Tips for Winterizing Your Mower
Now that winter is here, it can be a little bittersweet knowing it’s all over for the season. For some people it might be relaxing mowing their yard each time and to others it may seem like a chore, but before you go and put your mower away there are a few steps you should do to ensure that it is ready to go when you get it out to mow next spring!
1. Clean the Mower Deck – Washing off your mower deck is always a good place to start. Hook up your garden hose and rinse off all the dirt and debris. For ease of washing your mower deck, utilize the wash port on the deck of a John Deere mower with an Accel Deep, Edge, or High-Capacity deck.2. Grease Your Mower – This helps avoid rust throughout the winter. Be sure to grease all moving parts on your mower, including the spindles on the deck and other high-wear areas!
3. Add Fuel Stabilizer or Drain Fuel Tank – When you add fuel stabilizer to gasoline it adds on about 12 months of life to the fuel. This helps prevent your fuel from going bad when your lawn mower isn’t being used. Just simply fill your tank with gas, add the fuel stabilizer, start your mower so it can go through the fuel system, and turn off. As for draining your fuel, if you find yourself finishing the season with only a little bit of fuel left, you’re better off to run the tank empty.
4. Change the Filters – Replacing your air filter and fuel filter once per season will keep your lawn mower running at its best!
5. Don’t Forget About Spark Plugs – This is a great way to ensure your mower will firer right up in the spring for your first mow. Spark plugs should be changed about once a year. It’s a good way to help winterize it and be ready for next season.
6. Disconnect Your Battery or Connect Battery to a Charger – When you disconnect the battery from your mower you are helping preserve its power. To help extend your batteries life, purchase a trickle charger. When you connect your battery to the trickle charger while in storage, you will be avoiding damage like discharging, sulfation, and even freezing temperatures.
7. Cover Mower – If you store your mower outside, consider putting a cover over your mower. This will help keep the outside elements off your mower and when springtime comes along, you can remove the cover and be on your way!
Putting in the extra time into winterizing your mower will help you feel relived when you go to start your mower in the spring! Stop by your local Martin Tractor
dealer today for the items to winterize your mower or for more info on how to winterize your mower. And don’t forget about our yearly maintenance programs going on right now! For more info or to sign up, click on the following link – Lawn-2-Shop!