Spring Equipment Check-Up Guide

(ARA) - You’ve put your winter coat away, and the days are getting longer. Welcome to spring! Unfortunately, that’s not all that is getting longer. Your lawn is calling and you need to be ready to answer.

Spring is the start of the lawn care season, and with a little work early in the year your lawn and garden equipment will be ready to perform all season long. This guide will help you move into the yard without a hitch.

Safety First
* Remove the power cord, spark plug wire, or battery for cordless equipment prior to performing any service. Also gloves and eye protection are required to safely perform service.

* Next, check all of the unit’s fasteners, replace any that are missing, and tighten loose fasteners to the manufacturer’s recommended tightness. Loose and missing fasteners are a frequent cause of trips to the repair shop, and can be dangerous.

Sharp Cutters are Key
* Evaluate the condition of any blades, cutting attachments or blower impellers. If in poor condition, these items will impair performance and can cause injury.

* It’s probably best to leave maintenance of these items to a professional unless you are a very skillful mechanic and instructions for removal, replacement and sharpening are readily available.

Electric Equipment
* Electric equipment’s external cords and wires should be checked for fraying.

* Check all extension cords used to power these products. Any frayed cords and wires should be repaired immediately by a certified technician. Replace any bad extension cords. Don’t risk using the unit or extension cord even once as dangerous shocks can result.

* Ensure that all switches are intact and activate freely. Fully charge the battery, if applicable.

Gas Powered Equipment
* Perform the simple maintenance procedures from the owner’s manual.

* Check the oil before starting any small engine that doesn’t use gas/oil fuel mix. Place the product on level ground to avoid false readings. If the oil is low, fill it to the recommended level with the specified oil. Also, while some oil consumption is normal for small engines, now is a good time to check for oil leaks that need to be addressed by a professional.

* Check the air filter; carefully clean dirt, oil, and debris off the filter cover and the surrounding area before removing the cover. Examine the filter, and if it is dirty, replace or clean it per manufacturer’s instructions.

* More experienced DIYers might want to change the oil and filter and check the spark plug. Make sure that your fuel is fresh as stale fuel can damage your engine. Unless you used a fuel stabilizer like Sta-Bil from Gold Eagle Co., any fuel more than 90 days old needs to be properly disposed of.

Cables and Levers
* Check to make sure all of these cables and levers operate smoothly. If they don’t, lubricate or replace them.

Start Up
* Connect the spark plug wire and fire up engine-powered equipment. Following the operator’s manual instructions, fill up the fuel tank with fresh fuel, making sure there are no fuel leaks, and start the engine.

* If the engine doesn’t start, it is often because unstabilized fuel was left in the unit during storage. This stale fuel doesn’t like to burn, and leaves varnish in your carburetor’s small passages and the fuel line. But all is not lost. If stale fuel and a dirty fuel system are the causes of hard starting, try a product like Start Your Engines! fuel system revitalizer. These starting fluids/system cleaners can refresh stale fuel and clean muck out of your fuel system just by pouring them into the unit’s fuel tank. It’s an easy and economical way to fix a gunked-up engine.

* If the engine still will not start after trying a fuel system revitalizer, it’s best to get a professional to evaluate the problem.

Spring lawn care season is a great way to get active and enjoy the outdoors. It can be rewarding and easy if your tools are ready from the start. So what are you waiting for? Get going!

For more information on Sta-Bil Fuel Stabilizer, Start Your Engines! fuel revitalizer, or other Gold Eagle Co. products, visit www.goldeagle.com or call (800) 367-3245.

Courtesy of ARAcontent