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Well it is that time of year again and you are getting ready to plant your garden. As you dig your garden tiller out of the corner of the garage you notice it is full of cobwebs. Looks like you will have to perform some garden tiller maintenance.

So what sort of maintenance do you have to do before starting up your garden tiller for the first time? A lot has to do with the way you prepared your garden tiller for the winter storage. If you drained the fuel or added Sta-Bil to the gasoline you are in better shape than most people.

First it is always recommended that you follow the manufactures guidance. This procedure should be used as a general guideline.

The first thin I always do is give my garden tiller a good washing to get the dust off of it. Next for safety I pull the spark plug wire off. If you did not drain your fuel you will have to now. The best way is to remove the fuel line from the tank and let it drain outside away from anything electrical. Including your cell phone.

Some carburetors have a spring loaded drain on the bottom of the float bowl. If yours has one hold a rag underneath the drain and press in letting the gas drain into the rag. If you have an inline fuel filter it should also be checked or replaced at this time.

Next you will want to clean the air filter. Your garden tiller operates in dusty conditions so it is very important to keep your air filter clean. If you garden tiller has a 2 stage filter remove the both and tap the paper inner filter on the ground to shake out any dirt. Take the foam outer filter and wash it with soap and water. Let it dry thoroughly the re-oil it. Placing it in a plastic bag and adding a little light motor oil, work it into the foam and remove can do this.

Now we move on to the spark plug. Remove it and replace it with the same number that is on the old one. Make sure you check the spark plug gap and set it before re-installing. Most are pre-set from the manufacture but it never hurts to check. You should also place a small amount of ant seize compound on the threads of the spark plug before installing.

Make sure you do not have any gasoline or oil anywhere on your garden till that you may have spilled while working on it. If you do make sure it is completely cleaned off before attempting to start your motor. You can now re-connect you spark plug wire.

Add fresh fuel and check your oil level. Check for leaks. If everything looks good your garden tiller is ready to fire up. Start it and let it warm up. Shut it off and double check for leaks and oil level. If everything looks good your garden tiller is ready for use.