As the snow begins to fall from the sky, you no longer need your lawn mower and you need your snow blower. Before you place your lawn mower in storage, you need to prepare it properly for the winter. Below, we will go over how to properly get your lawn mower ready for the long, cold winter that awaits.
- Clean the Mower
The first thing you need to do is clean your lawn mower off. You do not want to leave any grass or dirt on the outside of the mower or on the blades as this can cause the paint to chip or the blades to become dull.
When you do pull your mower out of storage, you will likely need to sharpen the blades anyway as they do become dull from all of the summer mowing.
- Drain the Fuel
You will need to remove all fuel from your lawn mower before you place it into storage. To do this, you will need to siphon the tank and then turn on the mower and let it run until it dies. Once it dies, remove the fuel filter and either replace it or clean it well.
If you do not want to drain the fuel, you will need to fill the gas tank all the way up and then top it off with a fuel stabilizer to keep condensation from getting into the tank while the mower is in storage.
- Change the Oil
Before you store your mower, make sure you change the oil as well. The oil should be changed on a regular basis and it is important that you do not let old oil sit in the motor through the duration of the storage period. Once the oil is changed, you can place the mower into your storage unit.
Your lawn mower is not a cheap piece of equipment and it is important that you take the time to store it properly if you want it to work when you take it out of storage. Since you will not need the mower throughout the winter time, it is important that you place the mower in a safe spot. If you plan on placing it in a storage unit, ensure that all components are dry before you do, as you do not want the metal to rust or corrode.