Winterizing machinery

[wareagle]

During the course of the workday today, we were discussing the need to winterize our vehicles and some of the power equipment. This brought me to think of the stuff in my shop. I am very fortunate in that my shop is heated, and living in Texas, we really don't stay cold for long periods of time so it isn't an issue to keep the shop in the 60 degree range during the winter. My power equipment (lawn mower, etc.) isn't as lucky to live in a plush environement like the shop stuff does, so I will be taking some time out to get that stuff done. For many up north, this post is probably way behind the curve as it is already winter up there.

When I was growing up, my dad

So, what are some tips for keeping the machinery in great shape with large fluxuations in temperatures? Oiling the surfaces, putting bags over equipment, keeping heat on the machinery, and probably any number of other things are ways to keep everything in top shape during the winter months.

 

[1Kenny]

One of the biggies is the carburetors. Put fresh gas in the tank and run the engine till you know the new gas has run through it. Up here the fuel in the tank doesn't get too bad when setting as there is only one vent on the tank. The carburetor has its own vent for the bowel. With it holding a small amount of fuel and as large of vent as the tank the lite vapours evaporate and lowers the level in the bowel. As the fuel lowers it leaves a ring of film around the atomizer tubes of the main and idle jets. The film can also plug up the atomizer holes and the idle jet. There are a lot of magical additives that can be put in the tank, but when they dry out the carburetor is worse to clean.

Keep in mind, if there is any old gas in the system, putting new gas in won't fix the old gas. It makes the new gas bad.

Kenny

 

[georgeseal]

I run antifreeze through my pressure washer to prevent pump from freezing .
Y'all stay warm, safe and have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year

George from Conyers Ga.

 

[Rog02]

Since my shop is out in the Boondocks there is always dust blowing around. I have sewn covers for most of the machines from cotton duck materiel (a lightweight canvas) so they will breathe and allow water vapor to escape. I leave the bottoms fairly open to promote airflow around the machine.

Covering a machine with plastic sheeting actually promotes rust by acting as a condenser and holding in the moisture.

Another trick for pressure washers is to use windshield washer solvent. It is a bit more enviromentally friendly when you flush it out and less toxic to pets when diluted with water.

 

[Hexbasher]

winterizing???

toque goes on head
stop shaving
cutting hair (meh, cutting hair is a once a year thing)
stop putting lucus oil in truck and thin it out
sandbags go in truck
move my records away from window draft

i do nothing for work, i love being a machinist (=heated shop)

last shop (as welder) was a HUGE unheated fab shop

we brought extra microwaves onto the shop floor so the welders could zap their gloves inbetween joists (we made large steel joists in my div.) i was head fitter of one of the lines, so i was always busy running around, welding, fixing ****, cutting ****, tacking, setup, yelling (boy did i love to yell) at the monkeys in detail section or busy with my 1st aid responsibilities...never got to enjoy a pair of freshly microwaved gloves

winter aint too bad around my parts, i use to head up north and into the rockies around this time....spend a month and a half ice climbing....i miss the dirtbagging days

 

[jpowersny2]

I don't remember ever having a problem storing engines over the winter here in upstate NY. The cold seems to preserve the gas and slow evaporation. But I've had a ton of problems storing equipment over the summer (i.e. snowblower, snowmobile). Like 1Kenny said, the carburetors gum up. For summer I tried Stabil -- that seemed to have no effect. My solution for the past several years is whenever I put equipment in the shed for a season, I start the engine and close the door. It has the added benefit of killing of rodents that re-enter soon after. I've had no trouble since doing this, except...

Last fall I forgot to put new rat poison in the shed. That was an expensive mistake! I had no idea how corrosive mouse pee is! They built a nest above the pressure plate in the snowblower and it rusted in place. They also built a nest between the crankcase and the cylinder head of the lawn tractor. It overheated and bent a pushrod. The squirrels chewed up the shed itself and that required lots of new wood. On the other hand, my son was very happy with my new policy of squirrels may be shot on sight.

Other equipment that gets irregular use such as chainsaws and generators are tricky. I gave up on the chainsaws and bought an electric. It starts every time. If I haven't put a tank through the generator in 6 months, make sure to drain at least a quarter tank through it and then put in a quarter tank of fresh gas. I bought it during the '91 ice storm so this has worked for me for 16 years now. It still starts on the first pull. I was real glad I went to this trouble during the '03 ice storm when it was our sole source of electricity for 2 weeks. Though using a 2500 watt generator to run a house for 5 was like Green Acres' rule of 7 ;D.

 

[BobWarfield]

I have a year 'round practice of cleaning the machines carefully after a project is finished. I get rid of all the chips with the ShopVac and then I apply BreakFree as a rust preventative. When I receive a new piece of tooling, I will clean the cosmolene off with kerosine and then apply the BreakFree as well. The stuff is designed for this kind of purpose and so far has kept surface rust almost non-existant.

Cheers,

BW