How to properly maintain your Garden Equipment’s?

(i) Garden carts and wheel barrows.

(ii) Wheel cultivator.

(iii) Seed spreader.

(iv) Lawn trimmer

(v) Walking sprinkler

(vi) Riding tractor

(vii) Leaf collector

(viii) Rotary mower

(ix) Garden tools

(x) Sprayer

(xi) Hose reels

(xii) Motor filler

Mowers –

A maintenance schedule should be established for all mowing equipment.

(i) An initial step is to give the mower a visual inspection

(ii) Before it is steam cleaned, which removes oil leaks and other signs of potential Belt sheet, lead or optic asphalt. It must cover the entire width and length of every wall including steeper walls. Walls with a base of granite or three rows of bricks do not require further damp proof course.

Solid floors are built level with a damp proof course. Timber floors are built with their joists above the damp proof course problems. Steam cleaning through a portable high-pressure washer is fast and thorough.

Care should be taken not to direct the pressurized stream toward the air cleaner oil dipstick opening, or any other area that may allow moisture to enter the engine or other enclosed systems.

(iii) During the general inspection look for chafed, twisted, burned, broken, cracked, frayed, dented, collapsed, torn, cut, or improperly aligned components or connections. The multitude of fasteners that should be examined includes cotter pins, locking wires, lock nuts, washers, nuts, bolts and screws.

(iv) The pressure of each tyre should be checked if appropriate and adjusted to the recommended level for steering and driving wheels. Tyres also should be inspected for uneven wear and damage.

(v) Batteries should be recharged if necessary on a wooden bench or wooden block, not on a concrete floor. When properly charged the battery should be reinstalled. Cable connectors should be clean; a light coating of petroleum jelly or chassis lubricant can be applied to prevent corrosion.

(vi) The electrodes of spark plugs should be inspected for carbon or burn condition. If they are reusable, clean them with a wire brush and regal each according to engine specifications. When plugs are replaced, care should be taken not to install them too tightly.

(vii) A properly serviced air filter prevents dirt particles from entering the engine. As the air filter becomes clogged it may cause hard starting.

(viii) Fill four-cycle engines with oil up to the full mark on the dipstick.

Engines that do not have dipsticks should be filled with oil to the top of the oil-check plug hole. An engine that is overfilled will smoke excessively, foul the spark plug. Have excessive carbon build-up, and possibly plug the muffler. This is also true of two-cycle engines that have too much oil mixed in the gasoline.

(ix) Function once accomplished by chains, belts, gears, and drive shafts are, in many cases, now being performed by hydraulic systems. Check the operating manual for oil specifications.

Most hydraulic components use seals and rings made of various types of rubber and designed to be compatible with certain fluids. Intermixing or using fluids other than those specified may cause these rubber parts to deteriorate prematurely, causing leaks or other component problems.

Hydraulic system contamination is the leading cause of component failure. Changing the hydraulic filter at appropriate intervals helps increase system life. To ensure good filtration, make sure the filter has the correct micron rating and mounts properly.

(x) Proper quality fuel should be used.

If the machines hydraulically operated cutter units are parked in the down position, a portion of the hydraulic cylinders is exposed over the storage period. Inspect this area carefully.

If surface rust is seen polish it off with a superfine emery cloth, wipe it, clean, and then lubricate it with oil. If the surface has become pitted, replace the cylinder.

(xi) Examine belts for wear and replace them as necessary. Adjust the new or the acceptable old belts to the proper tension. Chains should be removed and cleaned in kerosene and then dried and coated with the recommended lubricant before reinstallation. They must be adjusted to the proper tension level on installation.

(xii) Proper quality lubricant should be used.

(xiii) Mower blades and bed knives should be inspected for nicks, gauges, or signs of damage or uneven wear. Reel-type mower blades are ground and lapped; and rotary blades are sharpened according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Reel unit blades should be adjusted to zero contact clearance between the blade and bed knife without drag or resistance to rotation. The bed knives should be at close enough to the reel blades so that a strip of newspaper placed along the mowing surface can be cleanly cut without metal-to- metal contact.

(xiv) Attention given to brakes depends on the age of the machine. Drums should be removed and dressed as needed, and shoes should be inspecting. If shoes do not last through a season, they should be replaced before the machine is placed into service.

(xv) Touch up should be done monthly.

Additional procedures might have to be established for front-deck rotary mowers. As with any power equipment the manufacturers’ instructions should be followed.

(i) The out-front location of the deck requires that power must be transferred from the tractor unit to the mower deck. It is imperative that the deck is correctly mounted to ensure proper aliment of the deck drive components because the out-front deck reacts independently from the tractor unit when encountering uneven train. An improperly mounted deck results in a poor-quality cut, and it may damage U-joints or bearings in the PTO system.

(ii) The front gauge wheel on an out-front deck does more than prevent scalping. It helps support the weight of the deck and pivots a full 360°, contributing to the machine’s overall maneuverability.

(iii) Additional deck maintenance.

Small engines:

Most small-engine operator’s manuals specify cleaning the air filter, changing oil, and performing other maintenance tasks after a certain number of hours of operation and more frequently under adverse or extremely dusty conditions.

Extending the life of a small engine is a function of air, fuel, cooling, oil/ lubrication, and regular tune-ups. Engineers claim that a pin head size hole in an air-intake system can destroy a tractor engine in a single season. To avoid this problem, inspect the entire air-intake system regularly.

Be sure the correct size air filters are installed properly and tightened firmly in place. Look for loose fittings, bent or damaged filters and filter covers, and other possible leaks.

Every time a filter is removed, cleaned, and replaced, there is danger of filter damage. Too-frequent cleaning wastes time, but failure to clean filters when they need it leads to restricted airflow to the engine, which in turn upset the air/ fuel ratio, evidenced by black exhaust smoke and reduced engine power. If the filter becomes dirty enough, the engine may not start or run at all.

Dirty air filters, made of paper or fine wire mesh, may actually be broken by the continued suction of the engine gas pipe for air through a dirty filter. As a result, dirty air flowing directly into the engine may quickly cause serious damage.

Water mixed with gasoline causes hard starting, reduced power, erratic operation, and rusting of tank and engine parts. Water in diesel fuel causes even more problems because it prevents normal lubrication of the fuel pump and injectors, resulting in rapid wear and improper operation.

To minimize the danger of water mixing with fuel, always refill fuel tanks at the end of the day. Keeping tank full prevents entry of moist air and later condensation as the air cools. Before starting the engine, check the fuel tank for water or dirt and drain contaminants immediately.

The fuel tank must be cleaned frequently, check the fuel storage system. If the engine has a fuel filter, clean or replace it as recommended, or service it when the engine starts losing power or becomes hard to start.

Fuel-supply tanks should also be kept full and equipped with pressure-relief valves to reduce airflow in and out of the tank, which causes moisture condensation and fuel evaporation.

Storage tanks should be sloped away from the outlet so that sediment and water are less likely to enter the engine fuel tank during refueling. Installing the drain valve at the low end of the tank and regularly draining accumulated contaminants also helps to minimize fuel contamination.

Mixing oil and gasoline for two-cycle engines can be confusing. Recomme­nded ratios range from 16 parts gasoline to 1 part oil, to as high as 5 parts gasoline to 1 part oil.

Gasoline may be stored in galvanized containers, but diesel fuel never should be stored in such containers because the fuel reacts with the galvanized finish to produce powdery particles that clog fuel filters and damage the engine.

Also avoid placing diesel fuel in containers formerly used for gasoline because fine dirt and rust that may not have affected gasoline engine operation can mix with diesel fuel and cause problems.

Condensation of moisture in diesel fuel-storage tanks occurs more easily than in tanks for gasoline because the more volatile gasoline vapours provide some resistance to the entrance of moisture-laden air. The moisture condenses inside the tank, and the water droplets then run into the diesel.

Fill the fuel tanks at the end of each day to reduce air space for condensation. Allow enough time for water and contaminants to settle, and drain water traps at the beginning of each day. Inspect fuel filters often, and change them before they become plugged.

When the temperature is cold enough, diesel fuel forms wax crystals that will not pass through filters. The temperature at which the crystals form is identified as the cloud point because the fuel appears cloudy. Use fuel with a cloud point of at last 10 °F lower than the lowest anticipated ambient temperature to prevent plugging of the filters in cold weather.

Many people assume that because most small engines are air cooled, engine cooling takes care of itself, but accumulations of dust, chaff, sawdust, or other debris can reduce cooling and cut engine efficiency.

The cooling system on air-cooled engines is relatively simple and easy to maintain. There are fewer moving parts, no antifreeze to buy, no danger of coolant’s entering the combustion chamber or crankcase and damaging the engine.

Cooling fins on the cylinder head, cylinder, and cylinder block of air-cooled engines radiate heat from the engine into the surrounding air.

Because heat radiation alone does not normally transfer enough heat from the engine, however, a fan or blower is added to remove additional heat. The fan may be a separate unit positioned for optimum airflow over the engine. Rounds primarily increase fan efficiency.