With the early blooming of spring time flowers and the slight increasing of the temperatures, we all know that spring time is right around the corner. That means that soon enough, if you haven’t already, you will be taking out your lawn and garden equipment and getting them ready for another grueling season. Hopefully you have taken the necessary precautions last year when you stored your power equipment for the winter months, if you didn’t all may not be lost, but it will require a bit more attention to detail. There are several areas of concern you will want to pay attention to when you are getting your larger pieces of equipment ready for the season.
The most important thing you want to remember when you are working with power equipment is safety. If your garden equipment isn’t running or working properly then the safety of both you and the equipment could become compromised. Start out by checking your basic power equipment like the blower that you would typically use to blow off the leaves and other debris that has accumulated in your garden and lawn. For gas powered blowers you want to check your gas lines and also the seals around the line to make sure nothing has rotted out. You can also change out the spark plugs on a yearly basis to ensure that you will be able to maintain the engines full power throughout the year.
If you have other power equipment like a chainsaw or gas trimmer you want to check the same things on them as well. In the case of a chainsaw, at the beginning of the year is usually the best time for you to sharpen the blades if necessary. For the average gardener and home lawn care use you probably will not need to perform this maintenance every year, but if you are someone who uses your chainsaw on a regular basis to clear out larger branches and shrubbery you may need to perform this yearly. For gas trimmers you want to make sure that you replace the line from last year as it is not a good idea to store it away for the winter months with the old line in the spool. Also flushing out the fuel is a good idea as well.
For the larger things like your push mower or riding lawn mower if you did your end of the year maintenance before you stored your tractor and mower for the winter then you shouldn’t have a lot of work to do here. Changing the oil and oil filter should be top priority. You should also check the Hydraulic Seals as well as the gaskets and rings to make sure there are no leaks or compromises noticeable by your examination. Sharpening the blades or replacing them if they are more than two years old would be a good idea as well if you want to keep your lawn looking its best.
If you have a larger acreage you may have a larger garden tractor that has front lifts or additional accessories that you use to help maintain your land. These same routine checkups should be performed on these diesel powered tractors as well. Again you want to check to make sure there is not any water leakage or air getting into the Hydraulic Seals of the lifts or arms of the tractor. If you notice anything that seems out of place or when you begin to use the equipment for the first time you feel it is getting very hot you may want to get a professional to take a look at the equipment.
About The Author
I really enjoyed reading this article. I found that some of my garden equipment I stored over the winter months had to be replaced but I was able to save some of the more expensive ones like my push mower for another season.