Buying Equipment that sat outside over winter?

[darood01]

Found a exmark turf tracer and wonder if its worth looking at the mower. It has been sitting out all winter, probably since it was bought with a tarp over it. Its a 2003, just wondering if its something worth my time. If it is, what things should I look for since its been outside.

[David Haggerty]

Tarping a mower with a plastic tarp is worse on them than letting them sit out in the weather. Because it holds the moisture in. It makes them rust worse and you get more corrosion on the electric terminals etc.
For motorcycles you can buy (expensive) "breathable" tarps. But I don't know of anything like that for mowers.
You'll be able to tell at a glance if the mower's for you. If the paint's bubbling up at every joint, the muffler's rusted away, and the deck's badly pitted because they never scraped it, I'd probably pass. You could bet the cylinder has rust in it, and the flywheel magnito's rusty and won't fire right.
But..if he ventilated it right, maybe oiled the cylinder and treated the gas before storage it may be OK.
Garages aren't perfect for storage. Especially if they have a gravel floor. Barns are worse than leaving equipment outside. Animal urine just eats stuff up.
So go look at it. Your first impression will tell you a lot.

[DiyDave]

Originally Posted by darood01

Found a exmark turf tracer and wonder if its worth looking at the mower. It has been sitting out all winter, probably since it was bought with a tarp over it. Its a 2003, just wondering if its something worth my time. If it is, what things should I look for since its been outside.

Depends on when/where it is tarped/stored. If it's on a concrete slab or pallet, under the shade of some trees, or against some sort of windbreak, like a barn or shed, could make a big difference. Also, most modern mowers use electronic ignition, so, for the most part, you don't have to worry about bad points. Whether it starts/runs and condition ie dirty/banged up vs clean and good paint, should be your determining factors.