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End of Season Machine Maintenance
Hi All,
On Saturday I completed the final grass cutting and hedge trimming of the season. The equipment now all needs to be checked and cleaned before being put into storage and I would appreciate some general advice.
1. Hedge Cutter - I have just planned to clean this down with a brush removing all garden greenery and to paint to blade with some engine oil. Is this sufficient and should petrol be left within the machine?
2. Lawnmower - This is the machine I'm not sure what to do with. I've been advised not to put it on its side, however underneath needs to be scraped to remove all grass and I also want to apply some oil to this area, how can this be done? On top of this is there anything else that should be done and again should the mower be left with petrol in it over the winter?
3. Ride-on lawnmower - First year with one and it's been used all season, I would appreciate any advice here.
4. Strimmer - There is not much to do here, the head needs cleaned to remove all the grass, I'm not sure if anything should be done to the engine side and again should fuel be left in it over the winter months?
Any help and advice would be great.
Thanks
On Saturday I completed the final grass cutting and hedge trimming of the season. The equipment now all needs to be checked and cleaned before being put into storage and I would appreciate some general advice.
1. Hedge Cutter - I have just planned to clean this down with a brush removing all garden greenery and to paint to blade with some engine oil. Is this sufficient and should petrol be left within the machine?
2. Lawnmower - This is the machine I'm not sure what to do with. I've been advised not to put it on its side, however underneath needs to be scraped to remove all grass and I also want to apply some oil to this area, how can this be done? On top of this is there anything else that should be done and again should the mower be left with petrol in it over the winter?
3. Ride-on lawnmower - First year with one and it's been used all season, I would appreciate any advice here.
4. Strimmer - There is not much to do here, the head needs cleaned to remove all the grass, I'm not sure if anything should be done to the engine side and again should fuel be left in it over the winter months?
Any help and advice would be great.
Thanks
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Comments
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..........................................Hi All,
On Saturday I completed the final grass cutting and hedge trimming of the season. The equipment now all needs to be checked and cleaned before being put into storage and I would appreciate some general advice.
1. Hedge Cutter - I have just planned to clean this down with a brush removing all garden greenery and to paint to blade with some engine oil. Is this sufficient and should petrol be left within the machine? The petrol will probably evaporate from the carb, but the rest should be drained out, as it will deteriorate. Some engines will start on old petrol, but others may not.
2. Lawnmower - This is the machine I'm not sure what to do with. I've been advised not to put it on its side, however underneath needs to be scraped to remove all grass and I also want to apply some oil to this area, how can this be done? On top of this is there anything else that should be done and again should the mower be left with petrol in it over the winter? If you warm the mower up using the last of the petrol, then tip the oil out through the filler/dipstick hole, you will be able to fill it with fresh oil after cleaning. Yes, it is really difficult to catch the old oil, but most mowers are like this, which is why so many go for years without any oil change. I use a big metal tray.
3. Ride-on lawnmower - First year with one and it's been used all season, I would appreciate any advice here. Can't help there, but if I had one, I'd run it once a month rather than lay it up altogether. I do this with my troublesome 8.5 hp twin deck mower, which would otherwise be a pig to get going again.
4. Strimmer - There is not much to do here, the head needs cleaned to remove all the grass, I'm not sure if anything should be done to the engine side and again should fuel be left in it over the winter months? Strimmer engines work hard and deserve fresh oil at least every season, but only if they are four-strokes. Two strokes won't have oil to drain/replace. The thing most people forget to do on strimmers is to grease the head/shaft bearings. I do this every few months anyway.
Any help and advice would be great.
Thanks0 -
My ride on mower goes in to be serviced over winter. Mine works exceptionally hard and is exceptionally cranky though. The service includes a little engine check, blade resharpening, oil change, belt checking ( they'll be chuffed this year I have got through the year on one set of belts, un heard of!) and on my machine inevitably some welding!0
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My BIL runs a mower repair company and in spring at least 50% of the breakdowns are due to leaving petrol in over winter. Not just that the petrol loses volatility but the 2 stroke oil gums up the jets. I aggree with all the rest that Dave says.I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.0
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Thanks for the feedback. The main things seems to be clean off excess grass and empty the fuel tanks then?0
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As DavesNave has said, drain all of the oils and fuels from mowers in the winter.
I personally use to give everything a clean out at this stage on my old Honda ie sparkplug (new every 2nd year) filters and remember to grease any nipples (this was more for my cylinder mowers)
Finally sharpen your blades!!0 -
I forgot to mention not to put any steel-decked mower away with wet grass under the deck.
The number of serviceable mowers with rusted-out decks on eBay is testimony to the importance of this!0
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