Winter protection can affect lawn care and equipment on the job site. Here are three easy steps on how to winterize your equipment to prevent fuel problems caused by ethanol gasoline. Most people just put some Sta-bil in their tank and call it a season. That's not what we do here.
Table of contents
- The first step in winterizing your equipment is to add a small amount of fuel
- Start the engine and let it idle until it is empty
- Keep storing your equipment for the winter
- Alternative Ways to Winterize Equipment – Use Premium Fuel
The first step in winterizing your equipment is to add a small amount of fuel
The goal is to run out of fuel, so don't fill up the tank just yet. We just want a little so we don't waste fuel — or our time. Start with standard mid-grade 89-octane fuel. It's more refined than 87 octane.
Add some Sta-Bil to the tank
Add some Sta-bil or other good fuel stabilizer to the mixture before adding the oil. Put at most a few ounces of the fuel/oil/stabilizer mixture in the tank. 8 oz handles up to 20 gallons of fuel. Since the goal is to use it up, you don't need much.
Start the engine and let it idle until it is empty
Complete your standard start-up procedure. Start the engine, engage the choke, and pull the starter wire. Yes, you can push a button or turn on the electric start switch. The key here is to let the engine idle until it runs out of fuel.
This gets most of the fuel out of the lines, but a small amount of it stays in the carburetor. You don't have to figure out how to take it out, though. The stabilizer you put in will let it sit for a few months until you're ready to restart it. Sta-bil comes to the rescue every year when we winterize our equipment.
Keep storing your equipment for the winter
Now you can freeze-proof your equipment at this time. Just make sure to place your device where it won't be damaged. In the spring, you can add fuel, check the spark plugs, and (hopefully) everything is fine.
If you have an electric starter motor, go ahead and disconnect it so you don't drain the battery.
Alternative Ways to Winterize Equipment – Use Premium Fuel
You can also use premium fuel in your system, such as Stihl's MotoMix or TruFuel premixed gas. These companies refine much more fuel than standard gas station gas. Therefore, they can be left for up to 2 years without damage.
If you're using fuel like this, having to winterize your equipment is easy – just store it away for the winter. It certainly doesn't hurt to run on fuel, but you don't need to add stabilizers to it.