Since winter is coming, I think I've used my lawn tractor for the last time this season. I store the tractor in an unheated shed (Northern Iowa).
Should I pull the battery out, or leave it in?
Could I leave it in the tractor and use one of those little solar powered battery maintainers to keep it charged over winter?
A lawn mower repairman told me to just put stabilizer in it and run it thru (til it's out of gas if possible).
Yes, as long as you can mount the thing so it gets sun at the shed. Other alternative is to take the battery out and hook it up to a battery tender.
i guess that would work on the battery, as said,id be concerned that the gas was treated as well and run a few minutes to get the treated fuel into the carb..lucas
Put some Sta-Bil in the gas and run it for a while, run it out of gas if possible. Sta-Bil prevents the gas from fouling up the jets in the carburetor so it will start up next year.
Disconnect the battery, leave it in place, but don't bother putting it on a charger over the winter. Charge it up a few days before you use it next year.
Good advice on the fuel treatment. I had planned to do that. My main concern is the battery, the last one crapped out after 9 months, the guy at the shop claimed it was from being left outside all year. I never know for sure when the last time I may run the mower is (lots of leaves to be picked up until the first snow falls) so I'm hoping to find a way to avoid bringing it in if I can.
The shop guy was partly right. #1. IF the battery goes dead (for whatever reason) it will freeze and be ruined. #2. Those little batteries are usually only good for about a year anyway. As for the fuel stabilizer, I wouldn't worry about it unless you're gonna leave it sit for a year or more. Just DO NOT run it out of fuel. Keep it full to the brim to prevent rust. Bring the battery inside for the winter.
steve
A battery that is left sitting will slowly discharge over the winter months. A starting battery that sits around partially discharged leads to failure and recharging it in the Spring won't undo the damage. People saying these batteries only last one year are probably doing exactly that. Use a battery tender and they will last for many years.
Re: the battery, I've gotta disagree with you on that one, Steve. My average over the course of 23 years is 3.5 yrs. I too agree on keeping the gasoline topped off. THat started for me in the days of steel tanks, including my motorcycle. Now that the mower/ tractor tanks are plastic I have tried it both ways and they both work. I did have a service tech tell me that today's gasoline has a 2 week stability time due to changes brought on by air quality standards. I'm with most others who stabilize all of their gasoline all year long. Since doing this I have not had an issue.
If you do take the battery out don't store it directly on a concrete floor, it will drain the charge down to nothing.
to each his own. I have a '76 ford f-250 that was last filled up on 9-11-01 right before the gouging took place. It still starts and runs fine when i need to move it from one pasture to another. Yes, i've seen fuel that has turned to varnish. and NO i don't believe the two week thing.
steve
wives tale. Absolutely not true.
steve
check these out:
That was not really much of a problem when they had hard rubber cases. Now that they have plastic, it is totally meaningless.
The battery will be ok if it is charged before it's stored.
I don't agree that the batteries are usually good for about a year. This fall, I replaced for the first time, the battery in my 11 year old rider. I don't have the extreme cold weather to fight, but keep the mower in my garage anyway. On the first of each month I put the battery charger on to keep the battery fully charged, usually only takes less than ten minutes. Do this summer and winter. I think this is why I get such good longevity out of my batteries.
Bob-tx
It'll be even better if you put one of those little battery maintainers on it. I've tried it both ways. Without, it had to be jumped off in the spring. With, it was as if I'd had last used it yesterday. Which would you prefer?
My shed is unheated but it does have power. I used one of the battery maintainers from Harbor Freight that cost about $5. The link shows the one I got although the price is a couple of bucks more than I paid. They go on sale regularly though...
For more than you probably want to know about batteries:
Batteries can be quickly ruined if not kept fully charged from Sulfation. Even dirt on the battery will cause it to discharge slowly. Best is remove it , clean it, charge it and top it off every few months over winter, plus now you can clean the cable and battery terminals. If a battery freezes from discharge its ruined. Gas goes bad over a few months and varnishes, best it to run it dry, but if you have a metal tank keeping it full and adding stabiliser might be best. Change oil now as acids and water in old oil affect and pit bearings. Fogging the cilinders with fogging oil, so no rust occurs is a great idea.
That's pure luck for anything beyond about 4-5 years although allowing them to discharge fully is a way to shorten life, surely...
I'd predict it'll be much sooner than 2018 when the new one is replaced... :)
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