Small Engines and Outdoor Power Equipment, Updated 2nd Edition

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Small Engines and Outdoor Power Equipment, Updated 2nd Edition is a reformat and re-release of a care & repair guide for lawn mowers, snowblowers, and other small gas powered tools. This edition, released 28th Sept 2020 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, is 144 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a family with a dad and grandfather who were both engineers. They taught me a fair bit of common sense maintenance (and respect) for tools. This book brought back a lot of fond memories of puttering in the workshop, maintaining the string trimmer, lawn mower, and other gas powered tools we used all the time.

I liked the logical layout of the book. An introductory chapter provides an overview of the parts of different engine systems along with a look at the most common components and configurations. All the information is accompanied by clear isometric drawings and photographs. The basic intro leads directly into a solid chapter on diagnosing and troubleshooting which is obviously vital - having a snowblower which won't blow snow is not ideal. The troubleshooting guide is short, but includes a number of the most common problems the average user will encounter: flywheel won't rotate, engine won't start - or it smokes, ignition and compression problems, and it provides some clues for diagnosing and fixing these problems.

My grandfather always had a proverb for every situation and one of his favorites was "Take care of your tools and they'll take care of you". This manual provides a lot of good basic information about maintenance and safety. The tasks are broken down into tutorial style subchapters covering end-of-season maintenance, replacing spark plugs, checking air cleaners, and more advanced maintenance to keep small gas powered tools working well and safely to prolong their usefulness.

About half the content of the book is used on a good basic engine repair manual which covers both general and advanced repairs (everything from cleaning and removing debris to rebuilding a carburetor and pretty much everything in between).

This is a very useful addition to the homeowner's/smallholder's library as well as a nice selection for public library acquisition. It would also make a good gift. I could also see this being a useful support text in a shop class or other formal classroom setting, maker's group, or similar use.

Five stars. I liked the general applicability of the tutorials. They're not at all brand specific and will be useful for most makes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.