Preparing Your Mower for Winter Storage

As soon as the weather cools down and the grass begins to go dormant, it can be a bitter-sweet time. It means no more mowing for a few months. It makes me a little bummed because I enjoy the solidarity and relaxation of riding on the mower, but it also means more hours in the week to do other things. But before I put the mower into winter storage, there are a few things I need to do to ensure the mower will be ready to go come spring.

Here are the 7 things you should do to prepare your mower for winter storage:

1) Perform a Full Service

One of the most important things you can do before storing your mower is to perform a full service on the machine, which includes changing the oil and replacing the air filters, fuel filter and spark plugs. John Deere home maintenance kits come with everything you need to perform the service on your John Deere Lawn Tractor or John Deere Zero Turn mower.

2) Grease Your Mower

In an effort to purge moisture and avoid rust through the winter, it is always a good idea to grease all the moving parts on your mower, including the spindles on the deck and other high-wear parts. This grease gun and grease can make this process go by quickly and smoothly.

3) Connect Your Battery to a Charger

One of the best investments you can make to help extend the life of your battery is to purchase a trickle charger. By connecting your battery to a trickle charger while in storage, you can avoid major damage to your battery from things like discharging and sulfation. You can also avoid damage due to freezing temperatures. By utilizing a trickle charger, the battery is kept warm by the low, steady charge. Check out this blog post to learn more about trickle chargers.

4) Add a Fuel Stabilizer

You can prolong the life of the gasoline in your mower tank by up to 12 months by adding in a fuel stabilizer. Fuel stabilizers aid in preventing your fuel from gumming up and going bad when your machine is not in use. This step simply requires you to fill your tank with gas, add the fuel stabilizer, start the mower to get the gas into the carburetor, turn the mower off, and turn off the fuel shut off, if your machine is equipped with one. This gasoline fuel conditioner/stabilizer will get you started.

5) Perform Blade Maintenance and Level Deck

Save time in the spring by performing blade maintenance before storing your mower. Sharpen or replace any blades that may be worn or dull. Level your mower deck by watching this handy how-to-video below. By performing this maintenance in the winter, you can ensure your mower will be ready to pull out and mow come spring.

6) Cover Your Mower

If you plan to store your mower outside, you should consider putting a cover on it. If not the seats and paint can get worn by weather pretty quickly. You should also consider some sort of mice control to avoid any wire damage due to chewing.

7) Repair Damaged Tires

If you have any low tires, consider fixing them before storage. Flat tires get more worn as they sit and flatten over time. This sealant can help repair your tires.