Store with full or empty fuel tank?

[GLOBOTREE]

When storing motorized equipment: chainsaws, lawn mowers, etc.,
is it better to fill up the fuel tank and add stabilizer
or empty the tank and run it dry?
If you run it dry on a 2-stroke, wouldn't it be runnin lean before it actually cut off. Might not matter so much on a 4-stroke.

If you store it dry, could the carb. gaskets and diaphrams dry out and crack.
And could the metal gas tank on the lawn mower condensate on the inside and start to rust?

 

[DanManofStihl]

I just use stabil in my fuel and have not had a problem. I don't like to store anything empty. If you use the search bar it will pull u a bunch of threads with this same topic and the pros and cons of each.

 

[skwerl]

Most decent 2 cycle oils have fuel stabilizers included. For storage up to 3-4 months I'd leave them full. Anything stored longer than that in my shop isn't running anyway and needs to be junked.

I own an old Echo weedwhacker and an old Echo hand held blower that are both about 10 years old. Neither one has ever had any carb work and neither one has ever had any 'prep' before getting tossed in the shed and abandoned for 3-4 months each winter. Each spring they have always cranked up with whatever gas was left in the tank from the previous use.

My saws never go more than a month or two without getting used. If I had to park one for 6 months, I'd probably sneak out to the shed and fire it up once every couple months just to annoy my neighbors.

 

[davefr]

I believe most manufacturers recommend that for extended storage you should empty the tank and run the saw dry.

Sure it's lean when it's running on the last few drips of fuel but I let them idle until they stop.

I can't believe it's harmful for carb parts to be dry. Carb kits sit dry until they're used.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

This has been talked about at length, and then some....and then talked about again some more. Do a search for "storage" on here and you'll get all the info you could ask for.

Jeff