Winterizing your lawn mower ensures that come spring, your equipment will start as reliably and efficiently as you've come to expect. Follow these five easy steps to winterize your lawn mower before you store it away for the season. 

Winterize Your Lawn Mower

 

Cutting Deck

It's time to clean the cutting deck for the last time this season. It's important to keep your cutting deck clean year round, because a clean deck means an even cleaner cut of your yard. In the winter time, without cleaning the deck, moisture from stuck-on grass clippings is likely to cause rust and corrosion on the deck. 

 

If you've just mowed your lawn and the grass clippings are still recent, just take a hose and spray down the cutting deck. If you've been waiting to clean your cutting deck, you might need to put in a little more work. With drier clippings that are more difficult to remove, use a plastic paint scraper or bristled pot scrubber to aid your cleaning efforts. 

 

Blades

Routine blade maintenance throughout the year is critical to maintaining the life of your lawn mower. While winterizing your mower, add one more important step: apply a light film of oil before reinstalling the blades and storing for the season. 

 

 

Spark Plugs

After you've removed the spark plugs, spray oil into the cylinder. In order to equally distribute the oil to the cylinder walls, pull the recoil handle five or six time. After you've completed the oiling step, replace old spark plugs with new ones. 

 

 

Fuel

Over time, condensation and ethanol cause corrosion, clogs, and other costly problems in your mower's fuel system, so it's critical that you drain all excess fuel from the tank while winterizing your equipment. If possible, run your tank dry, or you can manually drain the fuel tank.

 

If you happen to be storing your mower indoors, make sure to leave the tank completely empty, otherwise your equipment will quickly become a fire hazard. If you store your mower in a shed or garage, add new fuel and a stabilizer. Run the mower for a few minutes before storing so the stabilizer can make its way completely through the carburetor. 

 

Final Checklist

Clean and replace air filter if necessary ✔️
Wipe down the top of your mower deck ✔️
Oil and lubricate (if necessary) all exposed moving parts ✔️
Change the oil ✔️

 

Need to make a last minute service appointment for your outdoor power equipment? Schedule with P&P Small Engines at your earliest convenience.