stale fuel. I used normal pump gas mixed with Stabil, which IME lasts at least a year if not longer. But not in this case.
From now on, I'll use only E0 gas with Stabil for my mower and other small gas engines.
21" dual blade Honda from 1997. No battery to worry about, but if it had one I would just disconnect the neg for the 3 month winter storage.
I run till the fuel is gone, change oil, inspect the air filter and spark plug, and pour a few drops of oil in the cylinder. Then pull the rope a few times to disperse the oil throughout the cylinder (as stated in the OM), reinstall/replace the plug and any other items before folding the handle and tucking it into a corner.
I run till the fuel is gone, change oil, inspect the air filter and spark plug, and pour a few drops of oil in the cylinder. Then pull the rope a few times to disperse the oil throughout the cylinder (as stated in the OM), reinstall/replace the plug and any other items before folding the handle and tucking it into a corner.
Add some stabil to my E10 gas and park it. Fires right up with no problems in the spring.
Troy Bilt TB130 push mower. If I don’t have stabil in my gas can I will put a splash of stabil or sea foam in gas tank and run it a few minutes and then shut off gas valve and let it die. Put in shed.
Have been doing same thing for past 6-7 years and always starts first or second pull
Have been doing same thing for past 6-7 years and always starts first or second pull
Quick question....what do you do about the condensation that's built up in the empty tank over the winter? Ask because you have a completely empty gas tank full of air containing water vapor. Unless you're keeping it in a warm enclosure, like heated garage, then you have the air within the tank warm and cool every day...and the cooling condenses the water vapor out of the air. Hopefully, it's not much each day, but very much a potential for water buildup in the tank over a few months. One reason more than a few people recommend filling the gas tank with fresh stabilized fuel for overwintering.
Got this from storing my boat a decades ago before most gas had ethanol in it. (Now, the ethanol just absorbs any condensation that happens and allows it to go through the combustion process without problems.)
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I'll see what is in the gas tank this spring
If there is water in it,I'll just disconnect the gas line and run some gas through it rinsing out any water.
On home owner grade OPE, it's usually a mistake to mainly focus on maintaining the engine. The rest of the machine will usually fall apart before the motor is worn out.
For my Craftsman rider, I made sure the last tank of the season was E0 but I didn't drain or do anything special to the carb. I took the battery out and charged it up. I'll do it again before spring. The other things which I didn't see mentioned is cleaning all the grass from out of the mower deck and treating it for rust. Around here they will rust out long before the rest of the tractor is junk. This year I just poured some motor oil on the underside and spread it all around with a wire brush and wiped oil on the top with a rag. I also blow out the engine tins with compressed air. Plus, the top of the trans-axle where the cooling fins get all crusty.
For my Craftsman rider, I made sure the last tank of the season was E0 but I didn't drain or do anything special to the carb. I took the battery out and charged it up. I'll do it again before spring. The other things which I didn't see mentioned is cleaning all the grass from out of the mower deck and treating it for rust. Around here they will rust out long before the rest of the tractor is junk. This year I just poured some motor oil on the underside and spread it all around with a wire brush and wiped oil on the top with a rag. I also blow out the engine tins with compressed air. Plus, the top of the trans-axle where the cooling fins get all crusty.
I drain the tank every year and it sits for a few months till spring. Even in the humid SC environment I have never seen visible condensation in the tank when I start it in the spring. Just pour in some gas and start mowing.
If metal tank, I fill with gas + StaBil. Plastic tank engines, I run dry. Ed
Because in theory moisture in the oil reacts with combustion byproducts and forms acids which promote corrosion, so clean oil protects better for long term storage. That's the theory, anyway.
I've changed some seasons in the fall for that reason. But i'm back to running high TBN oils so i'm not too worried.
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