Start Your Lawnmowers...

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: Whimsey
After 35 years I've noticed that my mower is taking more to get going. It's an engineless Craftsman reel mower and I'm it's power. I guess my power plant is not as good at 60 than when I was 25, and I don't think this power plant can be rebuilt
smirk.gif
.

Whimsey



Maybe if you took a shot of stabil and changed to synthetic you would be running like a top.
grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
I will start my Honda powered push mower when the grass gets long enough to cut, whenever that may be. No need to start it before then. It always starts right up after sitting all winter.


Mine too, though with the spring like weather in the PNW this February it was started a couple months earlier than usual. I run a little MMO in the fuel and it seems to keep everything clean and ready to run at a moments notice.
 
The manuals for my Honda tiller and Deere riding mower said to fill the tanks with fresh gas dosed with Sta-Bil immediately before storage. Easy since the gas they'd been getting was dosed with Sta-Bil all along. We'll see how they fare in the spring with 6 month old stabilized E10 (no E0 to be found conveniently around here).
 
Started my OPE yesterday here in OH, hard not to with weather that nice. I treat all my OPE gas with SeaFoam so I'll run the tanks dry and then replace with fresh gas. Never had any issues come spring or winter with the snow thrower.
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
I guess this doesn't apply to everyone but being from MI....my lawnmower is not being used for 6 months. And since gas goes bad after 1 month... it's a good idea to run the engine to keep the carb from plugging up.

It is also a good idea for one to make sure a mouse didn't chew up one's spark plug wire before mowing is needed. I have a new ignition coil assembly on the way for my Husqvarna rider since the mouse decided to winter under the engine shroud and tried to remove the wire for me.
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
I guess this doesn't apply to everyone but being from MI....my lawnmower is not being used for 6 months. And since gas goes bad after 1 month... it's a good idea to run the engine to keep the carb from plugging up.
Gas goes bad in 1 month?
 
Originally Posted By: Whimsey
After 35 years I've noticed that my mower is taking more to get going. It's an engineless Craftsman reel mower and I'm it's power. I guess my power plant is not as good at 60 than when I was 25, and I don't think this power plant can be rebuilt
smirk.gif
.

Whimsey

I understand 100%.
 
Got me one of those cool Stens lawnmower blade balancers. The tractors, push mower and parents blades are sharp and balanced. Sure beats the top style balancer. To make a long story short, my new balancer has got me in the mood to cut. I even got a new 300ct bottle of Zyrtec.
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
And since gas goes bad after 1 month... it's a good idea to run the engine to keep the carb from plugging up.


That's complete and total nonsense. I have E10 in tractors that are regularly parked for 5 or 6 months at a time. Since they're show tractors they might get refueled once a year, and none of them have any carburetor issues whatsoever.
 
I pulled my old JD JX75 [1998 model} out yesterday after about 5 months of hibernation, topped it off with some old E10 87 from last fall and the little Kawasaki started on the first pull and ran like a top. I do use Stabil year round.
 
A new recoil starter assembly got installed on the GCV160 yesterday. I got a GCV/GSV 190 assembly for it (supposedly better cooling) from Amazon for a few bucks more than just a starter rope cost. Took literally 45 seconds to swap it out, unlike my Briggs where I had to drill out rivets to get it apart.

First money I have spent on it apart from an air filter in 5+ years of ownership.
 
Originally Posted By: Kory
No need to ever test a thing here.

My OPE has always been Honda and I put some MMO in the gas can every time I fill it up with no stabilizer and never had a carb issue.

Motorcycle is plugged into battery tender jr. year round. Even in the summer. Battery going on 7 years old right now.


This.

I do add stabil to my gas & use premium non-ethanol only. Overkill I know. But starts on first or second pull everytime.

Lead acid batteries LOVE regular charging.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: Warstud
And since gas goes bad after 1 month... it's a good idea to run the engine to keep the carb from plugging up.


That's complete and total nonsense. I have E10 in tractors that are regularly parked for 5 or 6 months at a time. Since they're show tractors they might get refueled once a year, and none of them have any carburetor issues whatsoever.


I have 8 month old gas that I'm about to pour into my caravan. I have 100% confidence in it's quality. To be fair it has been treated with stabil, mmo, and it's premium non-ethanol only gas.

I cycle my generator storage gas every 6-8 months and never had an issue with any of it.

In fact I just started my generator that has been sitting outside all winter. The gas in that unit is half 1 year old and half 8 months old. Started right up and ran like a champ.
 
LOL! I just fired up my lawnmower (21" craftsman, on B&S675 engine, into it's 9th yr of svc), with sta-bil doped E10 regular in the tank (sealed with thick plastic sheet jammed to the tank filler cap to reduce gas from evaporating. 1/2 tank of gas within the tank was more yellow than usual (aged, 4+ mnths old gas) and of same colour and smell as my fully sealed/doped with stabil E10 gas in the jerry can.

Fired right up, and run just the same as before. Managed to finished this season's beginning 1st mow (took 45 mins and 1 gas refill).

We've been on E10 for over 2+decades now, and all the landscaping guys, regular 2T engine users, etc. are pretty much all on E10 due to the cost difference (like 23cents diff between E10-87octane and E0-91octane gas), and no issues with E10 here.

Of course: our local OPE shop would still blame the E10 gas for all things related to OPE failures. Regrettably, such excuses are wearing thin on avg joes ears simply because everyone here pretty much uses E10 anyways.

I also rotate out my generator E10 gas (every 4~6mnths with) with fresh E10 doped with sta-bil.

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: Quest


We've been on E10 for over 2+decades now, and all the landscaping guys, regular 2T engine users, etc. are pretty much all on E10 due to the cost difference (like 23cents diff between E10-87octane and E0-91octane gas), and no issues with E10 here.



Landscaping guys probably use their equipment frequently enough not to have problems with ethanol. It's the people who use their equipment infrequently that are going to have issues.
That said, I haven't had any issues with my push mower or snowblower, both of which sit a season with fuel in the tank (though I do use Stabil & a 500:1 mix of TC-W3 in each tank).
 
Some difficulty with the fleet yesterday when I started them. The shut off on the Toro is leaking. I fueled it with fresh E10 and still it would only run on spritzes of carb cleaner. I was about to tear into the carb, when I rapped the fuel bowl in case it was just a stuck float. It was, it lit right off and runs fine.
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Electricity is on; i'm good....


Same here. My annual maintenance consists of sharpening the blade - ten minutes. Not everyone can, or will, use a corded electric mower, though.
 
I mowed today for the first time this season. My 757 has been parked since November with E10 in it. It was serviced before I put it away in the shed. I put the battery in, hopped on, started it up and went mowing just like it had been parked yesterday.

I then pulled out my leaf blower that has E10/mix in it, started it on the 3rd pull, and blew the leaves out from around the deck and gazebo. The gas that's in it now has been in it since November.

I also got the old 210 out, which started right up even though it also has E10 in it. I hooked up the trailer and took a new tree out to the edge of the property and planted it.

Originally Posted By: Quest

We've been on E10 for over 2+decades now, and all the landscaping guys, regular 2T engine users, etc. are pretty much all on E10 due to the cost difference (like 23cents diff between E10-87octane and E0-91octane gas), and no issues with E10 here.

Of course: our local OPE shop would still blame the E10 gas for all things related to OPE failures. Regrettably, such excuses are wearing thin on avg joes ears simply because everyone here pretty much uses E10 anyways.


Agreed. E10 has become an excuse for poor maintenance.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

tbm5690
Metal Tank and Seasonal Storage
Replies
4
Views
295
Fordiesel69
E
Should mower engine need to always use choke to start?
Replies
15
Views
656
E150GT
kballowe
Alternative for Kohler 12-50-01 (short) oil filter that's common ?
Replies
17
Views
4K
kimmillard1
Donald
Craftsman snowblower
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
odie
M
Briggs & Stratton SUSA STYLE 122L02-0111-F1 Squeals after start
Replies
2
Views
219
Montecore
Back
Top Bottom