Coming into the third snow season for our no-longer-new ST227P, I decided to give it its own thread. Previously, info was piggybacked on the http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/husqvarna-snowblowers/71922-new-st-227p-some-questions-some-issues.html here.
Picking up where we left off last spring with storage prep, I decided yesterday to pull the cover off, blow the dust off and do the pre-season ritual stuff to it. Temps in the low 70's, seemed a perfect time to do everything, vs. on a frozen morning with inches of snow accumulating.
-- Retreated all the painted parts with paint sealant. I use a pro equivalent of Mequiars NXT 2.0 sealant, same stuff that protects the paint on the cars. It may help some with abrasion damage, but for sure it helps keep snow slush ice fro sticking. I do the impellers too.
-- Topped up the air in the tires. I'd max'd the pressure at 20 PSI in the spring, but it had drifted down to about 10 PSI over the summer. Between uses the machine sits on a little 4-wheel mover's dolly so the tires didn't "go flat" -- there's no weight on them. the dolly, incidentally, makes moving it around a LOT easier, keeps the scraper and shoes off the floor (no rust from sitting in water...), and was <$10 at the neighborhood Harbor Freight store.
-- Removed the spark plug (was finger tight) and cycled the engine a few times with the pull starter cord. This clears any remaining ATF and fogging oil from the cylinder. Plug is back in and tight, with teh wire reconnected.
-- Fill the tank with fresh treated fuel. the LCT manual for the engine recommends running the system out of fuel (fuel valve off) after each use. With treated fuel they say it's OK to leave fuel in the carburetor. Turns out that Sta-Bil is cheap enough to just dose the gas can at fill-up and never worry about it.
-- Check the oil level. It was just filled with fresh oil prior to storage in the spring, so this is a formality. Double-cautious, just in case the oil was stolen from it over the summer. Or I forgot to refill. Cheap and easy insurance. Oil level is good.
-- Drum roll... How quickly will it start? Last fall during the same effort, it started on the soft pull when I was trying to roll it up towards compression. This year it didn't. It actually took a full starting pull to bring it to life this time. Either the engine or the owner must be getting tired with age or something. Note that I've never considered using the electric-start capability. It starts so easily with the rope, why bother getting out and recoiling an extension cord for the electric start? I guess it works...
-- Let it run and warm up some, listening for funny noises, looking for leaks. None noted, so closed teh fuel shut-off, let the engine run to stall. Let it cool off, rechecked the oil level out of habit, rolled it onto its dolly, then rolled it all back to it's spot by the workbay door. Cover is folded and stored away.
I'm trying to decide if I should treat myself to a matching-orange balaclava this year. Neoprene or knit? Toughest decision so far.
Next duty: clean and wax the snow shovels.
Picking up where we left off last spring with storage prep, I decided yesterday to pull the cover off, blow the dust off and do the pre-season ritual stuff to it. Temps in the low 70's, seemed a perfect time to do everything, vs. on a frozen morning with inches of snow accumulating.
-- Retreated all the painted parts with paint sealant. I use a pro equivalent of Mequiars NXT 2.0 sealant, same stuff that protects the paint on the cars. It may help some with abrasion damage, but for sure it helps keep snow slush ice fro sticking. I do the impellers too.
-- Topped up the air in the tires. I'd max'd the pressure at 20 PSI in the spring, but it had drifted down to about 10 PSI over the summer. Between uses the machine sits on a little 4-wheel mover's dolly so the tires didn't "go flat" -- there's no weight on them. the dolly, incidentally, makes moving it around a LOT easier, keeps the scraper and shoes off the floor (no rust from sitting in water...), and was <$10 at the neighborhood Harbor Freight store.
-- Removed the spark plug (was finger tight) and cycled the engine a few times with the pull starter cord. This clears any remaining ATF and fogging oil from the cylinder. Plug is back in and tight, with teh wire reconnected.
-- Fill the tank with fresh treated fuel. the LCT manual for the engine recommends running the system out of fuel (fuel valve off) after each use. With treated fuel they say it's OK to leave fuel in the carburetor. Turns out that Sta-Bil is cheap enough to just dose the gas can at fill-up and never worry about it.
-- Check the oil level. It was just filled with fresh oil prior to storage in the spring, so this is a formality. Double-cautious, just in case the oil was stolen from it over the summer. Or I forgot to refill. Cheap and easy insurance. Oil level is good.
-- Drum roll... How quickly will it start? Last fall during the same effort, it started on the soft pull when I was trying to roll it up towards compression. This year it didn't. It actually took a full starting pull to bring it to life this time. Either the engine or the owner must be getting tired with age or something. Note that I've never considered using the electric-start capability. It starts so easily with the rope, why bother getting out and recoiling an extension cord for the electric start? I guess it works...
-- Let it run and warm up some, listening for funny noises, looking for leaks. None noted, so closed teh fuel shut-off, let the engine run to stall. Let it cool off, rechecked the oil level out of habit, rolled it onto its dolly, then rolled it all back to it's spot by the workbay door. Cover is folded and stored away.
I'm trying to decide if I should treat myself to a matching-orange balaclava this year. Neoprene or knit? Toughest decision so far.
Next duty: clean and wax the snow shovels.