The time has come in most areas of the country to put away the lawn equipment for the winter. Here are a few suggestions to help make things easy next spring when it's time to get them running again:
1.) Drain the gas. The simplest way to do this is just to run the item until the tank is empty. If you choose to leave the gas in the machine, at very least use a fuel stabilizer in the gas. Add the stabilizer according to the directions on the bottle. Leaving gas in the machine is inviting varnish and debris to form in the carb over the winter. This will make life very difficult in the spring.
2.) Clean the mower. Over the summer grass collects on the underside of the deck. Once you've drained the gas tank, tip the mower on it's side and scrape off all the gunk stuck to it. If your mover has a steel deck and you skip this step, you're shortening your mower's life considerably. The grass stuck underneath holds moisture and humidity causing the deck to rot very quickly.
3.) Sharpen the blade. Now is a good time to have the blade sharpened. Either use a file and follow the original pattern on the blade or remove it and take it to a shop for professional sharpening. Remember that the blade does not to be razor sharp.
4.) Put oil in the sparkplug hole. Simply remove the sparkplug and put a teaspoon of regular motor oil in the hole. Replace the plug and pull the motor a few times to distribute the oil in the motor. This will help keep parts from corroding and seizing during the long storage time.
Aside from a good all-over cleaning and oiling of the moving parts, that should be about it. Follow these directions and you'll make your equipment happy (and yourself too!). |
