Winter is coming so now might be a good time to go over how to winterize your lawnmower. I know this is something we would put out in summer time since we are bad with our article deadlines, but hey there is always a first for being on time.
Recently Dan and myself did a welding project where I welded a patch onto my old lawnmower. Dan being Dan insisted I winterize my lawnmower to protect over the winter months. Usually I don’t do anything to my gas powered tools, but I figured what the heck. I have had my mower over 20 years and the only thing I ever did to it was empty the gas every winter. However my smaller tools like my weed whip and hedgers, well I should have winterized those as I have replaced them over and over. This How to Winterize also works with other gas powered tools. Just make sure you always check your owners manual.
- Clean your deck – Make sure all the grass and debris is off the mower. Moisture can be trapped in the grass and prevent rusting. This is a good habit to get into after each mowing.
- Treat Gas – If your Lawnmower is being stored in a cold place, make sure you fill it wil gas as this prevents moisture from building up in the system over the winter. It is also very important to add either seafoam or Sta-Bil to the gas as this prevents the gas from going bad.
- Oil Change – You don’t really have to do this, but it is pretty easy to do and then next spring you won’t have to mess with the oil.
- Air Filter – Change your air filter. Again it is not necessary, but it does help the engine run better when you start it up next year.
- Spark Plug – You don’t have to change these each year, but I do since it only takes two minutes and cost a couple of bucks. It will ensure you always have a good spark when trying to start your mower.
- Blade – This is a good time to sharpen your mower blade. This way you don’t have to be in a hurry to get it back so you can mow your lawn. Most people take their blade in during the spring and mower shops get backed up, so there is a wait. If you do it during fall when mowing season is over, you won’t have to worry about a time factor.
- Spray – When you change your spark plug and air filter, now is a good time to give your lawnmower a shot. Just a couple of sprays of Seafoam or other engine treatment will do the trick. After you spray in the spark plug hole and into the air filter opening, put the spark plug and filter back. Then start the engine. The engine will start briefly and then might bog down or stop running. This gives the rings and other crucial components to your engine, proper protection.
These are seven things you should do to winterize your lawn mower or other gas powered tools for the winter season. This should do two things for you. Save your engines and cause you less frustration during the summer months. Your gas powered tools should run smooth all summer long.
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