Winter is the time to protect your commercial lawn care
equipment.
Free Tips and Fun Innovations on running your own Lawn Care / Landscaping
Business.
By: http://www.Summer101.com
This
week's tip is how to Winterize your lawn mower and other lawncare equipment.
As the sun sets lower on the horizon and
my air conditioner gets turned off leading to lower electricity bills, I
know that late autumn and winter is just around the corner.
November is here and this is the time of year when most lawn
care companies shift their focus away from mowing yards. Leaf raking, overseeding, fertilizing, and autumn cleanup jobs take precedence over grass
cutting. Because of this lawn mowers are not needed nearly as much over the
next several months as they are during the summer.
In this part of the country, we normally
still mow some even in December (and occasionally in January) if there is a
warm spell. Keeping your primary mower in operating conditions is always a
good idea. However, the secondary mowers normally get put away for the
winter by mid November.
While some of the southern states can
continue mowing year-round, in the northern states mowing is often
completely finished by the first week of November.
It is now time to think about storing
your commercial lawn mowing machinery for the winter. There are a few steps
I like to take to make sure my equipment makes it through the harsh
temperatures safely so it will start easily when spring comes.
These tips are just personal opinion and
you should follow the instruction manual that came with your equipment. All
maintenance should be done with the mower turned off and the battery
disconnected.
When you are performing the steps below,
keep an eye out for belts, hoses, pulleys, pins, springs, bolts, and other
parts that need to be replaced.
1) Gas - Run the gas tank dry the last
time you run the mower. Old gas sitting in the fuel system for an extended
period of time tends to decay rubber fuel lines and gaskets. If keeping
some fuel in the tank is inevitable, I try to use Sta-Bil or some other form
of gas stabilizer. Don't siphon extra gas out. Siphoning is dangerous...it
is better to let the mower run out of gas on its own during the last time
you mow a yard. Close your fuel line valve to keep gas out of the
carburetor.
2) Disconnect the Battery. Store it in
a safe place for winter. If your mower is kept in an outside storage shed,
consider keeping the batter in a safe place that will stay at a moderate
temperature for the winter.
3) Cleaning - Brush all the old grass
away from your mowing deck and from all the nooks and craneys. If you have
a front deck mower, pull off the deck lid and remove grass from the
pulleys. Lift the deck and carefully clean all the grass away from the
underside. If the grass is caked on, I will sometimes use a pressure washer
with a low pressure nozzle to wash away all the excess grass and dirt. If
you are feeling particularly proud of your commercial mower, a good wax job
now will make sure it shines next spring.
4) Lubricating - Use a lube gun on all
lubricating nibs. Be careful to not overfill. I also like to change the
oil one last time before putting the mower away for the winter. It is good
knowing that the mower will have clean fresh oil in it while it is sitting
still for a couple of months. Also, I always change the oil filter when I
change the oil. This goes the same for your hydrostatic fluid if your
commercial lawn mower is so equipped. Take the old oil to a proper disposal
facility.
5) Blades - Sharpen your lawn
mower blades. When you are finished, use a lubricating spray such as WD-40
on the blades. This will help keep the newly sharpened blades from rusting
during the winter.
6) Air filter - Change your filter. If
you have a two stage filter with a foam outer sleeve, some filter
manufacturers recommend a light film of oil on the outer stage.
7) More lubricant. Use a recommended
lubricating spray on all moving parts. It is especially useful to lubricate
cables (choke cables, etc.), hinges on chute guards, and other moving parts.
8) Spark plugs. Disconnect and remove
the spark plug. A very quick spray of lubricating fluid can be squirted
into the spark plug hole.
9) Store the equipment in an area where
it will be out of the way in a cool, dry, inside area. Attempt to deter
rodents and other animals that might nest in the mower.
10) Cover your lawn mower with a study
tarp.
By following these tips and the
instructions from your equipment manufacturer, you will greatly reduce the
time needed to ready your machinery once spring rolls around.
Commercial lawn mowers and lawn care
equipment are built tough. If you take care of them, you can greatly
increase their service life. Keeping machinery running longer effectively
reduces your costs and increases the profit potential of your lawncare
business.
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