'Overwintering' petrol lawnmowers

after the last cut of the year, it's wise to drain all the petrol and oil from the mower (drain as much as you can, then start the mower and let it use the remaining petrol in the carb

thats what I have read, and it is recomended as good practise ....

never used to do that, but will do so with my mowers later this afternoon

 

I have a few mowers, and will keep 1 of the older ones in case I need to use it over the next few weeks

from what I have read, the fuel goes 'moggy' and messes up the carb ....

I will drain the mowers of oil/petrol and in the new year will buy new spark plugs, oil, air filters and possibly new blades .... will give them a good oiling/greasing etc aswell ...

I don't think they need any further servicing as all are running fine and had a new diaphram fitted onto one that was smoking a bit

 

very good mower .... but for a basic service such as oil, airfilter and sparkplug, it will cost you a tenner and is dead easy to do .... if you use the mower 4hrs a week, it may be worth your while changing (or washing) the airfilter every few months and adding a new sparkplug and fresh oil

I think the £80 that you pay could be a full service which includes cleaning the carb etc ... some places charge up to £150 depending on the mower (especially if it is self driven)

I recently had a mower serviced as it needed a new diaphragm (was smoking and struggled to get it started, even after I changed the plug and air filter) ...

they charged me £55 inclusive of collection/delivery .... deal was done over the phone

when it was delivered, the guy said that I got a bargain as there was several things that needed doing, but because they had a price promise and had quoted a fixed price, they never raised the price

I noted that they also sharpened and balanced the blade, there was a new petrol cap and a front wheel was replaced .... there were perhaps several other items replaced which I am not aware of

very good friendly guys and excellent service ...

and after it was serviced, found a youtube clip showing how to change the diaphragm ... costs approx £10 for the gasket and takes approx 5 minutes

 

Dont forget your strimmers, brushcutters, chainsaws and rotovators too!

Steve...

 

I normally pot mine up in a mixture of peat, well draining grit and vermiculite, wrap some hessian round the pot & store in a dry, frost free place untill spring.

Bother, been listening to gardeners question time too long:DOH:

 

I hope you mean start the mower and empty what is left in the carb BEFORE YOU HAVE DRAINED THE OIL or it will sieze / or at the very least damage the piston rings

Engineer You naught naughty boy you

Jack McH

 

... OOPS forgot .... there are some lady gardeners here who may drain the oil and pertol, then start it ...

so to claarify ..... tip the mower upside down .... drain a much petrol as you can

start the mower .... let it run till it stops due to lack of petrol

remove the oil cap ... tip it to it's side and drain as much oil as you can

but don't tip the oil or petrol on your lawn or flower bed .... do it in a container such as an old plastic lunch tin or similar and dispose of it properly and safely

 

Don't you mean remove the air filter before tipping to drain the petrol. Replace the air filter prior to starting the mower to starve of petrol then remove the air filter prior to tipping to drain the oil!?

 

Omg

OMG You have done it now
Doubting genders capabilities

Don flack jacket and just where is the smilie for popcorn

Jack McH

 

A full winter service is always a good idea if you have a lot of grass to cut.
If your mower doesn't do much work though, a few drops of of this in the fuel will be sufficient to avoid any starting problems in the spring: Fresh Start Fuel Stabilizer Plus | Shop BriggsAndStratton.com.
Most garden machinery servicing providers will have it available.
I've been using this in my mower and petrol can for winter storage for several years now and it starts first or second pull in the spring every year.
(Suitable for use by both sexes).