[danham]

Well, not exactly "no maintenance." I have not used my Deluxe 28 since putting it away last spring. At that time I drained the fuel, changed the oil and greased the fittings. My question is, can I just leave it until next winter (assuming no snow here in March or April, which in a "normal" year would be a faulty assumption) or should I start it up, drain the fuel again, change the oil?

-dan

 

[Oneacer]

I never drain anything, always have full tanks of treated gas, start all my equipment throughout the year, so I am not the one to ask ....

If you drained and emptied everything for storage, then I would not disturb it ??

 

[Cummins Fan]

In my humble opinion, I would leave everything as is. The oil should be good since you haven't run the machine. You could take an oil sample and have that checked for contaminates if you are worried about the oil condition. I would add STA-BIL fuel treatment to your fuel in the tank and be done.

Remember a lot of new small engine yard machines are built and shipped with engine oil it them. These may sit a year or two before they are sold and put in use. Do you change the oil in them before using the machine after sitting in storage? I haven't with any of my yard equipment and they have all run without issues.

 

[orangputeh]

yes

 

[guzzijohn]

You’ve got to either do the treated fuel or run them dry so there is no residual fuel in the carburetor passages. I drain the small engines that sit in our shed for months. My bikes are in the heated shop and run every 3-4 weeks. Empty bike tanks are very prone to rust. Compounding that issue is they can’t be drained completely owing to designs that have pockets below the fuel outlet.

 

[orangputeh]

taken yesterday

 

[oragex]

For the OP, always smell inside the dipstick tube (remove cap). My snowblower has been leaking gas into the oil pan while in storage (leaking carburetor). Worth a 2 seconds check by smell after each storage and why not, before each use

 

[guzzijohn]

Add fuel shutoff valve!

 

[Bearguy69]

Leave it be. I personally don’t use stabil or any other fuel “stabilizer “ they don’t work if there’s ethanol in the fuel relative humidity will add water to the fuel over time and no fuel stabilizer prevents phase separation. So in my opinion draining of the fuel is good and just change the oil each year I change mine at the end of the season when the fuel is drained and then I do all the maintenance of taking the wheels off greasing the gears putting oil on the hex shaft, and never seize on the axle. Put every back together and it’s ready for winter. Minus fuel.

 

[UNDERTAKER]

taken yesterday View attachment 210789

Neighbor??????

 

[Bearguy69]

taken yesterday View attachment 210789

That will put your snowblower to the test

 

[badbmwbrad]

Are you going to add drift cutters to your machine?

taken yesterday View attachment 210789

 

[orangputeh]

Are you going to add drift cutters to your machine?

no. been here 27 years and they would have come in handy just a handful of times. I'm retired so have the luxury to get out there every 12-18 inches.

 

[WVguy]

Well, not exactly "no maintenance." I have not used my Deluxe 28 since putting it away last spring. At that time I drained the fuel, changed the oil and greased the fittings.

That's what I did, and ran it for about 15-20 minutes for one little snowfall last December. All I did for maintenance this year was drain the fuel, run it dry, then drained the carburetor bowl. I did open the belly pan just to look, but it appeared just like it did when I had last greased/oiled everything so I didn't see the point in doing everything again. Normally for even an hour of running I'd change the oil but didn't even bother with that. For 20 minutes running? Nah. I did spray some fogging oil in the cylinder and spin the starter motor for 5 seconds, then set the piston at top dead center on the compression stroke to keep the valves closed.

The biggie is draining the fuel, especially if it has ethanol in it. That way you can let it sit for multiple years and it should start right up when you just add fuel. The only thing you'll need to do is check the tire pressure before using it.

 

[Bearguy69]

This a good video on end of season maintenance.

 

[enigma-2]

I add Sta-Bil (360) AND Sea Foam (I use ethanol gas). Turn off the fuel shut off but leave gas in the carb. Start the engine once in the summer using the starter to keep it free (didn't do this last summer and paid the price this winter). I don't cover mine as she spends her summer in the garage.

 

[Marty013]

i think you still need to performe yearly maintenance.. grease does dry over time.. not over usage.. and oil in an engine doesnt exactly stay dormant.. it does react slightly to everything around it.. including the breather ... breathing as the engine cools and warms (daytime temps do move up and down still) which can cause moisture to condense inside the engine.. best to change oil before season in my opinion

 

[KJSeller]

i think you still need to performe yearly maintenance.. grease does dry over time.. not over usage.. and oil in an engine doesnt exactly stay dormant.. it does react slightly to everything around it.. including the breather ... breathing as the engine cools and warms (daytime temps do move up and down still) which can cause moisture to condense inside the engine.. best to change oil before season in my opinion

Exactly. Cheap insurance IMO.

 

[Bearguy69]

Exactly. Cheap insurance IMO.

100 percent agree. A few dollars in gas, oil and grease. I don’t know why people would risk leaving fuel in the tank at the end of the season. Or baulk at changing the oil. Heck when I had a gas powered mower I would change the oil, run the fuel out, change the spark plug, and either get a new blade or have it sharpened. And clean the underside side of the deck. A few dollars spent saves a whole lot of money later on. But reading comments here it’s like oh can’t afford to waste 10 dollars but would drop 2 grand on a new machine. I don’t get it?

 

[KJSeller]

100 percent agree. A few dollars in gas, oil and grease. I don’t know why people would risk leaving fuel in the tank at the end of the season. Or baulk at charging the oil. Heck when I had a gas powered mower I would change the oil, run the fuel out, change the spark plug, and either get a new blade or have it sharpened. And clean the underside side of the deck. A few dollars spent saves a whole lot of money later on. But reading comments here it’s like oh can’t afford to waste 10 dollars but would drop 2 grand on a new machine. I don’t get it?

Yes some people don't give their equipment proper TLC. Folks like us can keep things running for a long time.