Home & Garden show this weekend at the fairgrounds!

Are you planning some outdoor projects this year? 

Yard renovation?

Tree trimming?

New deck or patio?

Sprinkler system?

See idea's for all of this and more! Friday 10am-8pm, Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 10am-4pm

Here is a picture of us setting up, stop on by and say "hi" :)

Winter power equipment storage tips

So none of us like the thought, but whether we like it or not winter is on us, and chances are you're about done with most of you power equipment for the year. Here are some tips we recommend for making sure your equipment is still functioning when you break it out next Spring.

• Riding lawn mowers - We don't like to see equipment stored with old oil in it. There is a lot of nasty stuff in there like metal particles that can create corrosion when resting against dissimilar metals over time. Start the machine up, let it get warm, drain the old oil out and put new in. Put a battery tender on it. We all mean to start our mower and let it warm up and recharge once a month but never do. If you have a slow leak tire put a block of wood under the axle, sitting with the rim against the tire all winter isn't good for it. Clean all the debris from on top of and under the mower deck, that grass and dirt retain moisture and is corrosive over time, we've seen a lot of badly rusted decks because of this. Either run the fuel out of it, or get good non-ethanol fuel mixed with a fuel stabilizer and fill it completely (remember to run it for a few minutes after to get the good fuel all the way through the system).
• Walk behind lawn mowers - Change oil, clean under deck, run fuel out of it, or fill completely with non-ethanol fuel mixed with fuel stabilizer (remember to run it for a few minutes after filling to get the good fuel all the way through the system).
• Pressure washers - Get all of the water out! You don't want any moisture in there to freeze, it does really bad things. Another option is to get (we recommend potable) antifreeze into it, or we sell a kit that puts it into the pump via an aerosol can. Change the oil. Either run the fuel out of it, or get good non-ethanol fuel mixed with a fuel stabilizer and fill it completely (remember to run it for a few minutes after to get the good fuel all the way through the system).
• Paint Sprayers - What is in the pump now? If you rinsed out the paint with water and left it, now is the time to put mineral spirits into the whole system including the gun and hose. Manufacturers are no longer warrantying damage due to freezing. One of the first components typically damaged is the pressure sensor also called a transducer. On electric powered computerized paint sprayers (most commercial grade electric paint sprayers are now controlled by a small onboard computer) this part is very expensive, and they will require we send them the part to analyze before approving a warranty claim. If your sprayer is gas powered, apply the same info. from "walk behind mowers" above to the motor.

Have a piece of equipment not listed that you'd like to know more about? Send me an email or post it to one of our Facebook pages and I'll see what we can come up with for you! 

-Tim-

Motor won't stay revved up?

On most commercial motors, for instance this Honda GX motor, there is a friction adjustment nut somewhere on the throttle system. It will typically be either at the fulcrum of the throttle lever itself, or at the fulcrum of the throttle lever on the motor. On this Honda GX (and most other Honda GX motors) it is located at the throttle lever on the motor, it is the nut in the center of this picture located between the muffler, air filter and fuel tank. If your throttle won't stay revved up tighten this nut slightly, if it is too hard to move the lever, loosen it up a touch. A little bit of movement on the nut makes a big difference so don't expect to turn it more than half a rotation maximum.

Have a small engine or equipment challenge you'd like to know more about? Post it here or on our Facebook page (link is here on our blog) and we'll get you an answer!

Open house update #6

Spent some time this week sanding the light posts, putting in fresh bark mulch around the planters, and a bit of painting on the planter island nearest the shop. Things are starting to look a lot better around the outside of the facilities.
Had some printer problems so flyers are going to be delayed for a couple more days.