Mowers Stored for Winter

[Mr_Joe]

I'm ready for Winter here. Maybe just a hair early but I'll be spending more time on hunting duties & snow could come soon. I went a different route this year. I ran non-ethanol gas into the machines with some stable mixed in, then they were topped off. I also gave a squirt of 'engine fogging oil' into the plug hole, with a few pulls to follow. This is different that my running the engine dry after siphoning the gas out, which I have done in the past. I even washed the Cub Cadet before I took the deck off & put it away.

I have the JD snowblower out & ready.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I stopped running mine dry and simply put Sta-Bil in my gas can when filling it. Then all engines I run that gas on, as well as my two-stroke gas can, have Sta-Bil in them year-round. They all start right up in the spring.

 

[Jeepster_nut]

Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I stopped running mine dry and simply put Sta-Bil in my gas can when filling it. Then all engines I run that gas on, as well as my two-stroke gas can, have Sta-Bil in them year-round. They all start right up in the spring.


+1 better to keep the gaskets wet than let them sit dry for the season

 

[Quattro Pete]

Interesting idea. I don't have access to non-ethanol gas, but it certainly sounds like less work just keeping the gas in there.

 

[Oldwolf]

I keep StaBil in mine year around also.

 

[opus1]

I mowed last Saturday and was thinking that my next project will probably be to put the mower away and get the snowthrower out. And, thanks to one of my neighbors, I need to wash the thing down to get the doggie-poo off....

I usually squirt some engine oil into the spark-plug hole but never thought about the fogging oil -- I may have to try that this year. As I said in another post last week, I found some "winterizer" gas stabilizer at Wally's, green stuff made by Pennzoil, and towards the end of August or early September, I start using that in the gas instead of Sta-bil. I do run the mower out of gas, but don't to to the extreme of removing the little layer of gas left after the mower dies and, knock wood, haven't had a problem in the spring.

 

[dparm]

Sta-Bil. Cheap, works, readily available.

 

[boraticus]

Roll it into the shed. Take it out next spring. Change the oil every year or two depending on amount of service.

Been doing it for three decades with the same old Craftsman Eager 1 with Tecumseh L head 3.5 h.p. engine.

No changes in performance and it appears that the method has no negative effects on engine life.

 

[kballowe]

I just run Seam Foam in the fuel for the latter part of the season and then just park in the shed for the winter. Remove batteries and take into basement and put on one of those motorcycle battery thingys that make maybe 1/2 amp.

Right before the end of the season I clean and lube and sharpen the blades and change the oil. It's nice to drag the mower out in the spring and start it and go......

 

[Jim 5]

I've got Sta-bil in my motorcycle tank, and I ran my mower dry. Maybe I'll pump a bit out of the bike and into the mower and not leave it dry through the winter.