Building a storage shed

Herb,

Normally it starts on just the second pull, even in winter. Once, when the temperature got down near zero, I got some ice frozen in the fuel line or fuel filter and it wouldn’t start until I warmed it up with a small electric heater on a long extension cord. I would guess I got a little water in the gas. Possibly water vapor condensed in the gas tank. I use regular 87 octane gas, with no additives. The manual recommends against additives. I put the little electric heater on the ground under the cover so the heat would rise in the cover and thaw out the ice, wherever it was. After 30 minutes of that it started on the second pull. In general, it has been very good about starting easily in cold weather. The only thing is, when the machine is real cold, you shouldn’t stick your tongue on the metal frame. (grin)

My 12PT9 came with two manuals, one for the Briggs & Stratton engine and one for the MacKissic shredder-chipper. The engine manual has a chart showing to use 30 weight oil from 40F up to over 100. For starting in 0 up to 40 it recommends 5W-30 or 10W-30. For operating anywhere from -20 or lower up to 100 or higher it recommends Synthetic 5W-20 or Synthetic 5W-30. To be on the safe side, I have been using Mobile One 5W-30 synthetic oil exclusively. My dealer had installed regular 30 weight oil originally but, after a few hours of “break in” use, I drained that oil and replaced it with the Mobile One. As per the manual, I also retensioned the V-belt after the break-in.

The engines are shipped to the dealers dry, and they install the oil. But double check to make sure your engine has a good oil level before you start it. Starting it without oil would ruin it.

After a few hours of break-in use I think you should drain the original oil and replace it with Mobile One 5W-30 synthetic. That would be my recommendation. In my opinion, it’s false economy to skimp on the oil.

You should grease the main rotor bearing initially and after every 10 hours of use. I got a small manual grease gun from Home Depot just for that purpose.

I haven’t noticed any undue rusting after 3 years out in the weather. Most everything has a heavy coat of paint on it. Of course, the hammers, mounted screens, and chipping blade are now bare, but relatively frequent use keeps them shining. The unused screens do have some signs of rust, but nothing beyond cosmetic.

I have replaced the paper air filter after it got too hard to clean. It’s a standard filter available at Home Depot.

The engine muffler looks rusted. It gets red hot in use. I’ve used my “Mighty Mac” some at night and you can see the muffler glowing. I always let the machine cool off for several minutes before using the cover, to keep from scorching the cover on the hot muffler. I think the muffler will probably be the next thing that needs replacement. It probably should have been made of stainless steel. But it may go on, looking rusty and glowing, for the next several years.

I have a spare V-belt that I plan to install on my next maintenance session. I have smoked my original V-belt a couple of times, so it’s probably due for replacement, but I’ll keep it as a spare. It’s a little stretched and scorched in a couple of places, but it’s still usable in a pinch.

I also bought a chipper knife replacement kit that I plan to use then as well. However, I will keep the original chipper blade and resharpen it for future use.

MM

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