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tomf
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winter small gas engines

For many of us it is time to get ready for the winter. One of the things to do are to drain and run the gas out of your small engines. You do need to run them until they stop to clear the gas from the carburetor.

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ElizabethB
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George is religious about draining the gas/oil from his power equipment. He mowed last week and thought about draining the mower. Good thing he did not. He has at least one if not two more cuttings before he can put the mower away for the winter.

With smaller tools like the chain saw, cultivator and pressure washer that are not frequently used he drains after each use.

He lent the pressure washer to his son to pressure wash the fishing camp. It was returned two weeks later with the gas/oil still in it. Hubby was not a happy camper. :twisted:

thanrose
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Hahaha! While I love the concept of shared ownerships of larger or costly tools and appliances, the reality is never fun. I'm staying with my sister temporarily and her ideas of how to maintain items is definitely in conflict with mine. I just have to zip my lips about the loose seal on her chest freezer and clean the vacuum beater bar when she's not around.

My kid brother repairs lots of power tools (mowers, tractors, drill press, fridges, et al) that he encounters at curbside. He often finds it is simply a lack of maintenance. Sometimes it's improper use, though. My aunt loaned her electric knife to her adult daughter, only to discover my cousin used it to trim a hedge. Something with soft growth, but still...

I drained my generator and lawn mower a month ago. My other brother thought to help me and started the lawnmower in the garage and just let it run there. The gas was low, so I calmly took it out of the garage and just cleaned up a few areas by running the mower until it conked out. Left the cap loose, aired out the garage. The generator was much easier.

I know some would question me on this, but I always rinse off the mower housing, spray the underbody, prop it up on bricks out of the sun to let it dry every time after I mow. Of course, we are pretty hot here. Twenty plus years on a basic mower ain't bad. Chainsaws are a different matter.

gumbo2176
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Another alternative is to put a product called "Stabil" in the gas tank. It is what a lot of my friends use who own motorcycles and live up north where they are garaged for months at a time. It will allow you to start the engine from time to time to keep the fluids properly lubricating the engine and not just sit there for long periods and works to keep the ethanol in most gasolines from eating up the carbs or fuel injector system.

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ElizabethB
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Thanrose - no shared ownership just an irresponsible borrower.

Gumbo - :shock: electric knife for a hedge trimmer - that is original

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tomf
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If you can get non-ethanol gas and use a gas stablizer that is a good way to store small gas powered tools.My local gas station has non-ethanol. If you do use ethano gas even with Stabil I hear you can have issues, if you do put it in the tank make sure you run you tools, mower untill the stabized gas is in the carburetor. Sthil oil has gas stabilizer in it so I use it. I am told this will help keep the lines from drying up by the Sthil mechanic.

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tomf
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I have neighbors that we let each other use some tractor attachments we own on occasion as there are a few some of us have that others do not. It can be quite costly to try to own a lot of them. But we all respect what we use.

gumbo2176
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tomf wrote:I have neighbors that we let each other use some tractor attachments we own on occasion as there are a few some of us have that others do not. It can be quite costly to try to own a lot of them. But we all respect what we use.

I like that. I own a ton of woodworking, carpentry and mechanic tools and have no issue lending them out as long as I know the person knows how to use the tool and will return it in the same condition it was lent out.

I know those tractor attachments can cost a pretty penny and it really isn't practical for a person to try to amass all of them. I'm sure you own the ones you need to use the most on your property.

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tomf
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Gumbo what kind of wood working do you do? I made a some furniture before, mission oak. One was a saddle holder for my wife's saddle, she had horses as a kid. We do not now, but if we want to ride the neighbors have plenty of them.

gumbo2176
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tomf wrote:Gumbo what kind of wood working do you do? I made a some furniture before, mission oak. One was a saddle holder for my wife's saddle, she had horses as a kid. We do not now, but if we want to ride the neighbors have plenty of them.
A little bit of everything really. I especially like to make one off cabinets that fit in little nooks and crannies that people can't find what they want in stores. I've made several pieces of my own furniture for the house including a huge china cabinet, buffet, dining room table, queen size bed complete with headboard/footboard/sideboards, a couple of bookcases, small tables for my dart supplies and computer desk, an entertainment center for the man cave complete with wall mounted CD and Cassette tape storage.

A couple years ago I completely redid my kitchen cabinets by new face frames, raised panel doors, new drawers and have made too many things to even remember for customers over the years.

I have worked in teak, maple, birch, mahogany, oak and cypress with secondary woods of pine and poplar for things like the insides of drawers and basic framing pieces. I love working in cypress since it is a native wood and I have a guy that I get it from for a very good price.

I'm getting ready to build me a new bathroom cabinet to replace the one that is original to my house. It is still functional but has a pretty dated look and I'm ready to tackle a light rehab of the master bath. New base cabinet, new inset double medicine cabinets with mirror in the center, crown moulding, new paint on walls, ceiling and trims.

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Gary350
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Every time I wanted to use my, weed eater, leaf blower, chain saw, I had to make a special trip to the store to buy gas & 2 cycle oil. Over the years that was 100s of trips to the store just for gas & 2 cycle oil. Many years later equipment got old and very hard to start my shoulders are not as young as they use to be if they won't start in 3 pulls I give up. I replaced the, chair saw, weed eater, leaf blower with electric ones. Electric is easy to start and never need gas.

Both of my garden tillers have automatic fuel drain. Both carburetors have a slow leak gas drips out in about 1 week. I never put more gas in the tank than I need to do the job. When I park the tillers in the garage tanks are close to empty, not much gas left to leak out. I change the oil every spring before I till the garden.

Every summer I pull all 6 lawn mowers out to get them ready for summer. Change oil, clean spark plugs, check carburetors, clean the air filters, sharpen the blades, oil the wheels, and test start them all. I start out mowing the grass with mower #1 in 6 or 7 weeks it stops running so I push it over in the corner of the shed then pull out mower #2 and start cutting grass with it. When mower #2 stops running I pull out mower #3. When mower #3 stops I pull out #4. When mower #4 quits I use mower #5. When #5 quits I use #6. By the time cold weather is here #6 is usually still running. Last summer I bought a new riding mower and a new push mower the other 6 mowers are in retirement.

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tomf
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I have two push mowers that I have not used in a few years, I had one at my old house, I got a rider for the old yard, (3/4 acre) in city. I got a small one for getting between places out here, like between blue berries. I do think maybe you could sell a few of yours Gary. There are some nice battery powered units out there now so you do not need to drag a cord around, Sthil makes some top end ones that work well. Small units like them or the small weed eaters are not enough power for my needs, I use the pro line of Sthil for my weed eaters.



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