Chestnut 315 #1 Posted January 21, 2021 This is a question I've wanted to toss out there for quite a while. Lots of you out there have machines that are dedicated to seasonal jobs, or are just in storage for long periods of time. I'm the same. I have a dedicated snowblower tractor, and several that work only in the summer. Ethanol-free gas is hard to find or very expensive around here. We've all read the horror stories of what it can do during engine storage. What do you all do when putting your tractors into storage and then when waking them up and putting them back to work? Storage: For years I just ran the fuel tank and engine until empty and put the tractor (or other small engine powered equipment like the generator or pressure washer) into storage. The past few years I've put some canned, Ethanol Free gas in the tank, a splash of stabilizer, and restarted for a minute to leave the fuel system flooded. If it had a battery it got a tender or was removed and put into basement storage where it couldn't freeze. Scrape out the mower deck and maybe coat with POR15, sharpen the blades as needed General inspection Wake up: Fuel up Check the plugs. Start, warm up, change the oil and filter grease Blow off the dust, check for mouse nests Have to admit I'm remiss about trans oil and maintenance I'm Interested in anyone else's routine. Does anyone else pull the plugs and fog the cylinder(s) when going into storage? Dry fuel system or wet with stabilizer? Does anyone drain/change the oil before storage to try and avoid particulates settling in the crankcase? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,696 #2 Posted January 21, 2021 ALL non ethanol gas. NO particular storage process. NO stabilizer. I know lots of people like it and no offense intended but I believe it to be a "snake oil." NO problems with any of the various 2 and 4 stroke machines. Trimmer. 4 chain saws. Push mower. 4 tractors. Chipper. Snowblower. Etc... We've been using the non e for maybe 3 years now. We have machines we may not touch for 6 to 9 months. They. Just. Start. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Achto 27,622 #3 Posted January 21, 2021 I'm a run them dry before storage person. I run nothing but non-ethonal gas and use Sea Foam in my small engine gas religiously. Start up consists of charge the battery, fill the gas, change oil, & check for intruders. Usually an uneventful start up. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAinVA 4,619 #4 Posted January 21, 2021 I run any machine empty before storage. Generator gets this treatment because it may sit for years. I just had a 13 horse Predator in the shop for 6 months and woke it up today. I ran it dry before storage. iI got fresh fuel and started up with only a couple of pulls on the starter rope. I run ethanol free fuel in all the air cooled engines with an addition of sea foam and stabil in the jug. I was skeptical of Seafoam until i put half a can i my IH Cub. It ran like crap and the next step was a rebuild. That was 2 years ago and I didn't pull the carb. If you can get ethanol free fuel it is worth the difference in price! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RandyLittrell 3,884 #5 Posted January 21, 2021 When I wake up, I gimp into the kitchen and make coffee, then take my meds. After that is just where the wind takes me! Other than using non ethanol fuel and try to remember and shut off the fuel, that's about it. All my stuff that run lives under a roof though, so that probably helps. Randy 1 1 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,696 #6 Posted January 21, 2021 13 minutes ago, RandyLittrell said: When I wake up, I gimp into the kitchen and make coffee, then take my meds Me too..... 13 minutes ago, RandyLittrell said: All my stuff that run lives under a roof Us too. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,696 #7 Posted January 21, 2021 16 minutes ago, JAinVA said: If you can get ethanol free fuel it is worth the difference in price! ABSOLUTELY agreed 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,315 #8 Posted January 21, 2021 I prefer the drain and run dry method. No matter if you have non-ethanol fuel or not, it will still dry up over time leaving some residue. I use Sta-Bil in fuel that may not get used for a long time to prevent the varnish smell and because some small engine manufacturers have recommended it for many years. I do agree that the bulk of additives are just solvents or snake oil. I try to use non-ethanol in chainsaws, grass trimmers and leaf blowers, but the Wheel Horses see nearly all ethanol laced regular grade gas without issue. Batteries last longer when kept cool or cold as long as they are fully charged, there is no need to bring them indoors. I connect a 1.25 AMP Battery Tender for about 3 days per month then rotate to another battery, there is little voltage drop over the disconnected 27 days. It is best to change oil just before storage so that acids and condensation are removed. I pull the decks, scrape the crud out, grease the spindles, sharpen and balance the blades, then spray Fluid Film for rust protection. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stepney 2,325 #9 Posted January 21, 2021 Mine more or less only see operation one at a time, so there's just one common battery between them. My Raider 12 and Lawn Ranger both have magneto ignition engines so they don't need batteries anyway. Just start with a rope. But batteries are left on the Minder at most any time unless the machine is away from the house. I always run whatever is cheapest locally for gas and throw a touch of Marine Stabil at it. I don't drain the carbs unless they are left to set for over a year. I find not all the gas tends to burn and leaves a mess .. if ever. Prefer to leave the carb wet. A little fogging oil in the intake before shut down. Stuff steel wool into any open holes where mice may go. Not too fancy. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AHS 1,443 #10 Posted January 21, 2021 Seasonal... I run my 73 WH 14hp/hydro. Non ethanol run thru it. Add the right amount of stabil, and shut her off.. let the carb run dry. Take out the battery. I do it kinda backwards, change the oil in the spring and grease it up, and check the air filter.... I gotta remember that this is a 48 y/o tractor!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pollack Pete 2,273 #11 Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) Ethanol gas,exclusevly.I use Sea Foam year round.I put the equipment away at the end of the season and kinda forget about them until I need it again.Then,I check the oil,give the key a turn.If they start,fine.If not,then the battery is probably low and the charger goes on for an hour or so.Has worked pretty good for me,so far.Your results may vary. Edited January 21, 2021 by Pollack Pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjg854 11,389 #12 Posted January 21, 2021 11 hours ago, ebinmaine said: ALL non ethanol gas. NO particular storage process. NO stabilizer. I know lots of people like it and no offense intended but I believe it to be a "snake oil." NO problems with any of the various 2 and 4 stroke machines. Trimmer. 4 chain saws. Push mower. 4 tractors. Chipper. Snowblower. Etc... We've been using the non e for maybe 3 years now. We have machines we may not touch for 6 to 9 months. They. Just. Start. Pretty much the same for me, nothing extra, other than a tender on the batteries maybe for a day once a month on tractors that don't get started during the winter months. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,696 #13 Posted January 21, 2021 3 minutes ago, rjg854 said: tender on the batteries I didn't think to add that. This is the first winter we've had a couple extra batteries. I keep them in the basement which is normally fairly cool and run them on the automatic charger every 3 or 4 weeks for a few hours 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rusty Tinsnips 477 #14 Posted January 21, 2021 I use e-10 gas, shut it down in the winter and start it up in the spring, never had a problem. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,164 #15 Posted January 22, 2021 I drain out the pump gas and add about a pint of VP 4 cycle fuel. Run the engine a bit to get that into the bowl. Tractors stored in the shed get their batteries pulled and put on tenders Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chestnut 315 #16 Posted January 25, 2021 Thanks for all the input. The big thing I take away from the comments is....... These small engines and the rest of the machines are pretty robust. Could probably start a range war over whether or not to feed the horses Ethanol. It's entirely a matter of availability of something with no ETOH even close to the same price range of regular pump gas for me. @ebinmaine put me on to a station near him but it's over an hour from home. Other than that I could get $9 race gas or $24 canned gas. I do use the canned 50:1 in my weedwacker. Firm believers on both sides about fuel additives. They're all secret formulas so I can't comment. Battery tenders and basement storage got a mixed response. I In the end, I think I'm going to change some things. Going back to just running the tank dry. Went to leaving the carb full of gas to prevent seals and gaskets from drying out and leaking. But I've never had a carb or intake gasket leak anyway, and leaving them dry cuts out a step. Also no chance of having gas evaporate from the bowl. I think I'm going to start doing the end of season oil change. Makes sense to me to get rid of any contaminants in the oil before leaving it to sit. It's also nice and warm after I run the fuel tank dry. 'm old enough to remember a battery with the hard rubber case going dead, freezing, and cracking. They seem to hold a charge better now with the poly case and sealed cells. I don't think the poly would crack these days, but it's easy enough to put a tender on the snowblowers and bring the others into the basement. No change there. All the machines get some kind of covered storage. I also almost always get everything running without any drama. My own wake up is like some of the others. Gimp to the coffee. If my wife didn't get up first the dogs need to go out and then eat even before the coffee. Wish there was a Zerk for Synvisc or Cortisone. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,696 #17 Posted January 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Chestnut said: coffee. Wish there was a Zerk for Synvisc or Cortisone Yeah buddy... I'm lucky my own dog understands that cofffffeeeee always is first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
