TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT GET OUT THAT LAWN MOWER

TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT GET OUT THAT LAWN MOWER Ok, some of you have already mowed your lawn for the first time this spring but for the rest of us we are getting ready to pull out that lawn mower and get to work. If you read my article last fall about proper storage for the winter this is no big deal but if you did not and it has been siting all winter without being prepared here somethings to think about doing or having done for you by a professional. If you did not put in fuel stablizer in your fuel and stored with fuel in the tank, you should drain the tank of old fuel and add clean fresh fuel. . Over time, untreated gasoline breaks down and no longer does its job; it just does not have the chemically stored energy anymore, kind of like a drained battery. As I told you last fall, pouring a measured amount of a fuel stabilizer into the gasoline mix can keep the fuel from going bad. The cost for stabilizer can be as low as 50 cents per tank treated; saving visit to a repair shop or loss of equipment. You may have to spray carburetors cleaner into the carburetors as well to remove varnish left by evaporating fuel; old fuel is the major cause of hard starting in the spring and resulting in spark plug fouling. If you did not change the oil before storage, change it this spring before starting. The oil should be changed at least once a season or every 25 operation hours. Most push type lawn mowers do not have an oil filter. Over the winter water, and other contaminates can accumulate in the motor oil. Use the manufactures recommend weight and capacity. Change the air filter according to the recommended schedule, or at the beginning of each season. Engine manufacturers sell maintenance kits complete with the correct oil for each tool - Briggs & Stratton, for example, sells tune-up kits containing fuel stabilizer, spark plug, filter, and oil - although oil can be purchased separately. Also, be sure to recycle used oil at a licensed oil collection location. Finally, remember to change the spark plug, one of the easiest solutions for hitch-free starts. Like motor oil, a spark plug should be changed once every season. When I have the spark plug out I place a little Marvel Mystery Oil to help lubricate the piston before I start the engine over time the oil has drained into the crank case and there may not be much left on the rings. Remember, the gap in the end of the spark plug - the space where the spark forms - must be adjusted to each engine's specifications. Manufacturers' maintenance kits generally include "pre-gapped" plugs for a specific model. As a bonus, proper engine maintenance reduces engine emission, which is good for the environment. But don't let pre-chore maintenance create new problems for you or your lawn mower. When servicing the underside of a mower deck, for example, always position the mower with the air-filter side up. Otherwise, oil might drain into the filter, preventing the engine from starting. And always detach the spark plug to keep the engine from starting accidentally. Of course you can also just take it to a qualified small engine shop and they will do all this for you, but regardless if you do it yourself or have it done proper maintenance save your investment in equipment and a lot of spring frustration. Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.