How to Winterize Lawn Mower

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After an avid use of mower during the summer, your riding mower might be exhausted at some point, and you need to make it up for your mower to still work at its best after two seasons!

If you need to put your mower into hibernation, you need to take a little effort to preserve its engine and performance, and so we have to avoid any trouble that may occur after the cold season.

Hence, we will tell you how to winterize a lawn mower to make your life a lot easier after the cold days; plus, it will avoid any hindrances during starting up.

What are we waiting for? Let’s go!

How do I prepare my lawnmower for winter?

Can I Leave Oil in Lawn Mower Over Winter?

Before anything else, there is a frequently asked question for winterizing lawn mower that we need to address, and people always ask if you should leave gas in your lawnmower over the winter?

The answer is no.

Leaving gas in your mower over winter will damage the mower’s performance and affect the engine in no time. Leaving oil in the mower over winter will damage the tank, and the oil might freeze in some circumstances. Plus, the moisture that the mower may attain will enter the tank, and it will mix with the oil, which will cause severe problems to the machine.

How to Winterize a Lawn Mower

Clean your lawn.

Before anything else, you need to deal with your garden first and perform outside clean-up!

If you have a blower device to blow away all the leaves in your lawn, use that machine and clean up your yard to ensure that no elements will enter the mower once we perform winterization later on.

Cleaning up outside includes fixing hoses, your irrigation systems, and anything that may also be at risk during the wintertime.

Keeping away obstacles like leaves and branches will ensure that your mower won’t be affected once it is placed on the surface.

Do you have to winterize your lawn mower?

Remove the Fuel (Gas-Powered Lawn Mower)

Since the winter will freeze almost anything surrounding us, you need to remove the fuel from your mower’s engine. Simply leaving fuel in the lawn mower’s tank will affect the mower in so many ways that it will be damaged later on. Freezing will include moisture around items, and the water from freezing may mix with the lawn mower’s fuel if there is stored fuel in the tank. It will cause performance problems, engine damage, clogs, corrosion, and many other concerns that may affect your mower in multiple ways.

Removing the fuel in the tank and storing it in the proper storage will ensure the tank’s quality and the mower’s engine be stabilized even after the winter.

Remove the Battery (Electric Lawn Mower)

You need to remove the battery from your electric mower and store it inside your house to keep it away from freezing or any other harsh temperature contacts.

Once the battery encounters different temperature conditions, it weakens and slowly deteriorates its quality. The temperature fluctuation can affect performance not only in the mower’s battery but also for various devices with batteries.

If the temperature is not tolerable enough, it can shorten the lifespan of batteries and cause them to displease permanently. In that case, you need to purchase a new mower battery instead of just storing it for use after the wintertime.

Unplug the Spark Plug.

Unplugging the spark plug cord will maintain the mower’s performance even when you store it in your garage for a long time. This way, you can preserve its power and keep from spark concerns once extreme temperature arises.

Remove the spark plug in the mower and spray a little oil into the cylinder to ensure its quality. Ensure you can distribute the oil around and avoid spraying too much so the moisture from freezing won’t be a concern later on.

After removing the spark plug, you can replace it with a new one if it is already worn out and if you think it won’t last long after storing it for a long time.

Sharpen the Mower Blades.

To keep your mower sharp even after storage, you need to sharpen the blades before storing them for the wintertime.

Not only can you ensure that the blades are sharp once you use the mower again, but you can also protect the blades’ quality that they will not cut dull while mowing the lawn.

However, if the mower blades are not good enough to be sharpened again, you need to replace them with new ones to avoid chipped, cracked, or rusty blade segments.

Once you reinstall the new sharp blades, ensure that you properly put them and lock them in to ensure your safety.

Clean the Filters.

Clean your mower’s air and fuel filter to remove dirt and avoid further damages after storage, but if the filters need to be replaced, replace them with new ones. This will make your mower feel brand new once you use it again after prolonged storage.

Polish Your Lawn Mower.

After you clean the insides and other attachments of the mower, you need to use a damp cloth to wipe the mower. This way, you can maintain the mower’s picture by looking good before you store it and remove any dust that may have stuck onto the mower’s surface.

After wiping, you can wax the outer part of the mower to make it look shiny and preserve its beauty. You can also lubricate some parts, so they won’t go dull once used.

Final Words

Store the mower indoors and, as much as possible, keep it away from any risks like mice, insects, flammable materials, and many more. Winterizing a lawnmower not only makes the mower feel brand new while preserving its performance, but it can also help you develop the discipline to make sure your devices are safe enough in harsh temperature conditions.

Ensure to store your mower safely so it will still thrive once you use it after wintertime.

Hopefully, this article helped you answer your curiosity about winterizing lawn mowers.

Don’t wait until your surroundings freeze; winterize your mower if the season is about to come!

About Tom Reynolds

My name is Tom Reynolds, and I like lawn mowing. When I was a kid, I used to help my dad in cutting grass using a reel mower, now, I have my own 6 different lawn mowers. Keeping my lawn healthy and beautiful gives me satisfaction, and I still enjoy working in my lawn.