Storing your Lawn Equipment for the Winter
How many people actually maintain their lawn equipment and store them properly before the winter season hits. In this article, I will show you how to perform some common routine maintenance on your gas powered mowers, weed trimmers and spreaders to insure they will operate properly for next spring.
Mowers
Fill the gas tank on your mower just enough to complete the last mowing. Afterwards, run the mower until it runs out of gas. If gasoline is left in the tank all winter, it turns stale and collects water droplets from condensation. If to much gas is in the tank to run out, you can drain it or worst case, purchase some fuel stabilizer from your local auto parts store and add the recommended amount to your tank.
Next, clean grass clippings from the underside and on top of the mower deck. Drain the oil and remove the spark plug. Pour in a teaspoon of oil, crank the engine a few times to work it in and return the plug. Lubricate all moving parts, tighten loose screws and store the mower in a safe place. You should also clean and replace the air filter and add a new spark plug for your lawnmower as well.
Now is a good time to take the blade to a shop to be sharpened to avoid the spring rush.
Edgers and Trimmers
Clean off grass and other debris from your edger and line trimmer. Like your mower, run them until they’re out of gas (if they’re gas-powered) and disconnect the spark plug. Clean off any dirt and debris from your edger. Lubricate all moving parts and tighten any loose screws. Store it in a safe place until next spring.
If you have the new 4 cycle trimmer, follow the same procedure as your mower. Drain the oil and remove the spark plug. Pour in a teaspoon of oil, crank the engine a few times to work it in and return the plug.
Spreaders
After you fertilize the lawn in the fall, prepare your spreader for storage. Simply clean the spreader with a hose and spray off any remaining fertilizer particles, being sure to clean out the hopper and underneath the spreader. Wash your spreader with hot water to dissolve any caked-on material. When you’re done, wipe off excess water and let the spreader air dry. Next, oil bearings and any other sliding or rotating metal parts. On metal spreaders, wipe a thin coat of oil on the bottom of discharge ports.
If your basement or garage floor gets wet during the winter, raise the equipment onto a small platform made from boards or a sheet of 1/2-inch plywood laid over several lengths of 2×4.
Leahy’s Inspections, providing quality inspections in Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, Burleson, Joshua, Crowley, Everman, Rendon, Aledo, Benbrook, Cedar Hill, Grand Prairie, Midlothian, Dallas, Hurst, Euless and surrounding areas.
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