What's your OPE winterizing routine

[vavet]

What do you do before putting away the summer lawn equipment for the year?
Cleaning?
Change oil filter?
Run it out of gas?
Use the expensive canned/ethanol-free gas?
Remove the blades to sharpen ?
Fill the battery with water?

I've debated when the right time to change the oil is. End of season or the beginning of the new season. I think I've settled on beginning of season.

I like to drain as much gas as I can, and then let it run the engine until it runs out. I save the chassis grease and battery maintenance until beginning of next year.
Anything special for weedeaters? Push mowers? Blowers?4 cycle engines vs 2 cycle engines?

 

[77thor]

I fill the gas tank(to eliminate condensation) and use a gas stabilizer, then I run the engine and close the gas valve...
I let the engine run until it dies... usually I wait for spring to change oil, air filter, and sharpen blades.

I have had zero problems storing over winter with stabilized E10 gas.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Last year towards October I got all the gas out of everything I knew I was done with for the year and started everything and let it run out of gas. Come spring everything fired right up! I run stabil all year long. I've got a generator and a engine driven welder, what I do with those is keep them full in the event something happens. Then the following year I drain that gas into my cans and burn that up. That way there isn't any gas that just sits for longer than a year.

 

[mikedodge]

Pull the battery out to keep inside. Try to run it out of gas but usually don't.
In spring put fresh gas in and change the oil if it looks dirty and go.

 

[Sumboodie]

Nothing. Put it away like I'm using it in a few days.

 

[APEowner]

When I lived in upstate NY I used to put fuel stabilizer in the tractor, push mower, convertible, race car and motorcycles and pull the batteries out of anything that had them. I put fuel stabilizer in the two stroke mix for the weed whacker all the time so I didn't do anything to winterize that.

Here in New Mexico I ride the motorcycle and race all year round, we use a reel type mower and a battery powered weed whacker that uses the same batteries as the rest of my cordless tools so I don't do anything.

 

[Mick56]

I've got a station near me that sells pure 87 gas, it's about a dime more than the other stations. I run it in my car and all my gas engines. A little Sta-bil for over winter and everything is good.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

I just park them. They get maintenance whenever due based on usage. Haven’t had any issues with this approach in 40 years, and I have a lot of small engines.

 

[mike93lx]

I always had the best intentions and rarely did much. Run the carb dry and fill the gas tank. Worked well for years on my snow blower and generator.

Now, everything I have is cordless, except the generator.

 

[zmotorsports]

Personally, I prefer to do my annual maintenance at the end of the season vs. the beginning of the season. My thinking is that oil gets acidic over time and if there will be a long time (several months) until the equipment is used again I would rather have fresh oil and not the acidic oil sitting in the crankcase. Kind of the same thing for the deck and undercarriages. I would rather get them cleaned and treated with something to protect against corrosion vs. letting them sit during the off-season and let the rust take over.

I also lube all of the pivot points, wheels, steering, controls, etc. at this time but all of this takes place after a thorough pressure washing and deck cleaning. If I need to touch up the paint then I also do that at this time. Lastly I sharpen and balance the blade(s) and treat the fuel prior to parking it. On my ZTR I pull the battery and keep it in the shop where I'll throw the trickle charger on it every several weeks.

Your mileage may vary but my 21" Snapper walk behind just turned 30 years old this year and still looks and performs nearly like new. My Toro Timecutter ZTR is only 4 years old and still looks like new with 133 hours on it. I get some criticism on my OPE maintenance but it really doesn't take that long to do each fall. I will clean the decks, then pressure wash the 21" walk-behind, ZTR as well as the line trimmer and edger one afternoon after work and then do the routine maintenance on all OPE the next afternoon after they dry off. If I were to estimate I would say it takes about 3 hours to perform the annual maintenance on all of my OPE.

On edit, someone else mentioned ethanol-free fuel and I forgot to mention that I also run ethanol free fuel in all of my OPE. We have a station nearby that I am able to purchase it from.

 

[bassJAM]

I drain the tank on my 2-strokes and fire them up and run the carb empty with the exception of my chain saws, which I do this to them when summer hits. I don't do much of anything on my mower other than fill the tanks and add stabil. It gets fired up a few times through the winter when I'm moving stuff around the shed and I like to do the oil change and give it fresh filters and sharpen blades in the spring. My garden tractor gets used the most in the winter moving firewood around and plowing snow but I'll change the oil on it. If I remember I'll add a little fuel to the generator, fire it up and let it run dry and then change the oil. It gets very little use but I figure winter is the most likely time I'll need it. Log splitter will get an oil change, but it gets used the most in the winter as well.

 

[javyLSU]

Personally, I prefer to do my annual maintenance at the end of the season vs. the beginning of the season. My thinking is that oil gets acidic over time and if there will be a long time (several months) until the equipment is used again I would rather have fresh oil and not the acidic oil sitting in the crankcase. Kind of the same thing for the deck and undercarriages. I would rather get them cleaned and treated with something to protect against corrosion vs. letting them sit during the off-season and let the rust take over.

I also lube all of the pivot points, wheels, steering, controls, etc. at this time but all of this takes place after a thorough pressure washing and deck cleaning. If I need to touch up the paint then I also do that at this time. Lastly I sharpen and balance the blade(s) and treat the fuel prior to parking it. On my ZTR I pull the battery and keep it in the shop where I'll throw the trickle charger on it every several weeks.

Your mileage may vary but my 21" Snapper walk behind just turned 30 years old this year and still looks and performs nearly like new. My Toro Timecutter ZTR is only 4 years old and still looks like new with 133 hours on it. I get some criticism on my OPE maintenance but it really doesn't take that long to do each fall. I will clean the decks, then pressure wash the 21" walk-behind, ZTR as well as the line trimmer and edger one afternoon after work and then do the routine maintenance on all OPE the next afternoon after they dry off. If I were to estimate I would say it takes about 3 hours to perform the annual maintenance on all of my OPE.

This is exactly my routine. I do all of the maintenance on my mower at the end of the season before storing for the winter. I do exactly the same thing with my snowblower - service it in the spring at the end of winter, and prepare for storage.

 

[budget76]

yard tractor gets a blower attached for the snow, so it's used year round.

Generator (2000w lunchbox) gets run dry, then a little bit of the manufactured fuel and run dry again since it sits months at a time.

Weedwacker / lawnmower / chainsaws / power washer get run dry with empty tanks (no shutoff valves) if sitting for more than a couple months.

can't wait until everything is electric, but that's a ways away

 

[bucolic]

Nothing. Put it away like I'm using it in a few days.

This. Here in NY State, you may need the Lawn Mower and Snowblower in the same week

 

[NUTTSGT]

Other than trying to get some RV Antifreeze in the pump of the power washer, that's about it.

 

[Sumboodie]

Personally, I prefer to do my annual maintenance at the end of the season vs. the beginning of the season. My thinking is that oil gets acidic over time and if there will be a long time (several months) until the equipment is used again I would rather have fresh oil and not the acidic oil sitting in the crankcase. Kind of the same thing for the deck and undercarriages. I would rather get them cleaned and treated with something to protect against corrosion vs. letting them sit during the off-season and let the rust take over.

I also lube all of the pivot points, wheels, steering, controls, etc. at this time but all of this takes place after a thorough pressure washing and deck cleaning. If I need to touch up the paint then I also do that at this time. Lastly I sharpen and balance the blade(s) and treat the fuel prior to parking it. On my ZTR I pull the battery and keep it in the shop where I'll throw the trickle charger on it every several weeks.

Your mileage may vary but my 21" Snapper walk behind just turned 30 years old this year and still looks and performs nearly like new. My Toro Timecutter ZTR is only 4 years old and still looks like new with 133 hours on it. I get some criticism on my OPE maintenance but it really doesn't take that long to do each fall. I will clean the decks, then pressure wash the 21" walk-behind, ZTR as well as the line trimmer and edger one afternoon after work and then do the routine maintenance on all OPE the next afternoon after they dry off. If I were to estimate I would say it takes about 3 hours to perform the annual maintenance on all of my OPE.

My ZTR isca 2008 and might have 250 hrs on it. Mow about 4 months a year.

 

[Glemon]

I am in the not much to nothing crowd, try to make sure the last tank isn't ethanol. Make sure nothing is put away leaky or wet. Over the 4 months or so of dormancy we have for lawn equipment (and my hobby cars) over the winter I have never had a problem with bad gas or gummed up carbs, though I have had to charge or replace a few batteries.

 

[Hank11]

Clean it.
Change the oil.
Grease all the places that need it.
Drain the tank and float bowls.
Put away dry.
Pour in gas next year and it is ready to go.

 

[nadogail]

Winter? We pass from Summer to Early Fall and then back to Summer. We get some rain during the period that is not Summer.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

What do you do before putting away the summer lawn equipment for the year? next to nothing
Cleaning? maybe
Change oil filter? no oil filter
Run it out of gas? no gas
Use the expensive canned/ethanol-free gas? pay extra for fuel? ha!
Remove the blades to sharpen ? too lazy
Fill the battery with water? lithium

all my OPE is electric now. including the snowblower, mower, and chipper/shredder.

 

[MushCreek]

I run ethanol-free in all of my equipment, year-round. A few gas stations around here sell it. I shut off the fuel and run the carb dry. On electric start equipment, I disconnect the battery. I do other maintenance in the spring. Winter is fairly short around here between mulching leaves in November to cutting the first sprigs of grass in March.

 

[Sumboodie]

Winter? We pass from Summer to Early Fall and then back to Summer. We get some rain during the period that is not Summer.

We have about 5 months of "not winter" here. May to September.
Though this year I used my woodstove to heat the house every month but July and August.

My first mow was in June and last was a few weeks ago. May sneak one more in to finish cleaning up the leaves. It warmed up with lows in the upper 30s this week. Has been in the teens-20s.

 

[BillK]

I am basically in the same area as you and I dont do anything. To be honest with you the lawn mower typically gets used well into December most years if for no other reason to mulch the leaves up. I have never had an issue with anything starting in the spring. Most of the time we are cutting grass in late March at the very latest anyway. Thats only sitting for a couple of months. No special fuel, no stabilizer. I use regular Shell unleaded in everything.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Change the oil, empty the fuel tanks (old gas goes in my truck) then I top off with fresh fuel (most regular gas E10) and run them for about 1 minute.
I drain my pressure washer after every use.
My tractor/mower and chain saw get used all seasons but I include them in the maintenance.

 

[propuckstopper]

What do you do before putting away the summer lawn equipment for the year?
Cleaning?
Change oil filter?
Run it out of gas?
Use the expensive canned/ethanol-free gas?
Remove the blades to sharpen ?
Fill the battery with water?

I've debated when the right time to change the oil is. End of season or the beginning of the new season. I think I've settled on beginning of season.

I like to drain as much gas as I can, and then let it run the engine until it runs out. I save the chassis grease and battery maintenance until beginning of next year.
Anything special for weedeaters? Push mowers? Blowers?4 cycle engines vs 2 cycle engines?

I always use ethanol free fuel throughout the year. About a week before the mowers get put away, they get a fresh fuel fill with Stabil and an oil change. I then use them one more time to circulate the stabilized fuel and fresh oil. I then blow them off with my air compressor and then put them away.

In the spring, I fire them up and away they go.

 

[jonshonda]

Just stabilize the fuel, pull the batteries and put them in the basement. Fall is usually so darn busy that I'm lucky to even have time to stabilize. Haha

 

[engineer2]

4 cycle gas powered:

1. Run the gas down low the last time you use it for the season.
2. Add a cap full of Stabil to the gas tank.
3. Rock the equipment around to mix it.
4. Us a HF hand pump to empty the gas tank into my gas jug. (Put the old gas into one of the kid's cars.)
5. Run it until it's out of gas.

First start up:

1. Do maintenance like an oil change, belts, sharpen blade, etc., as needed.
2. Put fresh gas in
3. Fire it up after 1 pull.

 

[Showkey]

Love the cocky answers …..with no attention to fuel. ( aka never had a problem)
Fuel issues have kept small engine service shop in business for 50 years.
Its not a matter of if……..it’s when. Usually happens when you need the piece of equipment the most.
Same with battery care…….only now the battery cost twice what it did 3 years ago.

Continue on………….

 

[u3b3rg33k]

The batteries maintain themselves, literally!

 

[DemoFly]

2 stroke, run it dry and put it in the corner of the garage.
4 stroke, fill it with treated gas and put it in the corner of the garage.

 

[zmotorsports]

Love the cocky answers …..with no attention to fuel. ( aka never had a problem)
Fuel issues have kept small engine service shop in business for 50 years.
Its not a matter of if……..it’s when. Usually happens when you need the piece of equipment the most.
Same with battery care…….only now the battery cost twice what it did 3 years ago.

Continue on………….

Agreed. I've made a lot of money over the years cleaning carbs on OPE when I had my speed shop. Not only on OPE but also ATV's, motorcycles and snowmobiles. People would park them and not touch them until the next season when they wouldn't run. No that I think about it, that's what helped me put my son through college.

 

[Mark_17]

I'm shocked people run 2 strokes out of fuel, on purpose. That's a big no-no from me.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I'm shocked people run 2 strokes out of fuel, on purpose. That's a big no-no from me.

it's fine if they have oil injection.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Love the cocky answers …..with no attention to fuel. ( aka never had a problem)
Fuel issues have kept small engine service shop in business for 50 years.
Its not a matter of if……..it’s when. Usually happens when you need the piece of equipment the most.
Same with battery care…….only now the battery cost twice what it did 3 years ago.

Continue on………….

Since I switched to 90Rec ethanol free gas, I've had no issues.

 

[65ranchero]

All equipment gets ethanol free fuel , Stabil added when containers are filled

Garden Tractor get a deck drop cleaning with blade replacement and oil and filter changed
bottom of deck sprayed with a rust preventer ( what ever is close at hand)
Parked in shed with a Harbor Freight trickle charger (and started around once in a while the very cold months)

Stihl chain saw and line trimmer just sits until next year use non ethanol mixed in 1 gal. container that sits one year to the next

 

[CoogarXR]

I thought this was a michigan/ohio thread - " Ope, winter's a-comin' "

The weather has been so unpredictable anymore... I keep the snow blower and lawn mowers ready all year. I keep flip-flops, sneakers, mud boots and snow boots by the door all year too. And I keep a hoodie and a winter coat on the peg, lol. Because, you just never know anymore.

I mean, it's friggin' October and it's 80+ degrees today. WTF?!

Honestly though, I do start my snow blower and generator every so often, along with my tiller and things that don't see much use. No real scheduled program, just whenever I think about it. I don't start the mowers over winter though, they just sit there.