Winterizing Your Outdoor Power Equipment

It’s that time of year. Once again, it is time to store your lawnmower or string trimmer until next spring. For many, that means parking the unit and walking into the house. But if you want it to start easily next year, there are a few things you should do before you put it away.

Give Your Outdoor Power Equipment a Good Exterior Cleaning

First and foremost, this is a good time to take a water hose to your mower’s deck and remove as much dirt and accumulated grass as possible. This will keep the rust to a minimum and allow you a better view of the equipment’s condition.

Look over your unit’s belts, blades, tires, etc. Does anything look damaged, should it be replaced before use next spring? If so, now is as good a time as any, to replace damaged parts. Even if you decide not to repair problems at this time, at least you will have a list of what you will need when the time comes to repair. That will insure you are ready to go next mowing season.

Preparing Your Fuel System for Winter

If your mower is in good shape and all you need to do is store it for the winter, here are the basic steps you need to take.

First you should try to store you machine with as little fuel in the tank as possible. This will prevent the fuel from going stale and damaging the fuel system. As fuel ages and breaks down, it forms a varnish. This varnish will coat all the fuel system parts and cause major problems if not dealt with.

The last time you mow, make sure you put Champion Fuel Stabilizer in the fuel. (Many people have gotten in the habit of adding stabilizer to their fuel can each time they fill up. And personally, I think this is a good idea.) Running the engine until it sputters and dies will insure that the fuel system is nearly dry and that treated fuel is present where ever any fuel remains.

Getting a Jump on Preseason Power Equipment Maintenance

Now would be a good time to change the oil since the engine is warm. Replace the oil filter (if the engine is so equipped) and add fresh oil. That way you won’t have to worry with that job next spring.

It is also a good time to change the spark plug(s), air filter, pre filter and fuel filter. Since these are all parts of a preseason service, you have most of next spring’s work done.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble and expense of replacing the plug(s) and filter(s) at this time, at the very least pull the plug(s) and clean them before re-installing them. Also pull the air filter and pre filter and clean those as well before you store the unit.

On your lawn tractor, it is a good idea to charge the battery on a low charge and remove the battery cables from the battery. This will prevent parasitic loads from discharging the battery.

If you have one available, a battery tender (small trickle charger) hooked up to the battery will maintain the state of charge all winter and insure a charged battery next spring. Battery Tender style chargers are intended to only maintain a good charge, not to re-charge a dead battery.

Gauge the air in the tires and inflate to optimum pressures and then your mower is ready to “rest” until spring. Push it into the corner of the garage and throw a tarp over it to keep it semi-clean.

Winterizing String Trimmers

On string trimmers, brush cutters, pole saws run the fuel out of the unit. Change the spark plug and clean or replace the air filters. Then store the unit(s) out of the weather. When spring time comes and the lawn is in bad need of mowing, all you will have to do is make a new can of two cycle mix, fill the tank, pull the recoil starter handle and start trimming.

It is also a good idea that any fuel or fuel mix you have left this fall is used up. Always get fresh fuel in the spring for your mowers and trimmers. The fresher the fuel the better the volatility and therefore the better it will run in your engine.

All this winterizing attention will pay off in the spring. While others are going through the process of preparing their outdoor power equipment for use and cleaning up gummed fuel systems, all you’ll have to do is make sure your blades are sharp and your tires are properly inflated, hook up the battery cables and begin caring for your lawn.