Storing Lawn Mowers and Equipment for Winter

Winterizing Lawn Equipment

You have cut the grass all season long and now with the weather getting cooler and the grass growth slowing, it's about time to put the mower up for the winter. So what steps should you take when storing your equipment for the winter?

Step #1 With all the long hard use, first is to clean your equipment up. It’s a good idea to remove or disconnect your spark plug wire before doing this and also to remove your battery and store in a safe dry place until next year. This will help keep corrosion from building up on the terminals. Knock all chunks of grass, leaves, dust and other debris loose from your entire mower with a broom or some type of tool. If you have access to an air hose, air works great for this! You can also hose it off with water but if you use water make sure to dry off equipment before storing for the long winter.

*Note: if you did not clean mower in place of storage, you may need to reconnect battery and spark plug to move into storage area. Once in place, disconnect spark plug and remove battery placing in dry safe place.

Step #2 Fill a can of fuel with a stabilizer such as STA-BIL blended according to the recommended amount on stabilizer, to the can of fuel. Fill your mower's fuel tank completely with blended fuel and stabilizer. This helps prevent moisture from accumulating in the fuel tank that could cause rust deposits and reach your carburetor, stopping it up.

Step #3 Store your mower and lawn equipment in a dry place for the winter such as a garage or shed away from any electrical or heating sources. This will help prevent possible fire since your fuel tank is full of fuel.

Always read your users manual as a first source guide!