Husqvarna gives tips on how to properly preserve gardening equipment for the winter season
The summer season is over and it’s time to put away your gardening equipment for the winter. With the right approach to care, garden tools will last for several years and you won’t have to call a service center again.
Two types of tools are commonly used in dachas: small gardening tools and motorized (electric, battery and gasoline) garden equipment. Each type of tool and equipment has its own approach, but the main thing is to store all the tools in a dry closed room. Owners of country plots choose to store appliances in a shed or garage. These are really convenient places, but it is important to ventilate and dry the room before transferring tools.
There are a number of maintenance steps to take before putting away tools for storage.
Small equipment:
1. Most cottage owners have a hose. You need to drain and dry the remaining water, and then plug it into the reels. This will help avoid wrinkles, bends and deformation of the rubber.
2. Hand tools (rake, pitchfork, hoes, etc.) First you need to clean the floor of dirt and dry it. If the tool has a blade, it must be sharpened and treated with machine oil. If your tool has plastic parts, you should familiarize yourself with the storage conditions – not all plastic can overwinter in an unheated room.
3. absence and buckets should be thoroughly dried before removal.
4. It is worth removing the bikes from the garden wheelbarrow for the winter and lubricate the bearings with solidol. The body cleaned of dirt should be covered with a thin layer of machine oil. The wheelbarrow should also be stored indoors.
Electrical tools:
1. Check that all electric tools are unplugged.
2. On cordless mowers and ride-on mowers such as the Husqvarna 520irx and Husqvarna 520ILX, the working part should be cleaned by hand or with a dry cloth to comply with safety regulations. Do not wash metal parts with a strong stream of water, which can get into the motor and cause it to short out. After cleaning and drying the working parts, lubricate all metal parts and knives with machine oil. Do not forget to shake the grass residue out of the grass cutter. Charge the batteries and place them in a warm room to protect them from moisture as much as possible. Hang the grass catcher box and place the mowers indoors.
Gasoline
Today’s gasoline-powered appliances, including grass mowers and lawn mowers, are equipped with a 4-stroke internal combustion engine. Such engines are reliable, durable and easy to maintain. Therefore, it is easy to prepare the gasoline lawnmower for storage on your own, provided that the grass catcher is working.
1. In a tool with a gasoline engine, after completing all work it is necessary to drain the oil and gasoline, clean the spark plugs, and then fill with new machine oil.
2. All parts of the Husqvarna chain saw should first be checked for wear and the air filter should be checked for clogging. Then allow the fuel mixture to drain completely from the tank. Pull the starter cord several times to remove fuel from the carburetor. Replace the fuel filter. If there is a switch, turn it to the stop position. Remove the chain and tire to remove sawdust. Then remove the spark plug and pour 10 ml of machine oil into the cylinder. Crank the engine several times with the jumper cable. Place the piston on top, screw in the spark plug, no need to put the tip on the spark plug. After cleaning the chainsaw bar, the body is tightened – this will protect it from dust and moisture. And the chain should be wrapped in a rag, previously soaked in machine oil.
3. On Husqvarna gasoline lawnmowers and mowers it is recommended to remove the protective covers and remove dirt and dust. Be sure to check and clean the fan and fan guard. Combustion engines are air-cooled, and any obstruction to proper air circulation can cause a breakdown. If the spark plug is damaged, defective, or the engine has been used very extensively in the last season, the spark plug must be replaced. A working spark plug with a small amount of fouling can be cleaned yourself. The main thing is not to use sandpaper and sharp objects – it is better to use a rust cleaner or acetone for cleaning. Check the clearance between the electrodes: it must be as stated in the owner’s manual. A gap between the flywheel and brake pad will prevent them from closing tightly and cause problems stopping the engine when it is stopped. A worn pad should be replaced well if adjustment is necessary.
4. Selectors such as the Husqvarna TF 230 or Husqvarna TF 338 should be cleaned of dirt and oil stains and then wiped with a dry cloth. Be sure to clean the engine cooling fins and mufflers. Plastic parts, guards, and control handles can be wiped down with a damp sponge. Wipe the outside of the cutters and gear with a cloth dampened with machine oil. The oil creates a protective film that protects the metal from rusting. If there are additional attachments, their metal parts should also be oiled, placed in a separate box and covered with heavy paper. The gear cable should be removed, otherwise it may stretch over the winter.
After cleaning the above parts of the cultivator you can start servicing the engine. Wash the foam filter in warm water. Then dry it and lightly soak it in machine oil. If the model uses a paper air filter, it should be replaced. After the gasoline has been discharged, you should unscrew the spark plug and pour about 15 ml of oil into the cylinder. Clean the spark plug (preferably with a wooden stick so as not to damage the insulator), rinse it in gasoline, dry it and put it aside to check the valve clearance before doing so. Then turn the engine shaft with the starter so that the oil poured into the cylinder evenly distributed on its walls. Store the cultivator in a closed room.
In general, before canning the technique for the winter, you should make a few simple arrangements to keep the technique in working order after winter:
– In chainsaws, it is recommended that the fuel filter, fuel cleaner and oil tank be checked annually and replaced if necessary.
– In grass mowers and blacksmiths, it is recommended that the fuel filter be checked annually and replaced if necessary, the air filter be checked, the spark plugs replaced, and the fuel tank cleaned.
– In lawn mowers, it is recommended that the spark plugs, oil and oil filter in the engine be replaced annually.
These simple rules will help your machine last for years to come. And when the summer season arrives, you’ll be glad to have a neat and ready-to-run tool.
Preparing gardening equipment for winter
The next gardening season is over. Not only site owners, but also garden equipment is full of ongoing gardening work and operations. And to ensure you’re ready for next spring, you need to prepare them well.
Hand tools
With hand tools everything is simple: forks, rakes, shovels, hoes clean off the clogged soil and crop residues. When the blades are dull, arrest them with a file or bar, wipe the metal parts dry, treat with machine oil – and your hand tools are ready for storage. It’s best to store it on special racks or shelves in a shed or other enclosed space.
mower
At the end of the season, clean the working part of the mower of earth and grass. Staple residue can corrode metal parts. But under no circumstances wash the metal parts under a powerful stream of water – getting into the mechanism can render them unusable. Grind the grass catcher box and thoroughly clean all parts with machine oil and lawnmower.
On models with a gasoline engine, clean the oil and gasoline from the spark plugs after you finish mowing, then refill with fresh machine oil.
If the mower runs on batteries, charge them and check all contacts and connection cable.
Cultivator
The cultivator also needs winter protection. First, clean all parts and knots from the floor, oil stains. Dried soil is best cleaned off with a grinder, and the gears with a wooden stick, as rust can form on scratches or under a stream of water.
Then wipe them down with a dry cloth. Be sure to clean the engine cooling fins, mufflers. The plastic parts, guards and control handles can be cleaned with a damp sponge.
Wipe the outside of the tiller and gearbox with a cloth moistened with machine oil. The oil creates a protective film that protects the metal from rust. If you have extra attachments to your cultivators, oil their metal parts as well, then put them in a wooden box and replace with heavy wrapping paper. Remove the gear cable, otherwise it may stretch over the winter.
Once you’re done with the cleaning, you can start servicing the engine.
Wash the foam air filter in warm water and detergent. Then dry it and lightly soak it in machine oil. On models that have a paper filter, replace it. Drain the remaining gasoline from the fuel tank. Then unscrew the spark plug and pour about 15 ml of oil into the cylinder. Remove the spark plug (preferably with a wooden stick so as not to damage the insulator), rinse it in gasoline, dry it and put it back, having previously checked the valve clearance. Then turn the starter motor shaft so that the oil in the cylinder is evenly distributed on its walls. If your cultivator model has a fuel line filter, clean it.
Now you can drain the oil from the crankcase and pour in new oil. This completes the winter storage of the cultivator. The machine should be stored in a dry, ventilated area and away from heaters.
The brushcutter
As with other garden equipment, clean all parts and assemblies from dirt and lubricate with machine oil. Clean the trimmer head (it must be removed) with a damp cloth, lubricate the metal blade with oil, and wrap everything in thick paper. It is better to keep all spare parts and assemblies in one place so that they can be easily found in the spring. Add grease to the bevel gear.
Clean and lubricate the bevel gear seating and put a plastic bag over it to protect the assembly from dust during storage. To keep the engine from failing in the new season, clean off any dirt or dust, drain the gasoline from the fuel tank, and run the engine so that all the fuel in the carburetor is used up. For lawnmowers, this is very important, since the gasoline mixture is prepared with the addition of oil, and during storage it can separate into fractions, which negatively affects the further operation of the mechanism. After that, unscrew the spark plug, pour 5-10 ml of oil into the engine, crank the crankshaft several times with the starter, rinse and wipe the spark plug and install it.
Before storing the mower, make sure the plastic hose from the control handle to the engine is not kinked, because there are wires inside and kinking can damage them. It is best to store the mower in a dry place away from heat sources.
