Short Term Storage

[Craig]

I'm having knee replacement surgery in a couple weeks and I'll be down and unable to drive a bit longer than last time because it's my right knee. It will sit for at least a month.
Truck will be in an unheated garage. It is unlikely that my wife will drive it. She has legit depth perception issues and I'd rather she didn't try to pull it into the garage, if you catch my drift.
I'm thinking fill it up with ethanol-free gas and put some Sta-Bil in the tank. I have a Battery Tender for my jet ski's battery but unsure if I'll need it, plus the Ranger's electronics and for that matter the battery terminal are so complicated I'm not sure if should.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it.
Thoughts?

I had my right knee replaced, I started to walk with a walker, 4 blocks twice a day once I had done that for a week I started to drive around the block just to get use to the brake pressure on my knee

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[5thranger]

I had my right knee replaced, I started to walk with a walker, 4 blocks twice a day once I had done that for a week I started to drive around the block just to get use to the brake pressure on my knee

I had right done in January and will be having left done by end of year, the pain pill reaction was worse part of it messed up my stomach for six months.

 

[subquark]

I'm having knee replacement surgery in a couple weeks and I'll be down and unable to drive a bit longer than last time because it's my right knee. It will sit for at least a month.
Truck will be in an unheated garage. It is unlikely that my wife will drive it. She has legit depth perception issues and I'd rather she didn't try to pull it into the garage, if you catch my drift.
I'm thinking fill it up with ethanol-free gas and put some Sta-Bil in the tank. I have a Battery Tender for my jet ski's battery but unsure if I'll need it, plus the Ranger's electronics and for that matter the battery terminal are so complicated I'm not sure if should.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it.
Thoughts?

I like you're thinking.

I believe higher octanes last longer but even lower ones last at least 6-9 months before starting to go.

And huge +1 for the battery tender. I use mine religiously.

I also have one on my old FJ40 that has only been cranked on a few times in the last two years. It's a CTEK but most amy of them will work fine for you.

Good luck with the knee!

 

[Big Blue]

Good luck to the OP on the knee surgery. Haven't had a joint replaced, yet. But, know several people who have. Best advice they all said is, do what your physical therapist says. No less and no more. Doing too much too soon can do more damage than good.

As far as the storage. Fill it with non-ethanol premium before storage. Not sure about the octane level, but any gasoline with ethanol has a shelf life. Usually about a month before it starts to separate. That's why it is never a good idea to use ethanol gas in small engines that get used infrequently. With the phantom power use in our Rangers, and most new vehicles. A 5-10 amp maintainer is a good idea. Make sure is a maintainer and not just a charger and that is has an AGM setting.

 

[JohnnyO]

I had right done in January and will be having left done by end of year, the pain pill reaction was worse part of it messed up my stomach for six months.

I had my left done last November. I was only on the heavy duty painkillers for 4 days and Extra Strength Tylenol after that. In the Ranger there is nowhere to put my right leg so I can drive with my left. I'm a left foot braker anyway.

 

[P-38Ranger]

Interesting. I was going to ask the same question for "funner" reason. Twenty six day trans Pacific cruise with 4 days in Singapore before the ship sails. Fly Oct 8.

 

[5thranger]

I had my left done last November. I was only on the heavy duty painkillers for 4 days and Extra Strength Tylenol after that. In the Ranger there is nowhere to put my right leg so I can drive with my left. I'm a left foot braker anyway.

I only used the prescription pain pills for three days before they were making me sick ended up with an ulcer from them. Good luck.

 

[JohnnyO]

I like you're thinking.

I believe higher octanes last longer but even lower ones last at least 6-9 months before starting to go.

And huge +1 for the battery tender. I use mine religiously.

I also have one on my old FJ40 that has only been cranked on a few times in the last two years. It's a CTEK but most amy of them will work fine for you.

Good luck with the knee!

Good luck to the OP on the knee surgery. Haven't had a joint replaced, yet. But, know several people who have. Best advice they all said is, do what your physical therapist says. No less and no more. Doing too much too soon can do more damage than good.

As far as the storage. Fill it with non-ethanol premium before storage. Not sure about the octane level, but any gasoline with ethanol has a shelf life. Usually about a month before it starts to separate. That's why it is never a good idea to use ethanol gas in small engines that get used infrequently. With the phantom power use in our Rangers, and most new vehicles. A 5-10 amp maintainer is a good idea. Make sure is a maintainer and not just a charger and that is has an AGM setting.

I usually get gas at a regional convenience store chain called Sheetz. One store near me has 90 octane ethanol-free, which costs more than 93 w/ ethanol. Normally I run E15 88 or midgrade 89.
For small engines yes, the guy at the mower shop told me years ago for small engines to just put Sta-Bill in the gas ALL the time, not just for storage, after I had to get a new carb for my mower.

Had my left knee done last November and everything is good, I'm gym rat anyway so I'm used to working out and not afraid of a little pain. (I turned 64 last week and currently doing my incline bench press 3x12 at 205 lb). Only issue now is getting up when I'm sitting down without using my arms but then my OE knee is an arthritic pile of garbage. I don't have a good knee and a bad knee, rather I have a new knee and an old knee. Neither one is "good".

Took the Ranger to the tire shop this morning to rotate the tires. I'm not up for bending down and crawling around on the ground right now. It was worth the $15.

 

[Grandaccess]

I'm having knee replacement surgery in a couple weeks and I'll be down and unable to drive a bit longer than last time because it's my right knee. It will sit for at least a month.
Truck will be in an unheated garage. It is unlikely that my wife will drive it. She has legit depth perception issues and I'd rather she didn't try to pull it into the garage, if you catch my drift.
I'm thinking fill it up with ethanol-free gas and put some Sta-Bil in the tank. I have a Battery Tender for my jet ski's battery but unsure if I'll need it, plus the Ranger's electronics and for that matter the battery terminal are so complicated I'm not sure if should.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it.
Thoughts?

a few months should be no big deal for oil or gas to sit, worry about you getting back to normal! I would put a battery tender on it though thats just a good idea
I would also worry about mice this time of year?

 

[JohnnyO]

I would also worry about mice this time of year?

They don't seem to be a problem here.
A few years ago my late father called to say my mom's car wouldn't start. It is garaged and she doesn't drive it much. I get there and it cranks but doesn't start. I opened the airbox to spray some Quick Start in and it was full of peanuts from the squirrels that my dad would feed. They also chewed some wires.

 

[Grandaccess]

They don't seem to be a problem here.
A few years ago my late father called to say my mom's car wouldn't start. It is garaged and she doesn't drive it much. I get there and it cranks but doesn't start. I opened the airbox to spray some Quick Start in and it was full of peanuts from the squirrels that my dad would feed. They also chewed some wires.

over the years I have had a few issues with mice, for some reason this seems like a bad year too
I got a handle on it now the little rat bastards
50/50 cornbread and baking soda, they drop dead within a foot of where they chow down on it

 

[shovelhd]

over the years I have had a few issues with mice, for some reason this seems like a bad year too
I got a handle on it now the little rat bastards
50/50 cornbread and baking soda, they drop dead within a foot of where they chow down on it

What a waste of good cornbread

 

[subquark]

a few months should be no big deal for oil or gas to sit, worry about you getting back to normal! I would put a battery tender on it though thats just a good idea
I would also worry about mice this time of year?

stoopid mice!

Would leaving the hood open tend to scare them a bit? Maybe even hang a shop light from the hood. I hate mice ...

And leave a hungry cat in the garage too! =D

 

[JohnnyO]

Okay, so it looks like I'll use the ethanol-free gas and Battery Tender but no Sta-Bil.

 

[AzScorpion]

Good luck to the OP on the knee surgery. Haven't had a joint replaced, yet. But, know several people who have. Best advice they all said is, do what your physical therapist says. No less and no more. Doing too much too soon can do more damage than good.

As far as the storage. Fill it with non-ethanol premium before storage. Not sure about the octane level, but any gasoline with ethanol has a shelf life. Usually about a month before it starts to separate. That's why it is never a good idea to use ethanol gas in small engines that get used infrequently. With the phantom power use in our Rangers, and most new vehicles. A 5-10 amp maintainer is a good idea. Make sure is a maintainer and not just a charger and that is has an AGM setting.

Good luck with the knee! I know several who've had it done and it's no big deal now a days. The first couple of days are always the worst and the PT can be grueling but they'll get you back to new in no time.

Every chainsaw, power washer, lawnmower, generators and snowblower I've had I either ran E-Free and/or Sta-Bil in all of them. Never had a problem the following season firing them up and Sta-Bil is added insurance, especially for things like generators that might not get used for a year or more.

Here's a link that shows all the E-Free stations throughout the country.

https://www.pure-gas.org

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