GARDEN HUT                      

Lawn Equipment - Sales, Parts, and Service

SERVICE TIPS

Mowers

1. Blade Sharpening: If you are going to clean the deck or sharpen the blade on your walk mower you will need to tip the mower on its side. Always tip the mower with the air filter/carburetor side up. This will prevent gas and oil from getting into the air filter and making a mess. Most of the mowers in the last 10 years or so use a paper air filter which will plug if it gets wet with gas or oil. If you have a sponge filter it is easy to wash it out, re-oil it and you are back in business.

2. Bagging Grass: Bagging performance will be poor if the pores in the bag get plugged with grass juice and dirt. The bag should be steam cleaned every year to get maximum vacuum from your mower.

Ice Augers

1. Getting Ready: When getting your gear ready to go ice fishing be sure your ice auger is in working condition, especially if you just had it in for service. There is a lot of work involved in getting ready to go ice fishing. You don't want to drive to the lake to find out your auger won't start. Use fresh gas from the station. Last year's gas usually will cause some starting and running problems. If you are not sure bring it to your favorite service shop for a tune-up. If they cannot load test it find someone who can. This is the only way you know it will drill a hole when you get to the lake.

2. Cutting edge: You should not have to push down much when drilling a hole in the ice. If you do your bit is probably dull and needs sharpening or replacing. If you like to move around and drill a lot of holes it will be a lot less effort with a sharp bit.

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4. Cold starting: When starting you auger up cold it needs to warm up for about 1 minute to before you should start drilling. It will take about another minute of drilling before it is fully warmed up. Not the normal 1 minute-which is about 15 seconds for most. I mean a full minute by your watch. Especially if it is below zero outside. Also the colder it is the more times you need to choke and prime it for starting.

Snow Blowers

1. Fall Tune-up: Get your snowblower ready for snow before it gets cold outside. It is much easier to do maintenance when it is 60º than 0º. Drain out the old gas and refill with gas fresh from the gas station. Do not use the gas in the can from last year, it is too old. You might have trouble starting it in very cold weather with old gas.  Put in a new spark plug. Next change oil. It needs fresh oil even if you did not use it last year. Run the engine for 20 minutes at 1/2 throttle to get the oil and sludge mixed up good so it will drain out. Add 5w-30 winter oil up to the full mark. Tip the blower up on the front housing and remove the bottom cover. Lube all moving parts with grease or oil. Check for loose or worn parts. Check the air in the tires. Check the lube level in the front gearbox. Refer to your owners manual for proper lube and level. Now you are ready for winter.

2. Shear Bolts: 2-stage snow blowers have shear pins on the auger to prevent damage if you should hit something hard. Most are easy to replace. The key is to have a spare on hand when one breaks. We recommend having at least 2 spare shear bolts taped to the handlebar. That way you won't loose them and they will be ready when you need them. When the snow is deep, your car is blocked in your garage, and a shear bolt breaks, that is not when you want to be out of shear bolts.

3. Fuel: Gasoline goes stale in 4-6 months sometimes. When November rolls around be sure you have fresh gas in your snowblower and gas can. That way you eliminate one of the potential problems of starting your snowblower in cold weather.

4. Summer Storage: In some areas of the country March can be the snowiest month of the winter season. But that doesn't mean many of us aren't wishing for spring. When it comes time to put your snowthrower away for the season, here are a few tips to prepare it for storage. 1. Add a fuel stabilizer to what you think may be the last tank of fuel. 2. After adding the stabilizer, run engine for at least five minutes to circulate the conditioned fuel. 3. If you're done with your snow throwing season, start engine and run until the machine is out of fuel. 4.Prime/choke and attempt to re-start, repeating until ALL fuel is used. 5. Be sure that your machine is clean and dry. 6. If your snowthrower needs oil changes, now is the time to do it. Putting fresh oil in your snowthrower now will help it to start easy and run well when you need it next winter. 7. Check your owner's manual to determine if other routine maintenance needs to be performed. 8. Never store your snowthrower in the house or basement, choose a dry area outside.

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