How to garden tool care in winter? It is difficult to imagine taking care of your favorite garden without many of the necessary tools and mechanisms.
Without them, gardening work is often impossible (shovels, rakes, pruning shears, etc.), and many make our life in the garden more comfortable and help save a lot of downtimes while improving the quality and efficiency of operations.
Garden (mowers, irrigation systems, chain saws, pruners, garden vacuums, shredders, etc.) In the fall, after the gardening season is over, you can’t just leave all your tools in the barn and forget about them until spring.
Make sure you take some time to repair and save them so they don’t have problems at the start of a new season and enjoy working in the garden.
First, before cleaning in the utility room, all hand metal tools should be cleaned and brushed from resin, grass clippings, and soil: pruning shears, curb shears, trowels, boots, rakes, shovels, pitchforks, scythes and sickles, etc.
After brushing, metal parts should be thoroughly oiled and wooden handles should be treated with linseed oil or paint.
For a quick glow on metal tools, pour the oil into a bucket of sand and stick the tool in the abrasive mixture several times, then move it up and down to remove the oxide film.
The cutting parts of the a-head and spade are polished with a file, clamped in a vise. The blade of the knife was pressed against a rod dipped in a few drops of oil, the surface of which was not depressed and sharpened in a circular motion.
The backside was sharpened at an angle of 25°. The trimmer was wiped with sandpaper. After sawing the resin branch, clean the saw with a brush on the stove with cleaner and wrap it in oiled paper or cloth after cleaning.
The use of penetrating universal spray oil is very convenient and ensures the absence of moisture even under the microscopic roughness of the metal and the formation of a protective film against rust and corrosion for a long time.
Irrigation equipment is irreplaceable in the garden. At the end of the season, drain all water from cans and hoses. Store garden hoses on a reel in the utility room out of direct sunlight.
Rinse and dry the sprayer and check the seal of the rubber seal. At the end of the season, you can replace the worn-out new one. Don’t forget to mark separately the sprayer for treating and feeding plants and the sprayer for herbicides (for weeding).
Thoroughly lubricate the wheels and bearings of wheelbarrows, fertilizer spreaders, and mid-tillers. The unicycle will last longer if stored upside down after use to prevent debris and water buildup.
Mower Protection
Every place that has an emerald lawn has no substitute for the mechanism used as a lawnmower. You will need to perform regular maintenance throughout the season, as the mowing juice that falls on metal parts is highly corrosive. Rinse off the attached grass clippings and dirt with powerful water, then remove them with a brush.
Keep in mind that some models of mowers cannot be turned to the side, only to the rear (read the instructions). Before saving for winter, other operations must be performed in addition to the usual cleaning.
In the case of gasoline models, the fuel should be “dried” to avoid the formation of deposits in the carburetor due to gasoline fumes and not cause problems for starting the engine in spring. Depending on the mower model, the oil may be drained or left until spring.
On some mower engines, draining is done from the bottom. Others require the mower to be turned to its side. It is recommended that the oil be drained while the mower engine is still very hot.
Some mowers require lubrication of axles and other parts, for which they are equipped with oiling nozzles, and you will need to fill them through the nozzles as recommended in their manuals.
At the end of the season, the air filter and spark plugs should also be cleaned or completely replaced. If the end of the spark plug or electrode is worn or even burnt, the threads on the spark plug are covered with rust, so be sure to replace the spark plug.
Clean candles covered with carbon, oil, or white bloom, or replace with new ones and adjust the correct gap according to the instruction manual. All rusted and damaged areas on the body should be cleaned with sandpaper, primed, and painted.
The mower blade is carefully deburred using a file or sanding stick without touching the metal of the entire blade, so the surface of the blade is flat and does not tear the turf.
It is also important to maintain a sharpening angle and remove metal from both blades symmetrically so as not to upset the balance. If the knife is not sharpened correctly, the balance will be disturbed, which can lead to increased vibration during operation and damage to the equipment. For more serious repair work, it is best to contact a service center.
Chainsaw service
For chain saws, remove the guard, chain, and chain and remove sawdust and wood chips before storing. Clean all ventilation holes, especially make sure that the holes for oil supply into the chain are kept clean and not blocked by wood chips. Then, the chain and guide bar are treated with oil and wrapped in oiled paper for storage.
Check the cleanliness of the air filter. The foam filter must be moistened with oil. Check the fuel filter and replace it if necessary. Check the sealing of the nuts and screws.
The muffler or its net and candles have been cleared of carbon deposits. Lubricate the bearings of the centrifugal mechanism, the driven sprocket. Depending on the brand of the chain, it is necessary to use the correct template and documentation to cut the parts correctly and sharply.
It is also necessary to control the tension of the chain: it is neither slack nor tight: incorrect tension can lead to an overload of the engine and can even damage the chain and linkage.
There are several types of hedge trimmers: conventional two-handed, petrol-powered, electric, and cordless trimmers. Depending on the model, they also have to remove adhering debris and lubricate metal parts.
Even during production, the blades of hand knives are protected against corrosion, even when coated with Teflon, zinc, or other materials. Re-sharpening such tools may damage this corrosion protection layer.
Store all gardening tools in a dry place, under a canopy, in a garage or shed, scattered on a shelf, or hung on a hook. Do not cover mechanics with film as condensation can accumulate under the film and this can cause metal corrosion. These simple rules will extend the life of your tools and make gardening easy and fun.
