I always keep batteries in the house when not in use and leave the tools in the garage. Gas powered stuff gets run out of gas and stays in the garage for the winter. Pressure washer is the only thing I bring in the basement.

 

I keep everything except batteries and some liquids in the garage.

Thinking of adding a shed to move the snowblower, lawnmower and other bulky lawn tools to.

 

I agree with running the gas out of equipment that you don't plan to use instead of storing it with a fuel stabilizer. I even drain the carb bowl when possible.

• Siphon off excess fuel from the tank.

• Run the engine until it runs out of fuel.

• Drain carb bowl if possible.

• **Pull sparkplug and spray some fogging oil with the piston in at Bottom Dead Center or thereabouts and slowly cycle piston before reinstalling sparkplug.

• Inspect or replace sparkplug.

• Inspect air filter, clean or replace.

• Change oil.

• Sharpen blades if rotary mower.

**I only perform this step on equipment like my rolling leaf blower or snow blower that I don't plan on running for nearly a year or more. Stuff that just overwinters like a mower I usually skip this (especially vertical shaft).

 

You could always get one of the DIY garage door insulation kits & keep a lot of stuff in the garage through winter too. Luckily our garage doors were already insulated, but I added another layer of panels & it's a 15 degree difference with that second layer on + I upgraded the weatherstrip on the bottom of the garage doors

 

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**I only perform this step on equipment like my rolling leaf blower or snow blower that I don't plan on running for nearly a year or more. Stuff that just overwinters like a mower I usually skip this (especially vertical shaft).

There's far more potential for problems with equipment that's inactive during the warmer months. Snowmobiles, Snowblowers, Leaf blowers, Chainsaws, etc. It's not just the seasonal use pattern that creates trouble, it's what season is the "off" season that really aggravates things.

 

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**I only perform this step on equipment like my rolling leaf blower or snow blower that I don't plan on running for nearly a year or more. Stuff that just overwinters like a mower I usually skip this (especially vertical shaft).

There's far more potential for problems with equipment that's inactive during the warmer months. Snowmobiles, Snowblowers, Leaf blowers, Chainsaws, etc. It's not just the seasonal use pattern that creates trouble, it's what season is the "off" season that really aggravates things.

Great point.

 

When power tools are in use then can easily get up to 130, 150 degrees on the motor. So ambient temps are not a problem.

The only thing is cold weather can reduce your batteries charge and efficiency. So in the winter maybe store batteries inside or in a mud room
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So do most change the oil before storing the mower away for winter? Or wait until Spring? I drained the gas from the greensmower and disconnected spark plug, but wasn't sure if more was needed.

 

I always wait till spring to change the oil , A mechanic friend of mine told me years ago to do it that way and so far never any trouble

 

So do most change the oil before storing the mower away for winter? Or wait until Spring? I drained the gas from the greensmower and disconnected spark plug, but wasn't sure if more was needed.

Humans being what humans are, it's rare for the engine oil to get changed prior to storage. We tend to procrastinate and perform the maintenance just prior to needing the equipment.

Speaking purely from a best practice standpoint, I'd prefer to change it at the end of the active season. If the machine gets used 1-2 more times prior to being put in storage, no biggie.

But why? Because if we think about why we change engine oil in the first place, who wants all that sitting in the sump for 3-6 months before the oil gets changed? Corrosion from acids is irreversible, and any solids settling out risks forming a layer on the walls of the sump which may not drain off with the post-storage oil change. Or worse, they re-suspend when fresh oil, with fresh detergents, is added. This either slugs the oil pump/filter early on in the service interval, or for engines with no pump/filter, re-contaminates the new oil for the duration of the service interval.

Admittedly, in practical application, most engines are maintained well enough that it won't matter much, unless discussing it on the internet. :lol:

 

Storing Lawn Care Contract and products over winter takes some planning! For liquids, I'd avoid leaving them in an unheated garage if temperatures get below freezing where you live. The freeze/thaw cycle can damage bottles and affect the chemicals. Bring those inside to be safe.

For motorized tools, storing them in a shed poses risks if it gets damp. The garage is a better bet - just drain any remaining gas first and run the carburetor dry. Remove debris like you mentioned. You can place a tarp over mowers etc. to keep off dust.

Non-motorized tools like spreaders should be fine in the shed. I'd take apart hoses, coils them neatly, and store where rodents can't nest in them.

For seed, sounds like you have a good basement storage plan there. You're lucky to have the garage and basement space! Just be sure to keep things organized and labeled so you can find them again easily next spring. Let me know if you have any other winter storage questions!

 

I've recently set up a shipping container How Much do Shipping Containers Weigh? | VivaContainers in my garden for tool storage and a small workshop space. It's been fantastic so far, but I'm curious about how others are utilizing theirs. How do you manage temperature control and ventilation inside the container? Any creative ideas for organizing tools and equipment?