Starter Tips:
- Find and start with the owner’s manual for the tool you are using.
- Read the manufacturer’s guidelines on equipment operation and requirements from the instructions. Make known and be sure that you have read what kind of safety precautions to take when using your equipment, you may have forgotten over the winter.
Note: You should always keep the owner’s manual from when you purchase the equipment or tool, but if you don’t, sometimes it is accessible on-line, just google it!
Inspect your power equipment. A few steps to help along the way:
- 1st – Examine for loose belts and any missing plugs that might have been damaged by some little critters.
- Second – Check the safety features that have come with your equipment and make sure they are all still safe.
- Necessary maintenance is essential for working equipment that operates again and again.
Some simple steps to make sure your lawn equipment is ready to go:
- 1st – Replace all of the old oil in the equipment. Also, be sure to dispose of the oil, in the right way, safely. Restore the plug and fill it up with the recommended oil.
- 2nd – Look to see if the gas in your lawn equipment is on empty because starting it with old gas in the equipment might possibly damage it. Most gas contains some level of ethanol, which this kind of fuel can separate after awhile. Side note – Remember to never leave fuel that is more than a month old in equipment.
- Drain the tank and re-fill it up with new gas that has 10 percent or less ethanol. Some gas stations may offer E15 or other types of fuel, but this higher-ethanol fuel is unsafe for consumption by animals and is also banned.
- Finally – Start your power equipment up and let it warm up a little bit and make sure it is sounding okay and there are not any leaks.
Some more things to check:
- When starting to use your lawn equipment again you might want to try to disconnect the spark plugs and also check the undercarriage and make sure there is not any old debris. Grass and weeds can remain, and could have been there all winter, so make sure to verify and clean the equipment out. Even still, after all of the upkeep steps are completely done, it’s a nice idea to replace the air filter(s) in the equipment. Equipment runs lasts longer and much better with new oil, gas, and especially new air filters, even the paper air filters need to be interchanged, some equipment may have a foam filter and those may be able to be used again, just check the handbook.
- Later, remember to check that the blade is sharp enough for use again. Verifying the blade is sharpened is important because it could shred the grass in the improper way. Sharper blades mean grass will be in good condition and also easier to manage the equipment.
Side note: Before mowing, try to pick up the yard and get sticks, and rocks, or anything that may hurt the blade out of the grass. The mower blade might hit something and ruin or damage the blade, so any support to preventing this will be better preservation for your blade.
Make sure to get a routine tune-up by a licensed pro on your equipment.
- Tune-ups should be done yearly. Your equipment will stay refreshed with parts that need to be interchanged. Tune-ups can also help your equipment to produce fewer emissions. A tune-up can farther more help your equipment last longer, therefore retaining and saving you money in the long run.
Care, as a whole, involves all of the things required to keep your power equipment functioning; it could be that it will last longer if you provide proper preservation to your equipment. To end; You might just want to include a regular checkup of your equipment by lubricating the moving parts, sharpening the blades, replacing any wires that look old or damaged, as well as, the spark plugs, filters, oil, and gas. Need help with all this?… contact a local authority in your equipment or stop into our store and ask away.
Need a new part? See us at Crafty Beaver in Chicago and Skokie and let our power equipment pro help you finish the maintenance of your lawn equipment stuff.