How to Winterize Your Lawn Mower in 8 Easy Steps

There are a couple of things that are approaching the end of the cutting season and the cooler weather is beginning to close in on us. Your lawn mower will need to be put away for the winter soon as the grass will stop growing and you will need to stop cutting it. As a faithful fair-weather companion, your lawn mower has served you well over the years.

Having said that, you should give your lawn the attention it deserves at the end of the mowing season. It only takes a moment to prepare your mower for storage over the winter, and you’ll be pleased with the results when you get it out in the spring. You can make sure that your mower starts easily next spring if you take a few steps now to make sure it does so. You should make sure that you have your operator’s manual handy when working on your lawn mower so that you can refer to it quickly if needed.

You should prepare your riding mower for the winter by winterizing it now. My goal here is to provide you with a step-by-step guide to winterizing your lawn mower so that it is protected during the cold winter months and in working condition when spring comes around.

Clean the mower deck

You should start by washing off the dirt and debris that has been collected after a long mowing season. Make sure to hook up a garden hose or bring out your pressure washer and give your mower a thorough cleaning. You can utilize the wash port on the deck of your John Deere tractor when you have a deck such as an Accel Deep, Edge, or High-Capacity. Scrape off tough clumps, which have dried on, with a paint stirrer or stick if the clump is tough or dried on.

While you are cleaning the deck, it would be a sound idea to check whether you need to sharpen the mower blades or replace them. The fact that they are going to sit over the winter will not matter, but taking care of them now will save you time next year. Make sure the drive belt is not worn-out or cracked by leveling the mower deck. 

Mow before storing

Fuel Stabilization for Gasoline Mowers

When you leave fuel in your mower’s tank throughout the winter, it can create havoc in the engine of your mower. When water from condensation combines with the ethanol in the gas, this can cause a clog, corrosion, and other problems throughout the fuel system. This is because it causes water to combine with ethanol. There is a possibility that you might have to spend $75 to $100 to have your carburetor serviced come springtime.

During the winter, you should always remove the fuel from your mower if you keep it in the basement, regardless of how much fuel it has left in it. Storing fuel inside is not only dangerous, but also could be a fire hazard. During the last mow of the season, if there is just a trace of fuel left in the tank, it is safer to run it dry. This is before you start it again.

You should disconnect the fuel line at the carburetor if it is nearly full or if the tank is full or near full. Once the fuel has been drained, place the fuel in a container that is suitable for storing gasoline. There is no need to throw out leftover fuel; it can be added to your car.

The smartest thing to do if you plan on keeping your lawnmower outside the house is to fill it up with gas and make sure that it is balanced. It would also be smart to use gas that is prepackaged and comes with a stabilizer already installed.

Several home centers and outdoor power equipment dealers sell stabilizers that can be used to adjust gasoline as well as gas that comes already stabilized. You may stabilize the mower by running it for a few minutes, allowing fresh fuel to get into the carburetor for good measure.

Battery removal for electric mowers

Please remove the battery or batteries from your device and store them inside your home so that temperature fluctuations are minimized. Temperatures that are extremely high or low can cause battery cells to have a shorter life and result in their premature failure. It is recommended that batteries be stored at a temperature between 40° and 80°F for optimum performance. You can check your mower’s owner’s manual to determine what range is appropriate for your machine.

Make sure the tank is drained

If you wish to remove the gasoline from the fuel tank, either you can siphon it out with a siphon or you can run the mower until your fuel tank and fuel line are empty of gas. If the fuel in the tank has all been used, add about a half quart of STIHL MotoMix to it. The fuel is non-ethanol and will maintain its stability for up to two years in the tank, which ensures that the fuel systems in your vehicle will remain safe.

If you want to store two or four-cycle engines for a long period of time, this is the ideal thing to do. Make sure the MotoMix is applied to all parts of the fuel system, including the carburetor, and allow it to run for three to five minutes.

Make sure that the fuel is stabilized

Using this method, the existing gas should be drained, non-oxy ethanol-free gasoline should be added to the tank, and a fuel stabilizer should be added. There are two fuel stabilizers that are available at all of the Minnesota Equipment locations for small engines:

Seafoam and Star Tron. Seafoam is a water-based fuel stabilizer that is readily available at all of our locations. Run the engine again for three to five minutes to ensure that the stabilized fuel mixture has penetrated all the way to the carburetor. In addition, the stabilized fuel mixture hason, the stabilized fuel mixture has permeated the entire fuel system. 

Make sure the blade is removed

First of all, if you want to clean the underside of the mower and change the oil easier, you will need to remove the blade from the mower. This is done by unscrewing the bolts that hold the blade in place. When handling a blade, it is highly recommended that you wear thick gloves.

During the time when the blade is off, you may want to sharpen it. For more information, see How to Sharpen Mower Blades.

Make sure the air filter is changed regularly

As a result of dirty air filters, the engine is not able to burn gas efficiently since the amount of air that it needs to burn is restricted.

The paper filter on your mower should be replaced with a brand new one, with the paper edges facing out of the mower. I would suggest that you remove any sponge filters that are soaked in oil. You can wash them with soap and water, allow them to dry completely, and then reinstall them with some clean oil once they have dried completely.

A screwdriver or popsicle stick can be used to remove dirt and debris from the cooling fins.

Oil should be poured into the engine

It is now possible for you to fill your engine with fresh oil after replacing the old filter and removing the old oil from it. Generally speaking, 5W-30 oil will work fine, but depending on the location of your mower and the kind of oil you use, this may vary, so make sure to check the recommended oil for your mower.

Start the engine and let it run

As a final step, once the oil change is finished, it is wise to start up the engine and run it for about a minute. By doing so, the oil is permitted to travel along the engine and fill up the filter as it is pumped through. Once you have allowed the engine to settle for one minute, turn off the engine and allow it to cool down. You can do this by using the dipstick to check the oil level inside the engine and topping it off if needed.

In Summary/Conclusion

You should winterize your weed eater as well as your lawn mower before they sit idle during the cold months of the year. When springtime comes around, you will be able to start your tools quickly again when you perform proper winterization.

A final cleaning of the lawn mower is required before it is stored away for the winter. The purpose here is to clean the mower to get rid of any dirt and grass that could potentially corrode the metal of the mower. My favorite way to clean a riding mower after it has been used is to follow these steps.