It’s no secret that lawn mowers are one of the most essential pieces of lawn beautification equipment in the country. In fact, the average American green thumb spends four hours per week taking care of their lawn. That adds up to an average of 208 hours per year, or over eight days. But after a successful season of keeping your lawn freshly maintained, it’s important to do the same to the tool that makes the magic happen — the mower. Here’s a simple, seven-step guide to help you safely store your lawn mower for the fall and winter months.
Step One: Empty The Tank
Although some professionals disagree with this suggestion, many recommend emptying the fuel tank before storing your lawn mower during the off-season. As with many other pieces of machinery, unused gas can easily turn stale and gunk up the engine and carburetor. This Old House recommends adding a fuel stabilizer, running the mower in order to evenly distribute it, turning the engine off, letting it cool, and siphoning any leftover fuel into a clean can. You can even put the leftovers into your car, assuming it hasn’t been blended with any oil. To make sure the tank is empty, restart the mower repeatedly until the engine will no longer start and the fuel lines are completely empty.
Step Two: Disengage The Spark Plug
After you’ve emptied the gas tank, it’s time to move on to the spark plug. Make sure the spark plus is completely disconnected to prevent the risk of injury from an accidental kick-start.
Step Three: Take Off The Blade
Once the spark plug is disconnected, you can safely remove the blade from the mower. Start by unscrewing the bolts that hold it into place on the undercarriage. Make sure to wear thick safety gloves to avoid risk of injury. If you’re feeling productive, this is also a great opportunity to clean and sharpen the blades to get them ready for the next mowing season. Either way, removing the blade makes it much easier to change the oil, which is another critical step in the storage process.
Ultimately, these are just the first few steps of preparing your lawn mower for fall and winter storage. Keep an eye out for the next post, where we’ll discuss steps four through seven of the preparation process.