The spring is sprung..

[Tim+]

?the grass is riz, I wonder how my lawnmower is?

So, how many tugs did your lawnmower take to stir it out of hibernation? Do you run it dry at the end of the season and use fresh fuel or just bung it in the garage with half a tank of fuel still in it and hope for the best in spring?

I?m very much in the second camp and my lawnmower has always started and run on last years fuel. Admittedly it took five good pulls this year to waken it from its slumbers (one more than usual) but as it 35-40 years old I can forgive a bit of sleepiness. ;-)

Tim

[alan_m]

I did add a fuel conditioner when I purchased a can of petrol in the early Autumn last year. It was this fuel left in my mower over winter, with the mower left in the garden with a plastic mower cover.

No problems with starting and running with this fuel a few weeks back, and yesterday. I have had to cut the grass twice so far this years - in South Essex.

[Tim Lamb]

ISTR this issue got an airing a few years ago. Mostly emanating from America. Reference to volatiles evaporating in storage.

I have never had a problem starting 4 stroke Briggs and Stratton engines over wintered with fuel in the tank.

Chainsaws (2 stroke) seemed to suffer from carburettor jet plugging and the old garden rotavator usually needed the ignition timing contacts cleaning and a hair dryer wafted round the coil:-)

[Steve Walker]

Mine was given to me when my parents and aunt and uncle sold their holiday home in France. I was told that it needed the spark-plug cleaning at the beginning of each season, but I've not needed to do that until this year, when it wouldn't start. However, when I took it out to clean, I discovered that it was not the right one (okay, but the porcelain was too long and stopped the cap locking itself onto the base for stability. So it got a new plug and started straight away. Probably

1/4 tank of old fuel and 3/4 of new.

[John Rumm]

Erm, its got electric start, and the battery was not flat :-)

Put it away with whatever is in the tank. Normally check the oil, and top it up with fuel. Never had any problem starting it.

I have a 30 year old Hayter with a B&S engine that gets very occasional use. That always starts within 2 or 3 pulls IME. (although give it more pushes of the priming bulb than they suggest)

[Jim Stewart ...]

BOING

[Martin Brown]

Mine is pretty much less than a 1/4 full after cutting the lawns so leaving that in the tank to keep it wet and then adding 3/4 fresh fuel in the next season is good enough.

I have much more bother with old season mixed 2-stroke for the strimmer. In fact the strimmer auto adjust (which doesn't) drives me crazy.

Are there any strimmers where the adjust is reliable?

It usually starts second or third time from cold. I have more trouble starting it if I stop for coffee part way through cutting a lot of lawn.