Welcome to Don's Power Equipment

Maintaining your fuel system on your equipment has never been as important as it is now. The introdcution of E10 Ethenol fuel has brought forth many changes and obstacles. Here are some facts and tips to help:

1) Gasoline is an organic chemical compound. What this means is the fuel substance can change in many ways under different conditions.

2) Your equipment's fuel system is built to hand 10% alcohol. This is not the issue. However, it is not built to handle 85% alcohol, or E85

3) Alcohol tends to attract water. If your fuel cans are left in areas of moisture and condensation, you are allowing your fuel to absorb water from the atmosphere. This water will then puddle in your engine's fuel system where numberous problems can occur. KEEP YOUR CANS COVERED!

4) Alcohol can cause the oil in your 2 cycle fuel mix to seperate quicker then normal. Aways shake your 2 cycle fuel can, and equipment before filling or running.

5) Speaking of 2 cycle equipment, most manufacturers require a minimum of 89 octane rated fuel to be used in their engines, although 93 octane is perfered. Using 87 octane fuel will cause numberous problems. Even if you have not had problems to date, make the change. Don't wait until it's too late.

6) Although the use of fuel stabelizer additives are effective, we have found it's simply not enough. We recommend to always use a fuel stabelizer additive in your fuel can when filling up. Store enough gas to last you a few weeks. Any more than that is too much. Gas will start to turn if untreated in less then 2 weeks. Even treated, we have seen it turning quicker than it has in the past. We also recommend to start your equipment periodically during the off season. Don't let it just sit there for months at a time, even if treated with stabelizer. Start it to circulate the fuel. This also helps to keep other items on your equipment from sticking and freezing while sitting.

7) What are the effects of the Ethenol fuel on my equipment? Here's what have been seeing:

A) Fuel systems containing water more than we have ever seen before. The water is coming from cans left uncovered where the fuel is absorbing the moisture, then settling, or coming right from the gas stations. 1 gallon of gasoline can hold about 1 oz (the size of an average shot glass) of water suspended in it before it settles. Keeping that in mind, it only takes about a drop or two from a medicine dropper in your carburetor to bring your engine to a stop.

B) Most engines and carburetors are made of aluminum. Aluminum is prone to oxidize, especially when in constant contact with water. The oxidation will cause pitting in the aluminum which will destroy the carburetor. This is usually identified by a white residue coating the carburetor.

C) Untreated fuel will start to turn and leave a green, slimey residue. If run dry or left to evaporate, this residue can become hardened, which will plug air and fuel passeges in the carburetor.

8) If your engine begins to run erratic, surge or leak fuel, chances are you are experiencing a fuel related issue resulting from carburetor damage caused by stale fuel, or fuel that has introduced water into your engine. Draining the fuel tank will not solve the problem. The fuel system has to be disassembled and inspected to determine and repair the problem.

YOUR SNOW BLOWER AND SLUSH

The fact is if you own a snow blower, you should realize it's limitations. Your machine was designed to throw snow. Heavy water content and sleet turns your snow into slush. When this happens, it puts a stress on your machine which it was not designed to handle. The weight of the added water is too much for your auger drive belt to handle, subsequently leading to premature wear and failure. Here are some facts and tips to help:

1) Here in New England, we get alot of heavy, wet snow, which is fine. It's the storms where sleet and rain are involved to cause the problems. If the forcast is for snow, followed by rain, you need to get out there before the rain comes. Once the rain has fallen, it is no longer material meant for your snow blower to handle. You are using the machine at your own risk.

2 )Having a large plastic push style shovel to slide the mess to the side of your driveway is my recommendation. Notice I said slide. We all know this mess it just too heavy to be lifting. Although your snow blower may throw this mess, you are putting a strain on the belt which will lead to premature failure. It may not happen during the storm, but that next Nor' Easter that roles in could be the last straw.

3) Keep in mind that these kind of belt failure are considered a "misuse" or "abuse" situation. Although it may not be intentional because of your lack of knowledge, service departments and manufacturers can not cover a belt failure due to these conditions because the belt wasn't defective, the machine was misused or abused, causing the failure.

BATTERY MAINTENANCE

On of the most expensive service parts that are commonly replacied on equipment is the battery. Batteries require maintenance themselves and cannot be neglected. Despite popular belief, they don't recharge themselves and they don't last forever. Here are some tips to help your battery obtain the maximum life expectancy.

1) Check and clean your battery terminals and connections during the season. Corrosion will cause a bad contact that not only will keep voltage from getting to the starter, but will also keep the charging system from doing it's job

2) During the offseason or winter season, disconnect the battery from the unit if it is not being used, and store it in a warm, dry place. Leaving batteries connected will expose them to a minute electrical draw from your machine's electrical system. Over time, this can draw your battery down and ruin it.

3) When emptying grass collection units, it is better to disengage the cutting attachment, set the parking brake, and leave your unit runing while removing the debris. Constantly cranking the engine to start it repetatively will cause a large draw on the battery that will take far longer for the charging system to replace then the time you will spend cutting your lawn. As always, consult your owner's manual for propper operation.

4) Owning a battery maintainer or trickle charger is a good idea for any situation where a battery is used. This will keep the battery at the top of it's game all year round.

SNOW BLOWER SHEAR PINS

Shear pins are one of the most misunderstood components in the outdoor power equipment industry. The fact is, they are MEANT TO BREAK. These soft grade pins or bolts are designed to take the brunt of an impact situation , should one occur. They are designed to fail so your auger will no longer be connected to the shaft, therefor preventing a failure in the worm gear system that drives the auger , which can be an expensive repair. Of course there are always extreme situations where a large chunk of black top or other debris may jam the unit up so hard and so quickly, that damage to the internal gearbox unit is simply unavoidable. Here are some tips to help:

1) Get familiar with the area you will be cleaning. If there are any awkward curbs, stumps, or things sticking up from the ground or something that can be sucked into the unit, know where they are an avoid them.

2) Adjustments such as propper tire pressure and skid shoe settings are vital to proper operation of your snowblower. If these are not in line, you can have a situation where the augers are in constant contact with the ground or pavement, resulting in constant breaking of pins, belt damage, front end bearing damage, and gearbox damage.

3) Many snowlbowers require to remove the shear pins annaually, grease and rotate the augers to ensure they do not freeze to the shaft. This is the most over looked maintenance item of them all.

4) Using a regular bolt, nail or other object in place of a manufacturer's recommended shear pin is a TERRIBLE IDEA!. You should always have extra's on hand. Even if you've never broken one. The five minutes you run the machine with a bolt you found in the basement could be all it takes to blow the gear set on your snowblower. These repairs average $400-$500 !

THERE'S NO WAY I HAD WATER IN MY GAS! i JUST GOT IT THIS WEEK IN A CLEAN CAN AND IT'S SEALED!!! ***HERE'S HOW***

If significant amounts of water are present in a fuel tank with gasoline that contains ethanol, the water will be drawn into the fuel until the saturation point is reached for the three-component mixture of water + gasoline + ethanol. Beyond this level of water, phase separation could cause most of the ethanol and water to separate from the bulk fuel and drop to the bottom of the tank, leaving gasoline with a significantly reduced level of ethanol in the upper phase (see Figure 1 below). If the lower phase of water and ethanol is large enough to reach the fuel inlet, it could be pumped directly to the engine and cause significant problems. Even if the ethanol water phase at the bottom of the tank is not drawn into the fuel inlet, the reduced ethanol level of the fuel reduces the octane rating by as much as 3 octane numbers, which could result in engine problems.

The level at which phase separation can occur is determined by a number of variables, including the amount of ethanol, the composition of the fuel, the temperature of the environment and the presence of contaminants. It is very important (A) that the system is inspected for significant quantities of water in the tank before using gasoline with ethanol and (B) to limit exposure of the fuel tank to excess water. If phase separation has occurred, it is necessary to completely remove all free water from the system and replace the fuel before continuing operation. Otherwise, engine problems could occur.

Sample of fuel from fuel tank in which phase separation has occurred. The upper phase is gasoline with a reduced level of ethanol. The lower level is a mixture of ethanol and water.

2 CYCLE EQUIPMENT- "BUT I'VE ALWAYS USED THE CHEAP GAS IN MY EQUIPMENT AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM...."

Over the past few season, we've seen more and more 2 stroke engine failures then ever before. This is not limited to any specific brand, make or model. First question I ask is "What grade fuel are you using?" The answer is generally followed by, "Umm, I don't know, the cheap stuff?"

To cut to the chase, "The cheap stuff" is refering to fuel with an octane rating of 87 octane, which cost less then the 89 or 93 rated octane typically sold at gas startions. "The cheap stuff" is most likely what caused your engine failure.

To further analyze the failure, my second question will be "What oil are you using?" Quite often, the reply is, "The stuff I got from the local hardware store, automotive store, or boat store" Yet, another issue.

This is taken right from an owners manual from Echo:

"Gasoline- Use 89 Octane [R+M/2](mid grade or higher) gasoline known to be good quality. Gasoline may contain up to 15% MTBE (methyl teriary-butyl ether). Gasoline containing methyl (wood alcohol) is NOT approved."

It also states not to use alternative fuels such as E20, or E85.

The lower octane fuel can cause detonation and preignition, which can destory an engine in seconds. When talking about hand held power equipment with 2 cycle engines, we are talking about engines running at anywhere from 8,000 to 14,000 rpm. To put that in perspective, that's 2-3 times as fast as your car or truck engine runs with your foot to the floor. As you can see, there is little room for error.

The lower octane fuel can also cause the engine to overheat. Associated with the lower octane fuel are less detergents in the fuel, which help to keep in the inside of the engine clean from deposits, which can effect operation of the piston rings. The piston rings serve many functions and are extremely important in a 2 cycle motor. Not only do they seal the cylinder for combustion, but they aid in lubrication and heat transfer. When deposit build up in the ring lands where the rings sit on the side of the piston, they can keep the rings from expanding or contracting properly which will cause the engine to fail.

Another common failure we are seeing is "phase seperation." It is talked about in the article above about water in the fuel. The fuel mixutre can seperate leaving gas, ethanol/water, and oil in seperate layers. When your engine is pulling staright gas or ethanol/water into the cylinder, there is a lack of lubrication, even though the oil was in your gas can and in the fuel tank of the engine. It is important to mix your fuel in small quantities. We recommend no more than 2 gallons at a time. It is also important to shake your gas can before filling your equipment, and shaking your equipment before you start it.