How To Winterize Your Power Lawnmower
A. Caxton
The article gives you systematic instructions for making sure
that your lawn mower is usable when the spring arrives and you
require your lawn mower once again. If you do not take these
minor precautions, the left over fuel in carburetor will make
your lawn mower unusable at the end of winter.
Protect Your investment
After you rake out all the leaves, do not relax. Remember
Robert Frost. There are miles to go before you sleep and miles
(well not exactly) to go before your lawn mower is allowed to
sleep. Unless you do it, your lawn mower might be put to a
longer sleep. It may not wake up when winter goes away, and
when you need your lawn mower most.
The How of Lawn Mower Winterizing
Gasoline in the carburetor of your lawn mower, does not take
kindly to lowered temperatures of winter. The gasoline gums up
and when you try to restart it after the winter, there s no
gasoline flow to your engine and it does not start. You will
not be able to do the maintenance by yourself. You will lose
time and money making the trip to your friendly neighborhood
mechanic. You get all this, for not following up simple steps
of winterizing your lawn mower. Avoid all this winterize your
lawn mower.
The How of Lawnmowers Winterizing
There are some simple steps for winterizing your lawn mower.
You can do it your self without involving any one else.
1. The first thing to do is to remove the gasoline in the tank.
This can be done by siphoning the contents in the in a plastic
can. Usually a single gallon container should be sufficient.
2. Keep the can tightly closed after decanting contents of the
lawn mower. Place the can in such a way that it cannot topple
over and spill the content.
3. If you use the same grade of gasoline in your car, transfer
the content to the car tank, it is much safer that way, or
transfer it to winter heating system if that is possible
instead of storing gasoline in a can.
4. Run the engine until the remaining fuel is completely
consumed and engine stops on its own.
5. Drain gearbox oil and crank case oil. Dispose off the oil as
per guidelines from municipal authorities for disposal of
hazardous waste or hand it over to municipal authorities for
doing it. NEVER, EVER, dump it in sewer or on ground.
6. Remove the spark plug, put lubricating oil (about 50
milliliter) through the opening, and crank up the engine using
the rope, so the piston and crankshaft is lubricated.
7. Ensure that you are wearing hand gloves before you do any of
the following activities and take safety precautions to avoid
any injury to your hands.
8. Turn over the engine and clean the undersides of the lawn
mower to remove traces of grass, muck attached to the blades
and clean the working parts of lawn mower. Remove any foreign
material lodged between blade and body.
9. With a small piece of steel wool, clean all the underside
areas and remove any rest from the covers and body of the lawn
mower.
10. Apply protective solution like WD-40 to the cleaned up
surfaces
11. If required, remove, sharpen and refit the blade, and turn
the lawn mower to its normal position.
12. Change the air filter and the oil filter. If it is possible
to clean the air filter, you can do so, but if it is made of
paper, it must be replaced. The air filters and oil filters can
also be replaced just before re-using the lawn mower, but it
pays to do this while winterizing as you might forget doing so
before starting.
13. Fill up the tires with air and wheel it to its resting
place for winter
When spring arrives and the grass is ready to be cut, fill up
the fuel tank with gasoline and start up. Your old faithful
lawn mower will purr into motion and you will be ready for your
lawn maintenance. It will purr like a contented cat.
About The Author: A. Caxton contributes adding reviews and
special articles regularly to
http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . A gardening
website that carries readings on lawn equipment, including how
to sharpen mower blades,read it here
http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-mower-blades.html
See Also:
Index of Lawn Mowers & Lawn Care
Index of Gardens & Gardening
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