Don't Forget to Add Gas Stabilizer to Your Lawnmower

Like all bras, which go grey with neglect and lose their elasticity, lawnmowers languish in the absence of regular maintenance.  So if you’re thinking of putting your lawnmower away for winter without giving that baby some love, think again.

For one thing, gasoline isn’t stable and should be used within 30 days of purchase.  Otherwise it gets gummy and won't burn. 

 

If you’ve got leftover gasoline in your portable fuel container, either add it to your car's gas tank or mix some gasoline stabilizer into it; the stabilizer prevents gas from breaking down and losing volatility over the winter, at which point that lame old fuel won’t spark any engine known to man. 

If you can't drain or burn off the rest of the fuel in your lawnmower tank before you store it, you can also add gas stabilizer to any fuel remaining in the tank. 

End of lecture.  Now go and enjoy winter without a single day of lawn mowing in it.

 

Comments

[Michael]

I like to burn off the gas with Techron added to it. It cleans off any varnish build up that occurred over the summer use and leave you with a clean and fresh mower for spring.

And people, change your oil too.

[Mag]

Great idea Michael. I don't know if you've noticed but you're full of groovy ideas. I liked your technique for cleaning under the deck by rolling the mower over a puddle too. It's like a jet propelled under-spray. Like I said. Groovy.

Mag

[Michael]

I do try to suggest ideas based on reasoned thought, but some times you have to go with what you got.

I'd also suggest your readers empty the gas tank on their 2 cycle tools and run a bit of Techron through them.

Adding the 2 cycle oil/gas mixture to your cars tank is harmless.

[Michael]

PS. I like what you do and the books you have written, but you are reducing the pool of damsels in distress for us single guys.

[Michael]

Mag, I don't want to twitter to contact you, there is that tilt issue. I hope this picture could be made available for a yank. Ever since snap-on went PC, guys could use a good shop poster.

I can't link to the photo. But you are holding a pair of Dewalt cordless products doing the female terminator look.

[AAAndrew]

Or get an electric lawnmower. :-)

I have a Black and Decker rechargeable and it works great. It takes me about 45 minutes to mow my lawn and I can do it on one charge every time except the first mow of the spring. I always procrastinate and wait until it's really long and thick before tackling it and it takes me two charges to finish. But other than that, I just unplug it, turn it on (no yanking on cords) and putter away.

And no gas to worry about. :-)

Cheers