How to Winterize Your Outdoor Power Equipment

!±8± How to Winterize Your Outdoor Power Equipment

As a landscape professional I often get asked what I do in the winter. My quick response is "I work on equipment."

I don't know about you, but I always have trouble finding time to maintain equipment during the growing season. Early winter presents the perfect time to clean, inspect, perform routine maintenance and prepare outdoor power equipment for the spring.

Winterizing your gas-powered tools will extend their life and guarantee hassle-free spring start-up. The most important winterizing step is to drain or stabilize the fuel. Gasoline left in the fuel system over the winter will degrade leaving gum deposits and varnish build-up that will plug up the fuel system -- the #1 reason mowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, and chain saws won't start in the spring.

Tip: I only use ethanol free gas in my landscape equipment. Even a 10% blend of ethanol can ruin a small engine. The ethanol/fuel mixture attracts moisture into the gasoline. If you buy gas and let it sit around it will attract water, so treat stored gasoline with a fuel stabilizer.

Supplies Need

Fuel Stabilizer New Spark Plugs Filters - Air, Oil and Gas Lubricating Oil Funnel and Gas Can

Simple Steps to Prepare Power Equipment for Winter Storage

Add fuel stabilizer to a full tank and then run it a few minutes to make sure the stabilized fuel gets into the carburetor. Drain the fuel from two-cycle engines and run until dry. Clean and dry. Pay attention to areas such as mower decks where grass and dirt builds up. Treat metal surfaces with a light of coat of lubricating oil. Change the engine oil and filter. Sharpen blades -- lawn mower, chain saw, etc. Inspect and clean the air filter. Replace extremely dirty or damaged filters. Remove the spark plug and pour about a half ounce of motor oil into the spark plug port. Inspect the old spark plug, clean it and check the gap or install a new one. I prefer to install new plugs because they only cost a couple of dollars. Check fuel lines and replace the fuel filter. Lubricate throttle cables. Inspect for worn or missing parts and hardware.

Store your tools where they are protected from the weather. No garage or shed? Protect your equipment with a tarp. Check on your stored tools, mice will nest in machines and chew on wires.

Kick back and enjoy the holidays. Come spring, your mower, leaf blower and string trimmer will fire up and you'll be glad you invested a little time and money winterizing your lawn and landscape equipment.

How to Winterize Your Outdoor Power Equipment

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Garden Power Tools - How to Use Petrol Strimmers Safely and Ergonomically

!±8± Garden Power Tools - How to Use Petrol Strimmers Safely and Ergonomically

Unless you have a very small backyard with a tiny lawn, a petrol strimmer is infinitely more efficient and even cost-effective in the end than an electric garden tool. For maintaining the edges on a large lawn, whacking the tough weeds around the yard, or for heavy-duty tasks in general, an electric strimmer simply does not have the power to do the job professionally. The trouble is though, that gas-powered strimmers are next to chain saws, probably the most dangerous implement in the gardener's shed.

Protecting Yourself

*Strimmers endanger the user both immediately and in the long-term. The most obvious threat comes from small objects like pebbles or fragments of glass that can fly at immense velocity after being hit by the strimmer's nylon cord. Never, under any circumstances, work without industrial standard goggles, and a face mask. Remember that you only have two eyes!

*As with all power tools, but especially with those like strimmers that operate with a two-stroke engine, always protect your ears with industrial standard equipment. It is totally inadequate to stuff cotton wool into your ears. Remember that damage to the eardrums following exposure to high decibel noise is both accumulative and irreversible.

*Always wear working boots and long trousers as these absorb the impact of objects flying at foot and shin height. It might not be as critical as a stone flying into your eye, but it can save you a nasty gash on the foot or leg.

Looking-out for Others

*The strimmer not only endangers the user but anyone else in the vicinity as well. Preferably you should keep people at a distance of at least 15 meters (45ft) while operating the machine. This means that not only should you be focused on your work, but also on what is going on around you. If you see people approaching, (children are often curious and want a closer look) stop, and do not continue until they are at a safe distance.

*Remember that a tiny pebble rocketing at knee-height for an adult, could be at eye-level for a small child. You do not want that on your conscience or be sued for massive damages.

Working Ergonomically

In addition to the immediate danger from missile-like objects, there is the question of long-term damage to various parts of the body, apart from the afore-mentioned ears. You should be aware that heavy use of a strimmer could lead to conditions like tendonitis.

*In order to reduce the possibility of this, it is best to wear heavy-duty gloves that act as "shock-absorbers" to the vibrations of the machine. Also, do not forget that the shoulder strap has not been added by the manufacturer for decoration, but serves the very necessary ergonomic purpose of preventing strain and stress on muscles, ligaments and tendons. Always adjust the strap to the right size, so that it supports the strimmer on the one hand, without causing the neck and shoulder muscles to stretch on the other.

*In this respect, electric strimmers are a lot worse than gas-powered ones, because the motor is usually placed at the front end of the machine, (the nylon cord end) and not at the back as with petrol garden strimmers. This makes the tool top-heavy, a fact that exacerbates the possibility of muscle strains and other forms of mechanical damage that can result in serious conditions like tendonitis.

Garden Power Tools - How to Use Petrol Strimmers Safely and Ergonomically

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