Preparing Your Hustler Mower for Winter

It is important for you to properly prepare your lawn mower for winter storage. Doing so will help ensure that your mower remains in optimum condition.

Give your mower a thorough cleaning and remove all grass clippings and debris. If you wash your mower, let it dry completely before moving to inside storage. A power blower or setting in the sun may help speed the process.

Optional at this time to change the oil, oil filter, air filter, and fuel filter. Most people wait until spring, but doing before storage helps you avoid the spring rush. While you are at you may want to sharpen the blades as well. Lubricate all grease fittings, axles, bearings, etc. per the owner’s manual.

If possible or practical, especially for push mowers, drain all gasoline from the tank into an approved container. Before draining however, it is a good idea to add fuel stabilizer to the tank, run the engine for five minutes or your last cut, then drain. This will ensure that stabilized treated fuel makes it way thru the entire fuel system. This will aid greatly in restarting you mower in the spring.

With larger mowers, stabilize the fuel, run the mower for five minutes, then turn the fuel supply off via the shutoff valve. Under both circumstances, once the fuel is drained or turned off, start the mower and run it until all of the gas in the engine is gone. When the mower stalls, choke it and start is several more times until it will no longer start.

Some owners will remove the battery, clean it, and store it inside for the winter. This may help with battery life, especially in regions that experience single digit temperatures during the winter. A fully charged battery that is less than two years old should be fine where temperatures don’t get below 20 degrees. Regardless of whether you remove the battery, disconnecting it for the winter is a good idea. Before starting in the spring, it is always a good idea to charge the battery per the manufacturer’s instructions. Often, a battery that is low from sitting all winter can be brought back to life by simply charging. It’s always worth a try.

Try to store your lawn mower in a garage or shed where it will be protected through the winter.