Small engine repair/maintenance FAS 1401L 2012

Small engines Small engines make up a surprising component of daily aquaculture operations. They provide a mechanical advantage for us and turn seemingly impossible tasks into something which is doable and maybe even easy! While small engines/motors are great when they work, several key maintenance issues are often overlooked. Let’s take a look at a few...

Is this you? Okay...you’re tasked with weed-eating the entire farm! Ouch! Don’t worry, you have a weed eater. Put in gas and away you go. Five minutes later you’re out of a job...what happened? All you have is a broken tool and a puff of smoke.

Daily Stuff Did you check the gas? Did you check the oil? Is the level correct? Does it take oil? Are all the parts lubricated? Is the sparkplug in the machine? Is the carburator tuned? Is their any part which needs to be freely moving that can’t?

Too much detail?

Much better!

Line/fuel replacement Wrap according to the arrows. Always use the correct size. Make sure vines, tall grass doesn’t get into the mechanism. Take extra with you (and a sharp knife or clippers.) Take extra fuel, if you’re far away from the shop.

Power washer Always check the oil first. No oil. No washing! Pull the trigger to release pressure on the cylinder or it won’t start! Make sure you have a constant supply of cool water through it.

Hand tools Always understand how it works! Don’t assume everyone does. Always respect safety guidelines. If you’re in doubt, unplug it, or remove the battery pack.

Drills, “saws-all”, etc. Hand tools, actually injure a fair amount of people. Be careful to clear debris, loose items, secure long hair, hanging jewelry, etc. before you begin a task.

Hey, it used to be a lion cub...

Common sense always applies! When you are done, clean it up, put it back and make sure it is ready for the next person. Remember, the next person could be YOU! Never assume that someone else will do the maintenance on an item or that it has been done recently. Always give it a once over before you use it, unless you know you were the last person!

Knowledge is good. You may not be able to tear apart all the items in the shop and rebuild them. (You can always get training.) However, you’d be surprised how much help you can give a tired power tool, or hand tool by just cleaning it up! Grease, oil, dust, grass, and mud are the worst ememies of your equipment. Respect the equipment and it will respect you!