Store lawn mower with full or empty tank?

either run it dry, or use Sta-Bil and fill it completely.

nate

Or just let it go...I've never had a lick of trouble in just cutting off the supply at the bowl and letting it run out. A fresh dollop in the carb bowl next spring and it fires right up and rest is just fine.

If storing for a _very_ long time like a year or more, I'd go to more trouble, but just over a few months winter period, not so much.

That said, either of the other alternatives isn't _that_ much trouble, so do whatever feels good to you... :)

$0.02, etc., ...

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Let it run dry then pull the cord a couple times. Since doing that I havent had power equipment fail to start next season.

I've had better luck running the fuel line dry.

Drop a tablespoon of StaBil in the tank before you mow for the last time.

Do you still have the instructions for YOUR mower?

I've never done anything in the 7 years I've had my mower. Just leave whatever gas is in it, top it off when I get it back out in the spring. All I've ever noticed is that it takes a couple of extra pulls that first day.

Correct. Either will usually work. There are disadvantages to both, but I have never gone wrong doing either. On the other hand I have had problems when I forgot to take care of it at seasons end.

That is good advice for either method. If you get it totally dry then the stabilizer would not be needed, but that does not always happen with some setups.

My normal technique is to shut off the fuel valve and run the carb dry, while keeping the tank full with gas and Sta-Bil. I don't generally have any problems. I think keeping the tank full with stabilized fuel helps prevent rust in the tank if it's a metal tank, obviously not a factor for a plastic one. Running the carb dry keeps gunk from forming as the gas slowly evaporates.

My father used to drain the mower tank, fill with kerosene, and store for the winter months. The mower still runs after 40 years. I fill the tank, add Stabil, run the engine for a few minutes, then store.

How do you manage the kerosene in the spring? Siphon it out? Or...?

on 9/25/2007 5:42 PM The Freon Cowboy said the following:

At $3.00 a gall>

How about watching the weather and planning ahead - not totally filling the tank when you know you're doing the last mow of the season?

Then you have gotten lucky. Gasoline generally won't be good after 6 months and can gum up the fuel line to boot. Keep doing it if you like, but please don't recommend it to others.

I've always stored my gas-powered tools filled with gas. I always use gasoline that has been treated with Sta-bil.

I have always drained or run all fuel from any moter that I own and have always had them start first pull after storage was taught this by a master mechanic

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:8phKi.17466$ snipped-for-privacy@news02.roc.ny:

Bring the mower over to Joe's and run it over his neck a few times until the mower runs out of gasoline.