STORAGE
Prepare your lawn mower for storage at the end of the season or if the unit will not be used for 30 days or more. Store the mower in a clean, dry area.
Mower
•Clean underside of the mower following instructions in the Maintenance section of this manual.
•Inspect and replace/sharpen blade, if required. Refer to the Maintenance section of this manual for blade care instructions.
•Lubricate mower following the lubrication chart on page 14 of this manual.
You can fold your mower’s handle for convenient storage as shown in Figure 20. Follow the steps below to fold the handle.
•Remove the starter rope from the rope guide.
•Loosen the two hand knobs on the sides of the handle, and let the upper handle fold down to the rear.
•Move the hairpin clips to the outer hole in the weld pins on the handle mounting brackets.
•Spread the sides of the lower handle, and push it forward and down.
Upper Handle
Lower
Handle
Figure 20
NOTE: When folding the handle for storage or transportation, be careful not to bend or kink the cable.
Engine
IMPORTANT: It is important to prevent gum deposits from forming in essential fuel system parts such as carburetor, fuel filter, fuel hose, or tank during storage. Also, experience indicates that alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture which leads to separation and formation of acids during storage. Acidic gas can damage the fuel system of an engine while in storage.
Drain fuel system & carburetor
WARNING: Drain fuel into approved container outdoors away from open flame. Be sure engine is cool. Do not smoke.
•Drain the fuel tank.
•Start the engine and let it run until the fuel lines and carburetor are empty.
•Drain carburetor by removing bowl drain screw which is located below the carburetor. See Figure 21.
Carburetor
Bowl Drain
Figure 21
Note: Do not drain carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.
WARNING: Never use engine or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.
•Use fresh fuel next season.
Use fuel stabilizer
NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable alternative in minimizing the formation of fuel gum deposits during storage.
•Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or storage container.
•Always follow the mix ratio found on stabilizer container.
•Run engine at least 10 minutes after adding stabilizer to allow the stabilizer to reach the carburetor.
•Do not drain the gas tank and carburetor if using fuel stabilizer. Drain all the oil from the crankcase (This should be done after the engine has been operated and is still warm) and refill the crankcase with fresh oil.
STORAGE
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