Who keeps their Wheel Horses in a Heated Garage / Shed

[johnnymag3 2,515]

So once again....here is  the 24,000 Dollar question.

 

Do you guys keep your Horses in a heated garage, or shed......and do you mouse/proof if its not a tight area with good doors and windows. What types of protection do you use for fuel, oils, and stabilizers for Transmissions

Edited September 8, 2020 by johnnymag3

[R Scheer 502]

I do, I keep the garage around 40 degrees.  It seems to keep the woodworking tools from rusting up as well.

 

Stabilizer is Star tron.  Seems to work, whethor it's better than others I don't know.

 

No blankies unless I'm doing sanding.

Edited September 8, 2020 by R Scheer

[ebinmaine 67,274]

As you can imagine it gets some kind of cold up here in the mountains of Maine.

We've been known to bring our snow blower for tractor into the basement which is heated if we know it's going to be a particularly chilly night.

 

I don't use any additives, stabilizers, anything like that. I don't feel the need because none of our machines normally sit for very long. We use non-ethanol gas and if something will sit for a few weeks or months we run the carburetor out of fuel.

 

All of our gear drive transmissions get the least expensive 80W 90 I can find.

 

Engine oil viscosity is fairly close to what Kohler recommends 30 weight above freezing and 10w30 below freezing.

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,490]

Garage yes.

No heat.

Stabil for gas.

Critters are “relocated” as needed...

[johnnymag3 2,515]

So for the most part, we relocate critters as needed... Im onboard with that. and I do the same. What types of stuff do you guys dump into the love juices as needed

[Bill D 1,907]

New, tight shed to keep the critters out.  Marine formula Stabil in ethanol free gas.  Castrol 10W-30 synthetic oil.  Bill

[rjg854 11,350]

No heat in my shed, I use snap traps for mice.  Nothing special for the tractors over the winter, other than a tender once in a while. On good days I'll get them out and run them around for a bit. I have one for plowing, one with the snow thrower, and another for going to the mailbox. That leaves 3 to run every now and then.

[Lee1977 6,642]

My Wheel Horses are in the basement never gets below 64 degrees or higher then 78. I mow from Feburary to some time in December getting up or mulching leafs.  They don't sit idle for long. 

[CCW 1,292]

Although always garaged my 89 has never been in a heated garaged until the summer rolls around.  I use Sta-Bil in the gas and run the tank dry for the winter.  Battery comes in to trickle over the winter.  It is no longer used for any winter activity.  Critters have not been a problem, yet.

[GarySeever 82]

Heated in the winter, air conditioning in the summer .Non ethanol for fuel  just shut fuel off for sitting a long time and run the bowl out. Straight 30 oil in the kohler.

[johnnymag3 2,515]

25 minutes ago, GarySeever said:

Heated in the winter, air conditioning in the summer .Non ethanol for fuel  just shut fuel off for sitting a long time and run the bowl out. Straight 30 oil in the kohler.

THE BEST

 

[953 nut 55,075]

My shop is climate controlled, whatever the climate is sort of controles what it is like inside.      

I keep track of mice with glue traps and only keep fuel in the  I am likely to use. All others are drained of fuel and run until they run out. Every drop of gas is non-ethanol treated with SeaFoam and I don't store more than five gallons of gas so it is fresh when used.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

Always liked the mouse trap on the farm I knew, a 5 gal bucket with 2 ramps a dowel through a piece of pipe over the bucket, the pipe was covered with peanut butter, the bucket had anti freeze, the pipe spun the mouse dropped in

Edited September 8, 2020 by jabelman

[Al C. 1,428]

I keep my two in a connected garage.  Temp never goes below 35 and reaches 90’s in summer.  The one I use for mowing I keep on a trickle charge and run the carburetor dry after the last mow.  The one I use for snow has gas in year round.  Also keep it on a trickle charger.  Both get Shell 30W for the Koehler engines and 80W/90 gear oil for the manual transmissions.   

[Pullstart 62,791]

1 hour ago, jabelman said:

Always liked the mouse trap on the farm I knew, a 5 gal bucket with 2 ramps a dowel through a piece of pipe over the bucket, the pipe was covered with peanut butter, the bucket had anti freeze, the pipe spun the mouse dropped in

Very similar to my trap...  my issue currently is that the antifreeze is beginning to stink and I don’t want to dump it where the chickens have access to poisoned mice.

 

 

[SPINJIM 1,981]

No heat in the pole barn, so the WHs go into cold storage.  I put a trickle charger on the two for snow plowing and for the snow blower.  I disconnect the batteries on the other ten, and bring two batteries into the heated basement, just in case.  Always use ethanol free fuel, and try to run them once a month during the winter.   

 

As for the mices, I keep at least four traps set all winter, and check them weekly.   Don't use mouse poison, because they'll just go off in a corner to die, and smell up the place.

    Jim

Edited September 9, 2020 by SPINJIM

[JohnD 145]

SpinJim, do you run ethanol free fuel just in the winter, or all year round? 

[jay bee 896]

The 1976 B-100 (bought new) spent its first 24 years in an unheated garage.  The last 20 years in a heated garage. Always used pump gas 93 octane treated with Sta-bil or in later years Seafoam. Never use a battery tender on that one because it is working all summer and plowing or blowing snow all winter. Just normal maintenance, plugs and oil changes, 30w detergent, to keep it happy. Critters have never been a problem. The other two horses that I’ve acquired in the last few years, we’ll call them “the lazy ones”, get the same treatment except they get a battery tender on them. I don’t drain the fuel but start them and run them around the yard for exercise every now and then.

@pullstart l’m going to make a bucket like yours just because it looks like a lot of fun. Fun for me, not fun for the chipmunks. 

[Pullstart 62,791]

@jay bee I am going to soon create another trap.  I have a pair of “live” traps in which they have a gate that allows mice in but not out.  I have trapped two or three at a time max, then drop them in the juice.  I plan to attach those live traps to a bucket lid (on a bucket) and drill a large hole so they only have that as an out.  That way, I can keep that style trap in the chicken coop, with antifreeze and keep the chickens safe.

[Mickwhitt 4,587]

My new storage area is directly beneath our bedroom.

Its the first year of operation so I will find out how cold it gets in winter and if I need any heat in there.

The steel door is in full sun from lunch time onwards so gets pretty hot to the touch, acting like a solar radiator.

No mice as far as I know but that might change lol.

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

Heated and cooled!

 

[AHS 1,439]

 I have a garage, not heated; it is insulated. The 73 14hp get put away, carb drained, and battery pulled.  The 00 312 gets a plow.  The 88 414 get a long Shute snowblower, weighted agricultural tires and chains. The  65 power king with a plow get shoved into the garage as well!

[cleat 5,809]

My shop is insulated and heated.

The lucky Wheel Horse that gets chosen for winter duty (520HC the last couple of years) gets to stay there.

The rest get to stay in one of the unheated garages where there are lots of mouse traps set.

So far no real issue with mouse damage.

 

[Goofball65 13]

Well don't have heat or ac in either garage or shed and the 856 sat outside covered for pass 3 yrs "now refurbishing " and will use it as my plow will probally keep in garage , the gt14 has bin in shed for winters and just just drain out carb and tank . will probaliy keep in garage this yr and tackle tranny leak. as far as mice just snap trap under hood and thats about it.

[Lagersolut 648]

Garage yes but not heated - being the garage is part of the house it never really gets below 40 degrees even in winter - the 2000 dollar insulated Clopay door I had installed 2 years ago really helped .