Getting Yard Equipment Ready for Spring

Hopefully when you put away your yard equipment in the late fall you took the needed steps to store it for winter. In an ideal world homeowners have the time to completely care for their equipment. In the real world this is not always the case. Even if lawnmowers and yard equipment have been stored correctly there are still steps that need to be taken to get everything up and running again.

Lawnmowers:

A very important step in putting most lawnmowers away before winter is the addition of a fuel stabilizer. If this was done the engine should start up fairly smoothly. If it was not things could become a bit difficult. If you did run some stabilizer through all you need to do is fill the rest of the tank with fresh fuel. If not, it may be necessary to dump as much fuel out of the system as possible and start over. Remember to dispose of the bad fuel in an appropriate manner.

Check both the top and bottom of the mower and clean away any remaining grime or dry grass. Check and replace the blade if it is worn. A freshly sharpened blade is the best way to start the season. Ideally you should have two blades so that a sharp one is always available. Shops that do blade sharpening may be very busy at the start of a season. Sharpening the blade yourself is just one more job to complete while the grass grows at amazing speed.

Check and replace the spark plug if needed. Check the safety flaps and grass catcher if one is used. Over the winter, rust can form and cloth can deteriorate. Follow any maintenance procedures in the manual if you have one on hand.

Trimmers, edgers and hand equipment.

For any other lawn equipment that has a gasoline powered engine the same fuel procedures should be followed. With electrical equipment it is important to check the cords for any fraying or damage that may have occurred during storage. Check the blades on edgers and tillers and clean out any remaining debris. Check the spool on string trimmers and have a back up ready. If you wind your own make sure you have a supply on hand. You will run out halfway through the job that is just how it works.

Manual tools should be brought out and carefully checked. If they were oiled before storage you will only need to wipe them down and they should be ready to go. If not, now is the time to go over them with light oil. Check the cutting edges and sharpen them or send them out for sharpening before the shops get busy. Take the steps now to check the operational quality of your lawn equipment before the grass grows six inches tall.