Wood Splitter & General Small Engines Question

[Todd W]

Any concern leaving them outside when temps are freezing or below freezing for days?

Chainsaws, mowers, weed eaters, etc... ? I usually just throw a tarp or whatever (ie: poly trash can) to keep snow off, but I did have 1 issue years ago with, ironically, my snow blower that's left me paranoid.
(My thought is that the snow covered the entire engine, melted, turned to ice, re-froze and did this day after day until something cracked, and let water into the oil and then cracked more?)

I've pulled my chainsaw out of my truck bed before covered in snow, (left in there on accident) never any issues... so I'm really not too sure WTF happened to my snow blower, and why it froze and water got into the oil but it's left me paranoid about my more expensive items like the splitter.

I know our temps are not 'cold' compared to a lot of you guys, but it does get down to the 20s for days on end then warms up, and I want to see what everyone is doing where you see temps 20 or below for days/weeks on end... do you leave them inside only or outside no problem and my snow blower was some freak issue?

 

[Tenderfoot]

I usually leave my splitter under a tarp year round and same with the snow blower or lawn mower. Saws, blowers, and weed whackers get left in the garage. If I have a still hot engine I try to let it cool before tarping it. A good thing may be an 8x8 or 8x12 shed you can roll the machines into out of the way and out of the elements some.

 

[rarefish383]

My splitter and Massey Ferguson 135 stay out 24-7. Will throw a tarp over them in bad weather. John Deere lawn tractor goes in the shed for winter. Saws and smaller stuff go in garage or shed, Joe.

 

[NSMaple1]

Nothing to back it up - but I can't leave anything of mine (small engine related) outside in the winter without some kind of cover. Just gives me the willies I guess. I kept my splitter outside all last winter, with just a big plastic box over the engine & pump (usually completely tarp it). The sides of the tires facing the sun got checked from doing it. Which kind of surprised me, since they are exposed the rest of the year. Although I guess usually somewhat parked in the shade.

Just seems like tool abuse - or something like that...

 

[Todd W]

Thanks guys for your opinions and experiences.

I'm building an additional 12' x 30' of wood and tool storage, so this is really just for this winter... most everything is covered in some way or another (shed, plastic trash can, plastic seat for my 4x4, tarp, whatever...) I just really want to avoid the engine going kaboom like the darn snow blower this last winter outside.

Ironically the reason I haven't gotten the shed even partially up is because I have so much darn firewood to process and I dumped it near the other sheds in the way of my expansion

 

[Dogsout]

I am guessing that you don't have space in a building hence the question. If indeed you do have room it would be silly not to store it inside. Some people on this board are probably are in the same boat I am in if it is not stored inside, weather would be the least of my worries. Some dope head hooking up to it and taking it down the road would be a much higher probability. So I don't feel I have a choice but to make room somewhere inside to make sure it stays put.

 

[GVS]

Any concern leaving them outside when temps are freezing or below freezing for days?

Chainsaws, mowers, weed eaters, etc... ? I usually just throw a tarp or whatever (ie: poly trash can) to keep snow off, but I did have 1 issue years ago with, ironically, my snow blower that's left me paranoid.
(My thought is that the snow covered the entire engine, melted, turned to ice, re-froze and did this day after day until something cracked, and let water into the oil and then cracked more?)

I've pulled my chainsaw out of my truck bed before covered in snow, (left in there on accident) never any issues... so I'm really not too sure WTF happened to my snow blower, and why it froze and water got into the oil but it's left me paranoid about my more expensive items like the splitter.

I know our temps are not 'cold' compared to a lot of you guys, but it does get down to the 20s for days on end then warms up, and I want to see what everyone is doing where you see temps 20 or below for days/weeks on end... do you leave them inside only or outside no problem and my snow blower was some freak issue?

I've had very few weather related issues with small engines or large engines.On one tractor water got into the aircleaner and froze.No start until the aircleaner was cleared.Took awhile to figure what the problem was.On one of my splitters,which was tarped,water froze on the governor linkage.I started the engine and it went wide open right now!Shut it down and sprayed deicer around the throttle linkage and all was OK.My brother one day said to me "I can't find my saw". A Jred 630. Last used 3 days prior.Kicked around in the snow .Found it in at least 2 feet of snow.Pulled the choke,3 pulls on the rope later and it's running.You never really know if you'll have a problem or not.

 

[Todd W]

Yep, no room. As I said, next year it will be covered with a roof

@GVS thanks for those good points on the various issues possible.

Thinking back to my snow blower it may be a cracked oil filler lid and water in the carb -- it's been about 3 years since I tried to start it and saw the milky oil, I may just have to take it out of the scrap pile and try one more time to drain/swap oil and clean out the carb and bulb to make sure it wasn't something silly I over looked back then... I was about to scrap it this summer for the wheels/tires and sell the 'blower' part minus engine. I literally had it 1 season, brand new, before this went down and it wouldn't work again. Since I plow the improtant stuff with the Kubota and the last 5 winters have been rather 'light' I haven't had a need to blow off my back deck and walk ways!! Now I think I'll whip that into the shop and try to fix her again, never know

 

[muddstopper]

I put everything either under or in a shed. My wife dad and granddad would leave a tiller at the edge of the garden year round, only covered with a old washtub and they wore the tines off those old tillers over the years. Never knew either to have to replace the engines. Lawn mowers set outside covered with buckets and would rust away before they wore out. If I did that, I would be replacing engines after the first frost.