Take pictures, jot down notes, read the manual

We're coming up on another mowing season, and a lot of us will be tackling the task of getting our outdoor equipment ready for the new year. So, I thought it might be good to start a general "these things help me" thread.

If you're like me, you begin fiddling and adjusting things, and are quite pleased with yourself and the job you are doing. Then comes that uneasy feeling as the cold chill of the "Uh Oh" moment runs down your back and you can't quite remember where this goes, or what that might have been attached to, or oops, I thought I had it put back together so what's this piece that's left over? These are a few things I do, or at least try to do, when I work on things mechanical.

It's always handy to refer to the owner's manual when it comes to having a pretty darn good understanding of your machine and it's basic maintenance. I might be strange, but I like reading owner's manuals, even all the cautions and warnings. I figure they're all there for a reason, and it doesn't hurt to remind myself of them. If you don't have an owner's manual for your piece of equipment, most companies will provide one on their web site, often as a pdf, that can be reviewed on a computer screen, or printed out to have in your hand while you work.

Exploded diagrams are great to have too. A lot of times you can figure out the order of things from looking at them. I like to have shop manuals for my most used machines too, though they can get pricey, there's nothing like them for detail.

I discovered, pretty much the hard way, that there is a lot to be said for taking it slow and looking closely at stuff before I start taking anything off. Look things over and figure out how everything works together before even touching the contraption with a wrench or screwdriver.

One of the most helpful tools to have when it comes time to put things back together isn't even a wrench, but are lots of digital photos. Take them before, and during the disassembly. I don't remember how many times I got to a certain point and couldn't for the life of me remember where a spring hooked, or which piece went on first. By having a picture you can at least take a lot, if not all doubt out of the equation. You can always delete the photos from your camera later if you don't want them mixed in with the ones from the kid's birthday party, or save them for reference the next time you tackle the same job. Better yet, because now you've been there done that, share them with fellow forum members and maybe they can avoid the Uh Oh moment.

If I left the camera in the house, or more likely forgot to charge the batteries in it, every now and then I'll jot down a few notes about the order things came off, and draw a sketch or two. Sometimes a sketch is easier to draw than getting the camera where you need it to take a picture. Like noting the routing of a belt, or which hole those pesky little governor springs go in. Another thing I try, mind you try is the key word because it doesn't always happen, is keeping everything I've removed in one area, and maybe even arranged in the order I took them off. I like those magnetic parts trays for holding the smaller bits, and I save some of the old plastic food containers, like what yogurt comes in to hold parts so they don't get lost or roll away from me in the garage.

These are just a few things I find that help me, and mind you, I'm not claiming to be an expert, I just like to work on my own stuff. Hopefully others will chime in with helpful hints that work for them. I know I'd like to hear them because I can use all the help I can get too.