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With a very mild winter across all of North America, we're going to be dusting off the lawn equipment a lot earlier than normal this year. I like to get at the maintenance side of everything now so I start fresh with filters, fluids, sharp blades, and fresh fuel.

The modern gasoline formulas are the source of headaches in small engine owners all over. These new fuel additives flash off faster than the gasoline and cause carburetors to gunk up and fail faster than anything ever before.

Remember to always shut off the fuel on small engines at the end of season or use (generators) so that they run out of fuel and then put the choke on full and pull it a few times to get as much fuel out of the bowl as you can to ensure it will start on one pull the next time.

I'm making sparks on the grinder sharpening blades and getting all the little things tightened up now before the explosion of spring growth takes over all my free time.

We started spring cleanups this week. We are almost done with our first weed control application and with the weather being above normal we decided to start. We will do the cleanups on the days the wind won't permit us to spray. About 2 weeks earlier than normal on the cleanups.

I'm ready...
When the day time, temps are steadily going to be Above 60 degrees everyday.
Another wk or two, should be there... :smile:KennyV

Looks like just another false spring here Kenny. If I am wrong i will have to eat a chunk of my old hat but Im thinking its a ways off yet. Three years ago I shoveled a great deal of wet snow off the last week in March. Im thinking April. Right or wrong we will all have something to discuss between now and then and that I am thankful for.

I am actually getting my new mower tomorrow... Did some cleanup on one job so false but still more to do!

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I changed my oil before storage so the parts would have clean oil. I'll pick up all the sticks and pine cones I can, then mow the lawn for the first time to mulch all the little stuff. Then I'll head down to the dealer to pick up my new free blade for this year (Toro owner's care) and buy the tuneup kit for a spark plug andair filter and probably a bottle of oil for my next change.

Not here in NY seeing we are haveing a snow storm today. I sure hope I am wrong.

Just picked up my new mower! http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mikeypizano/DSCN1613.jpg

Nice! I had narrowed my choice last year to a high end Toro or Honda. For me the Toro felt better.

Grass ala Mowed said:

Nice! I had narrowed my choice last year to a high end Toro or Honda. For me the Toro felt better.

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For me, it was the Honda and only the Honda. I only see people using them here so that helped make the choice very quick.

Now that is one snazzy looking unit. Makes a feller wonder why folks are buying that new Toro for about the same price. I suppose John Deere will be stocking those soon. I would never own one myself as it would attract all sorts of bricks and other underground items that would spring up as I approached them. Not to mention thieves. I better stick with what I have good luck with. Now when springtime rolls around and all the oil questions begin please do make sure you post a new picture of this fine machine and tell all who wish to know what kind, how much, and how often. I am looking forward to it.

possum said:

Now that is one snazzy looking unit. Makes a feller wonder why folks are buying that new Toro for about the same price. I suppose John Deere will be stocking those soon. I would never own one myself as it would attract all sorts of bricks and other underground items that would spring up as I approached them. Not to mention thieves. I better stick with what I have good luck with. Now when springtime rolls around and all the oil questions begin please do make sure you post a new picture of this fine machine and tell all who wish to know what kind, how much, and how often. I am looking forward to it.

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I know how that goes. I will be double and triple checking before I mow! :laughing:

GentlemanFahmah said:

With a very mild winter across all of North America, we're going to be dusting off the lawn equipment a lot earlier than normal this year. I like to get at the maintenance side of everything now so I start fresh with filters, fluids, sharp blades, and fresh fuel.

The modern gasoline formulas are the source of headaches in small engine owners all over. These new fuel additives flash off faster than the gasoline and cause carburetors to gunk up and fail faster than anything ever before.

Remember to always shut off the fuel on small engines at the end of season or use (generators) so that they run out of fuel and then put the choke on full and pull it a few times to get as much fuel out of the bowl as you can to ensure it will start on one pull the next time.

I'm making sparks on the grinder sharpening blades and getting all the little things tightened up now before the explosion of spring growth takes over all my free time.

Click to expand...

I was not aware of this previously and had the carb on my snowblower fail and spill gas all over my shed floor. Now, in addition to running the fuel empty, I remove the bowl screw holding the carberator bowl in and take out any remaining gas.

Since i have been doing that all my small equipment starts on the first pull - even after 2 or 3 years of storage.

spta97 said:

I was not aware of this previously and had the carb on my snowblower fail and spill gas all over my shed floor. Now, in addition to running the fuel empty, I remove the bowl screw holding the carberator bowl in and take out any remaining gas.

Since i have been doing that all my small equipment starts on the first pull - even after 2 or 3 years of storage.

Click to expand...

My Honda has a screw you can remove to drain the bowl.

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mikeypizano said:

Just picked up my new mower! http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/mikeypizano/DSCN1613.jpg

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What size is the motor on your Honda, a 160 or a 190 ?

Ric said:

What size is the motor on your Honda, a 160 or a 190 ?

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Mine has a 160.

mikeypizano said:

My Honda has a screw you can remove to drain the bowl.

Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using LMF

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The old carb on my snowblower had that but the replacement did not. I found that the screw drain drain was not at the lowest point though.

Taking out the carb bowl is pretty easy, just have to make sure you get the o-ring lined up right and don't tighten it down too tight.

I need to do the oil and filter changes to my mowers soon. Also need to grease all the joints on the rider. I haven't used the push mower since last September or October, but my JD rider gets year round use. I use it several times during the winter to vacuum the leaves out of the yard. Our winter here in GA has to have been at least 10 degrees warmer than normal. The blower gets use all year also, but the trimmer and edger haven't been run since September or October either.

:licking:getting my snaper ZT4400 and snaper 2000 gx(GT180) ready right nowsnow justabout gone and the temp are supposed to be high 50's-low 60's this coming week
once they are ready start doing my summer projects on an ALLIS B-110 and ALLIS B-112. Getting a camera soon so i can post some picturres of Before/After of each
:thumbsup::laughing:

It's been very warm lately, mid 70's this week! That means its time to get the fleet ready. So primed them and pulled the cord and both the Brute and the Poulan Pro fired right up. These two of course are pampered, being stored in the warm basement all winter. Both are ready for duty, and if things go well soon I'll have a Lawn Boy and a 2-cycle Toro to add to the working fleet. There's also the Simplicity which does run but I need to do carb work to it.

In Wisconsin it has been record warm for the last two weeks. Ten day ago our shop was in famine mode. Today, three techs nine hours each. Af,ter this bad winter for us, it sure is welcome, but I wish people would remember it still is March, we still could get snow. I guess I should grin and bear it.

I went battery electric 8 years ago with a Neuton EM 4.1 14" 24 volt single blade (current 14" model is CE 5) for my 120' x 60' lot. They make a 19" 36 volt version (CE 6) for the last 4-5 years. Neuton Battery Lawn Mowers - Neuton Battery Powered Lawn Mowers and Garden Carts - Mowers and Cart
In the last couple of years the number of makers and models of battery electrics has exploded. One outfit, Rechargemowers, even makes a 17" single blade lithium ion battery powered unit that's 35 lbs total weight. Recharge Mower - Recharege Ultralite Push Mower
Were I buying today that'd be my choice. Best I can tell they are the only ones using Li-Ion batteries. I feel sad for the neighbors who have those over-sized high maintenance gas machines. All I've ever had to do is clean the surfaces, tighten the Handle knurled nuts occasionally, and keep the blade sharp and balanced ( latter with my little cone on cone $5 balancer). Every few years (3-5) I've had to buy a replacement pair of sealed lead acid batteries at $30-40 each for one of the 3 battery packs I have , they've gone up a few dollars since I bought a pair ~ 1 1/2 months ago,
GS Battery TPH12100 UPS Battery Free Shipping | Apex Battery
and spend a whole 10 minutes installing them. I mulch the fall leaves into the lawn where they fall with it and that requires multiple passes and sometimes more than 1 battery pack charge to do. I have a couple extra blades so I can have one or more ready when it appears it's needed and re-sharpen (hone to razor's edge) a couple whenever the urge strikes. I am working on a new blade design which this mower offers a perfect test platform for with it's "security key" (removable breaker plug on a tether). I acquired a spare to be fitted with a series wire loop to measure current(tracks loading ) with a clamp-on ammeter I can velcro to the top of the mower. Gotta get the blanks to the machine shop for fabrication real soon as the grass will be perfect for the comparison testing soon. The change in design should carryover to all rotary mower blades.

One more "greening" effort: go solar sourced charging of battery electric mower. I've passed the idea through the tech folks at Neuton Mowers.
Harbor Freight has a coupon special for this 45 watt solar panel kit for $149. http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/90000-90999/90599.pdf
It's designed to charge a 12v battery so you spend maybe $40 on a sealed lead acid one to buffer the system and add this 12DC to 110 AC inverter which you plug the Neuton charger into.
DCACPOWERINVERTERS.COM - 12V 100 Watt Slim Power Inverter
I'd mount the panels on the south facing garage roof and the hardware on a shelf on that wall inside the garage. No sun for the solar panels = no growth of the grass demanding mowing...more or less.
it would = zero carbon(other than what went into the hardware manufacturing) generating lawn mowing! Too "green" for most of you?

Got my home's cub ZT out today and changed oil and filter. Fresh gas. Rode it around for a bit. No need to mow yet but probably in another week or so.

Can't wait to get the work machines out! But my wife just had a baby so I was off all week and prob part of next.
I miss the husq ZT but know it's too early to use.
It'll be the 4wd Jacobsen til it dries up good. No problem cause I love this mower too. Probably the best all around machine I've used.

Here in Central PA, the weather has been great this spring. I put down my weed and feed on 2.5 acres on 3/23/12 and mowed the front yard on the 24th for the first time this year. I could have waited another week to mow but could not wait to get out the Hustler SD Fastrack 54".