Summer has come and gone, and that means for most of us that mowing season is over. That also means that it is time to lawn mower prep for winter storage. It is important to make sure that your lawn mowers are ready for the long winter months. Most people don’t even realize that lawn mowers are a lot like cars when it comes to upkeep. Improper maintenance can shorten the life of your mower and lead to costly repairs or replacement. Below are some tips provided by MetLife Auto & Home and myself to help you with lawn mower prep for the winter and can save you a lot of money in the future.
DIY Lawn Mower Prep For Winter
The first thing you should do to lawn mower prep for winter is to read the owner’s manual that accompanies the mower. It will have important safety procedures that you should follow as well as specific maintenance information for your mower, such as oil type and belt sizes. Next you should make sure that you have proper ventilation to perform your work. Remember you are working with a gas engine, and running a gas engine indoors is never a good idea. I never ride my mower into the basement when I am finished mowing. I always park it outside and let it cool down for a brief period, then I push it into the basement. It is best to perform the maintenance outdoors.
Next you should disconnect the battery or the spark plug (depending on the type of lawn mower, riding mowers have batteries and plugs, push mowers just have plugs) to prevent accidental starts. Then clean the lawn mower by brushing off any loose grass or leaves built up on the deck, and use a putty knife to scrape away any caked on grass underneath the mowing deck and blades.
Next, lubricate the mower with a manufacturer-recommended lubricant. Any moving parts, such as wheels, should have grease fittings that will accept grease that will keep those parts lubricated. Be sure to hit them, but just a single pump with the grease gun should suffice, not pump until you see grease come rolling out. That can damage the seals. Then change the oil by running the mower first for several minutes to allow the oil to heat up. This makes it easier to drain. Then remove the drain plug and allow all the oil to drain out into a proper catch pan or jug (please be sure to take your old oil to a proper oil recycling center near you).
If you think you can handle it, and if your mower is so equipped, then you should change the oil filter as well. Check your nearest auto parts store for the proper replacement oil filter before removing. Usually, the oil filter and drain plug are located near one another. Be sure to replace the drain plug once all the old oil has drained out, remove the filter with a filter wrench. Before you put on the new filter, take your finger and dip it into the new manufacturer-recommended oil and rub some of the oil on the seal ring on the bottom of the new filter. Then place the new filter hand tight only onto the filter threading. Once tightened, start the mower and watch around the filter for leaks.
The next step is to replace the spark plug. Be sure to check the gap in the plug between the solenoid (that’s the little l-shaped metal piece at the front of the plug) and the electrode (the round part that sticks out from the ceramic part of the plug). If it is not the proper gap, then your mower will not start. A gap gauge is available at any hardware or automotive store, usually for less than a dollar. Then remove the old plug with a socket wrench and thread in the new plug. Next either clean or replace the air filter. If the air filter is extremely dirty, it is time for a new one. If it can be blown out with an air hose and does not seem too dirty, then that is a viable option.
Finally, check the mowing blades for wear. If they have gouges or cracks, it is time to replace them. If they need sharpening, remove them and have them sharpened at a nearby hardware store or lawnmower repair shop. It is also a good idea to hook the battery up to a trickle battery charger to keep it charged through the winter months.
These tips will help keep your lawnmower safe for the winter, but what about your home and car? Accidents are more prone to happen in the winter months, so it’s a good idea to make sure you are properly insured. MetLife offers insurance for both auto and home that can help give you peace of mind.
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View Comments (54)
To prep for winter, we use the mowers mulcher capabilities to chop up the fall leaves which helps feed the lawn for a healthy start to spring. For the mower, we fill the gas tank - that helps prevent condensation build up and water in the gas while it's not in use.
we don't do anything to our lawn to prep for winter. We've never had a problem with our lawn in the spring. We do get regular lawn service from Tru Green
We have an end of year check-up on our mowers at the end of mowing season. All blades are checked and all fluids and battery are changed and checked.
I don't do yard work at all, but I am hoping my husband does this stuff with our mower. I will pass this along to him to make sure he does.
I would think taking care of a lawn year-round would be a great way to prepare it for winter.
Also keeping the family informed about what products are on the lawn would be great.
That's my husbands department. I'm not quite sure what all he does. I know he cleans it and sharpens the blade.
I'm pretty sure my husband does all of these things. I have no idea, really. I'll send this on to him, just to be sure.
We haven't done this yet, but I read about using coffee grounds on the lawn to help nourish it. I've done it with plants but never tried it in with the seed.
I haven't started to prepare our lawn for winter but really should soon. I usually apply a winterizer fertilizer to the lawn and put away hoses and watering systems.
For our final mowing of the season, we take off the bag and set the lawn mower for mulch. That way it leaves the cut grass on the lawn to help protect it from the snow and extreme cold. As for the lawn mower, we drain the gas (and either use it in something else or discard - keeping it stored all winter isn't the best thing to do). We also do a thorough cleaning of the lawn mower and store it in our garage (we typically put it up on a couple of landscape timbers in the garage to keep it off the floor. Cars bring in snow and ice and when it melts it can make the floor of the garage wet. Keeping the law mower clean and dry helps keep it running for the next year.