Take Care of New Equipment

Your outdoor power equipment will last a long time if you give it a little care on a regular basis. Briggs & Stratton makes it easy for you to care for and service your own equipment, whether it is a lawn mower, pressure washer or portable generator.

Safety first work on all of your outdoor power equipment safely. wear safety glasses, old clothes and appropriate footwear. never start any outdoor power equipment in a closed garage, shed or other building. Be cautious when fueling your equipment and only do so outdoors.

Your operatorÕs manual every piece of outdoor power equipment comes with an operatorÕs manual. You may even get two manuals Ð one for the equipment itself and one for the engine. always refer to these manuals before you work on your equipment.

Tune-up your mower Your lawn mower needs a tune-up at least once a year. a tune-up will help your mower start easier, work better and limit emissions to keep the air cleaner. a tune-up takes 30 minutes or less and is something you can easily do yourself. it involves changing the oil, spark plug, air filter, oil filter (if equipped with one) and adding fuel stabilizer to the fuel. Briggs & Stratton¨ tune-up kits provide everything you need in one convenient package to do a tune-up, or you can purchase the items separately. to learn how to tune- up your mower, watch the mower tune-up video tutorial on this web site.

Use fuel preservative keep the gasoline in your equipment fresh with fuel preservative. once gas goes stale Ð which only takes about 30 days Ð your equipment will become difficult to start and you may eventually clog the carburetor. the FreshStart¨ gas cap is a convenient way to keep your gasoline fresh for six months. replace the existing gas cap on your Briggs & Stratton¨ powered equipment with a FreshStart¨ cap. the cap contains a replaceable cartridge that contains concentrated fuel preservative which is released automatically to keep your fuel fresh. after six months, simply snap in a new cartridge. use one cartridge in spring and replace the cartridge in fall for winter storage.

Environmentally-friendly fuel containers if you are environmentally conscious Ð and we all should be Ð be sure to use fuel containers that are spill-resistant. when you fuel your equipment, the containerÕs nozzle automatically shuts off when the tank is full. Fuel pours easily without having to open a vent cap Ð helping to prevent vapors from escaping.

A few words about oil Your engine cannot run without oil. itÕs important to use the right type of oil in your equipment. a synthetic oil can be used in all of your air-cooled, 4-cycle small engines Ð your lawn mower, pressure washer and generator. if you prefer regular oil, choose a quality, Sae 30 detergent oil. refer to your Engine Tune-up Kit FreshStart¨ Fuel Stabilizer Clean Workspace operatorÕs manual for oil specifications. Briggs & Stratton makes choosing oil easy for your lawn mower Ð just look for the bottle of oil that says Òsmall engine oil.Ó For the average lawn mower, you should change the oil at least once a year, or every 25 hours of service. if you are mowing under extreme conditions Ð dusty, hot weather, for example Ð change it more often. when using your portable generator for several hours at a time, you must check the oil regularly and add it as needed. You will damage your engine if it does not contain adequate oil. one last note on oil. when you buy a new piece of equipment, donÕt assume that it contains oil. most often, it does not. always check your engine oil prior to starting and add oil if necessary, or you will severely damage the engine. Keep your workspace clean when you are working on your equipment in your garage, shop or on your driveway, keep the surface area clean. use a service mat, sheet of plastic or even newspapers. it can prevent grease and oil stains that can be tough to clean up later. always keep rags on hand to wipe your hands and clean off your equipment. Small Engine Oil 7