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off season storage question

#1

G

GKL

I know it will be a while before it's time to store my riding mower in a metal shed for the off season but I wanted to ask a question while I was thinking of it.

When a riding mower is going to be stored unused for months should the engine be started and run for 2 or 3 minutes about every 3 or 4 weeks, or is it okay to leave it unstarted for about 5 months ?

(I do know that fuel stablizier needs to be added to the gas tank before storage)


#2

BlazNT

BlazNT

Fist thing is you should rid your mower of ethanol gas. Drain the tank and put enough non ethanol gas to start and run it for about 5 minutes( I fill my tank). Auto parts stores sell non ethanol gas in a can if your gas stations don't. I put nothing in my gas for the winter. It is 9 years old. This will get it out of the carb. Once this is done park it and in the spring change the oil and filter and put fresh gas in it.

I do much more to mine personally but don't know if it is for everyone. I actually use non ethanol gas oil mix for my 2 cycle engines and my final 5 minute run of engine. Then I fill with non ethanol gas. I also change my oil before I put is up for the winter and then change it again after the first time I drive it to my garage.


#3

G

GKL

BlazNT said:
Fist thing is you should rid your mower of ethanol gas. Drain the tank and put enough non ethanol gas to start and run it for about 5 minutes( I fill my tank). Auto parts stores sell non ethanol gas in a can if your gas stations don't. I put nothing in my gas for the winter. It is 9 years old. This will get it out of the carb. Once this is done park it and in the spring change the oil and filter and put fresh gas in it.

I do much more to mine personally but don't know if it is for everyone. I actually use non ethanol gas oil mix for my 2 cycle engines and my final 5 minute run of engine. Then I fill with non ethanol gas. I also change my oil before I put is up for the winter and then change it again after the first time I drive it to my garage.
Click to expand...


Thanks, I do use non-ethanol gas as a local station has a separate pump just for it.

I know that it is not good to let a car sit for too long without running the engine, but I was not sure if that applied to riding mower engines also.


#4

B

bertsmobile1

Horizontal shaft engines are affected more by sitting than vertical shafts, just a mechanical thing about where the weight is supported.
Water condensing inside the cylinder can cause the rings to rust into the piston and if it has a ball race on the bottom the balls can indent the races if left sitting for long enough but a single season would be a bit short for that happening.


I try & get the customers who do their own maintenance to change the oil after the last mow of the season so the oil will be well mixed and not likely to allow deposits to settle in the sump.
Also all the acidic corrosive liquid by products of combustion suspended in the oil are removed leaving clean fresh oil sitting in your mower during the off season.


#5

G

GKL

bertsmobile1 said:
Horizontal shaft engines are affected more by sitting than vertical shafts, just a mechanical thing about where the weight is supported.
Water condensing inside the cylinder can cause the rings to rust into the piston and if it has a ball race on the bottom the balls can indent the races if left sitting for long enough but a single season would be a bit short for that happening.


I try & get the customers who do their own maintenance to change the oil after the last mow of the season so the oil will be well mixed and not likely to allow deposits to settle in the sump.
Also all the acidic corrosive liquid by products of combustion suspended in the oil are removed leaving clean fresh oil sitting in your mower during the off season.
Click to expand...

Oil change after the last mow of the season sounds good for storage.

Should it be okay for when the next season starts, or should another oil change be done at the start of the new season ?


#6

B

bertsmobile1

With old time oils it would be a problem because they aged sitting in the engine but new oils are a lot different.
Oil is the cheapest part you can put into your engine and changing it too frequently is near impossible.
So change it whenever you feel like it but it is not really necessary
Or Just change it when the hours are up or at the end of the next season.


#7

G

GKL

bertsmobile1 said:
With old time oils it would be a problem because they aged sitting in the engine but new oils are a lot different.
Oil is the cheapest part you can put into your engine and changing it too frequently is near impossible.
So change it whenever you feel like it but it is not really necessary
Or Just change it when the hours are up or at the end of the next season.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks !

I just checked a maintenance chart for my model (I'm new to riding mowers) and it says change oil every 50 hours and before storage.

.....and I agree about the oil, better to change it more often than not often enough :smile:

I was just thinking though, this is my first season using a riding mower and it might take the whole season to reach 50 hours, if that is so than according to the manual I would be changing the oil just once or twice a season, does that sound right ? I guess it's according to how many hours a season it gets used.


#8

B

bertsmobile1

If it is a brand new engine it should be changed after the first couple of mows.
Thi is to get rid of any swarf or other crud left in there from manufacture,
The valve lash should also be checked along with all of the nuts & bolts.
After that once a season is around average.


#9

BlazNT

BlazNT

The reason I change my oil after the storage is because it could have picked up water over the winter from condensation. I am just not willing to take that chance so I change it.


#10

G

GKL

bertsmobile1 said:
If it is a brand new engine it should be changed after the first couple of mows.
Thi is to get rid of any swarf or other crud left in there from manufacture,
The valve lash should also be checked along with all of the nuts & bolts.
After that once a season is around average.
Click to expand...

Interesting info, thanks !

(you would hope they would tell you that in the manual, but perhaps they don't want to admit to that possibility no matter how slight)


#11

G

GKL

BlazNT said:
The reason I change my oil after the storage is because it could have picked up water over the winter from condensation. I am just not willing to take that chance so I change it.
Click to expand...

I'm glad I asked that question, that is a good point, especially with the very humid air during the summer I can understand the possibility of condensation over the winter months.


#12

B

bertsmobile1

Clean fresh oil will not pick up water from condensation.
You can get condensed water sitting on the bottom of the crankcase but that should boil off with the first hour of use.
If there is a lot it will form an emulsion but I am yet to see that happen.
My mowers sit out in the open most days and under a lean too roof ( awning) at the best if there are no customers mowers there.
Very occasionally I might see a little water in a carb and that is the worst.
However I do realise that it will vary according to the local microclimate.


#13

G

GKL

bertsmobile1 said:
Clean fresh oil will not pick up water from condensation.
You can get condensed water sitting on the bottom of the crankcase but that should boil off with the first hour of use.
If there is a lot it will form an emulsion but I am yet to see that happen.
My mowers sit out in the open most days and under a lean too roof ( awning) at the best if there are no customers mowers there.
Very occasionally I might see a little water in a carb and that is the worst.
However I do realise that it will vary according to the local microclimate.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I appreciate all the info, not being a mechanic myself, I try to learn from those with experience working on riding mowers.

(too bad electric riding mowers are too expensive yet :smile:)


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