Monday, February 6, 2012

Got it Running


I decided to till up a small plot for a garden (about 30'X50') so I broke out my old tiller. It had been sitting for a few years and was sure to need some attention. It was old when I bought it 20 years ago so I was not sure what would be wrong with it. The first thing I did was remove the gas tank and flush it out, the valve on the bottom was gunked up pretty good. After reinstalling the tank I flushed the line to the carburetor. I then removed the spark plug and cleaned it.  After everything was back in place I sprayed the air intake with a shot of starting fluid and pulled the rope, second try it started and ran like a sewing machine.
I like old machinery and I like this old tiller it was originally sold by Sears, I acquired it used but  I quickly removed all the shrouds and guards around the pulleys and belts and trashed them, I figure I am bright enough to keep my hands clear (the more dangerous a piece of machinery is the better I like it) and it makes them lot easier to work on. I like to be able to see everything turning and moving.
In a week or so I will turn the soil again, I may water it in between to get any seeds or weeds to sprout. The more weeds I kill now the better.

Just a note: Any small engine that is going to be sitting for a few weeks it is best to shut off the fuel and let it run out of gas. In my experience that will solve about 90% of the problems you could have getting it restarted. I had to drain the tank but the carburetor was clear, that's a big plus.

17 comments:

  1. Sure beats my Garden Weasel :-(

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    1. OJD, Those look handy for weeding around plants.

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  2. Putting fuel stabilizer in the tank helps too.

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    1. It does, especially with the ethanol in today's fuel.

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  3. Just remember your friends when the tomato crop comes in this spring...

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    1. Who are you....have I ever seen you before????

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    2. bahahahahahah! oh that was high cotton Duke!

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  4. You've been given a blog award...details should post on my blog around three p.m. today....

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  5. I would recommend getting fuel that has no Ethanol in it.

    There is a gas station in my town that sells fuel without ethanol. The ethanol eats fuel lines and goes bad prematurely. Fuel stabilizer and running the carbs/carb dry works wonders.

    I also drain the fuel thats not used after a few months unless there is stabilizer in it.

    The Ethanol is just another example of the EPA gone wild and the American people having to pay for it with damaged engines, fuel lines and poor performance.

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    1. You are absolutely correct, Ethanol won't keep and it is harsh on rubber lines. As you say you can find 100% gasoline if you look around. Thanks for the input.

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  6. I'm definitely a Stabil user. It has saved my tail more than a few times when I forgot to drain fuel.

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    1. 45er, that stuff seems to work pretty good although I don't trust it for very long term, like over a year.

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  7. i am sooo glad that you got the baby running and are going to do some gardening - kudos to you buddy!

    your friend,
    kymber

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    1. Kymber, It's always good to have something go well. Thanks.

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