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When do you fire 'em up?

2546 Views 34 Replies 27 Participants Last post by  Yanmar Ronin
It's 67° and I hear lawnmowers going but I also see shops with snowblowers for sale already. I'm tempted to put some gas in my machines and start them up even though I might not need them until December.

When do you usually test your machines for the first time after summer?
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I have had it snow on Halloween here in CT .... very rare though ...
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Cool. Looks like a wide range of replies but definitely not too early to try them. I think I'll double check the oil and start mine this coming weekend.
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year round all start 1 pull toro 8/24 kitted 8/24 ariens 924050 now 10/24 kitted 3.25 pulley ariens 414cc sho pulley 28 deluxe sounds evil at 3850 eating
I'm late this year. Usually, but not always, I've fired it up and gone over it by now since it's not unheard of to get early dumps in late Sept, early Oct. Perhaps tomorrow.
I do all my preventative maintenance in April including putting the machine on blocks and removing the wheels which go in the basement (which is an excellent theft deter-ant). I then check the oil (have heard all kinds of stories about fall problems here). I then add non-ethanol stabilized fuel and bring the beast to life. That way after clearing my snow from the first storm I can help some poor misfortunate in my neighborhood who is in danger of blowing their rotator cuff out trying to start a severely neglected machine who’s carburetor bowl is positively disgusting.
I've been through my blowers and have already started and tested them out this year already.
It's 67° and I hear lawnmowers going but I also see shops with snowblowers for sale already. I'm tempted to put some gas in my machines and start them up even though I might not need them until December.

When do you usually test your machines for the first time after summer?
I have been starting mine up now but I fix and sell them. I would change oil if you didn't do it last spring. Check it all out belts. You don't wanna do these things in the cold
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I had to use carb cleaner to start up the toro this year. Didnt have a fuel shutoff valve. Just installed one on Thursday night and did some other maintenance. I've to got install the fuel filter then I'll add fresh gas and fire it up. Oil was changed last spring, but I changed the gear oil and lubricated everything else and cleaned the friction disc.

Last thing to do is fabricate some poly skids and get some longer carriage bolts to secure them.

I'm almost ready to go!
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Every other month all year long...
I just checked my list for monthly maintenance items and noticed that I forgot to start the HSS1332AATD back in October. EDIT: I see why I didn't start it in October; I started it at the beginning of September for another video... So just rolled it out of the garage to start it for the first time in two months. Checked oil & gas levels, gas valve on, throttle at low idle, choke on full, and... Almost time to put the batteries back into the tachometer and thermometer!
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I do all the maintenance in the spring when I put it away, usually after mowing the lawn a couple of times. Change oil, grease and oil that which should be oiled and greased, general cleanup, check belts, spark plug, anything else I can think of. I know I'm the exception here, but I also drain the entire fuel system; tank, fuel lines, carburetor bowl - all bone dry. The idea is that it can sit for years (which it may) without touching it. Then in the fall I check tire pressure, roll it to the garage, and still don't put any fuel in it until I see snow on the ground. Then, and only then, do I actually start it. If nothing changed since the last time I ran it, why wouldn't it start now?

The thing is, snowfall is erratic around here. Sometimes we get snowfalls measured in feet, sometimes we don't get any. So if we don't get any (which did happen a couple years ago) I just wheel it back to the basement and forget about it until the next fall. Saves me all that maintenance work. But it if got used one time I still do all the maintenance - water has a way of being sneaky and doing bad things if you're not vigilant.
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I don't bother to start the blowers up until the lawn mowers get put away. If I am having any issues with the blowers during the season they get fixed before they get swapped out for the mowers. All my gas gets treated with sea-foam year round, I try to run the tanks low at the end of the season and shut off the gas and run the carburetors dry before storage. This has been working for me so far. As far as the oil changes go, I like to change oil at the beginning of the season just incase there is condensation built up during the down time.
Snowblowers are started once a month to six weeks in the summer. Backpack blowers and handheld blowers are used throughout the summer. I use premium fuel with stabil and tanks are left full all summer. When the season hits tire pressure will be checked and a small dose of sea foam will be added to the tank. All repairs and servicing was done inthe spring. Same as lawnmower is serviced in the fall and I will actually fire it up if we get a super warm day in the winter
I have had a good experience starting my small engine tools like trimmers and leaf blowers once a month throughout the winter instead of winterizing. Can I do the same with my snowblower by starting it once/month during spring, summer and fall instead of “summerizing” it? Thx
Can I do the same with my snowblower by starting it once/month during spring, summer and fall instead of “summerizing” it?
Yup. See post #3 & #29 for my take on it...
If this turns into an additive thread I am gonna detonate in spectacular fashion... the subsequent shrapnel would quite likely cause signifigant casualties.

Regards, The Management
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