The steps you take each fall as part of your exterior home maintenance routine can help safeguard your equipment, so it is operational come spring. It is time to prep your mower for the next season. Read on to learn how to winterize a lawn mower to prevent damage, enhance its performance, and ensure it will start up easily the next time you need it.
Why You Need to Winterize Lawn Mowers
We know it can be tempting to just store the mower and worry about it next spring. But, procrastinating can leave you in a pickle when your mower won’t start and your yard needs to be trimmed. Whether you have a gas-powered, riding, or electric lawn mower, it requires periodic maintenance to minimize repairs.
How to Winterize a Lawn Mower
Use these steps for winterization:
Remove the Battery: Remove its battery and store it in a cool, dry location away from flammable substances. Come next spring, use a 120-volt battery charger to bring the battery to full capacity, then reinstall it into the mower.
Remove or stabilize the fuel: A mower used at the end of the season needs to be emptied of fuel. Leftover gas has the potential to oxidize, corrode the carburetor, or impede the fuel system. If the gasoline has a fuel preservative, you can save it until next spring or run it in your snow blower. If the gasoline has not had a preservative added, you need to use up the gasoline as soon as possible.
Change the Oil: Follow the instructions outlined in your mower’s owner’s manual to change the oil and give your mower a clean start next season.
Clean the Deck: Use a paint scraper, wire brush, or knife to carefully remove caked-on grass and debris from the deck. This step prevents moisture in the grass clippings from causing rust and corrosion to the underside of the deck.
Change the Air Filter: Check the owner’s manual to determine how and when to clean or remove the air filter from your mower.
These are a few necessary steps in winterizing your lawn mower and ensuring a smooth spring mowing start-up. Stow your lawn tools away for the winter and start looking forward to spring. Soon enough we will be hearing mowers starting up, seeing lush green yards, and smelling fresh-cut grass.
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As Minnesotans, we know winter comes quickly after fall and that means snow! Let us handle your snow removal this year. Contact us to get on our schedule for this winter season.