My neighbor and I had a bit of a wager going, concerning the number of lawn mowings left in the season. My contention was that with the temperatures only recently dropping into our classic fall weather in these parts, we were bound to be cutting the grass until December. He felt otherwise, and following a week of chillier temperatures decided to winterize all his lawn equipment, essentially daring Mother Nature to throw any more warmth at us.
I'm historically forgetful about end of season equipment maintenance, and it's nice to have a neighbor who reminds me about such things. The idea is simple; if you do a few basic things properly after your last mowing, it can extend the life of your equipment and improve the performance of the equipment next time you use it. Most power equipment manuals have specific instructions for regular maintenance, and this is a good time to dig out the manual and read it over. Failing that, there's a few simple things you can do that will help you out in the long run.
1) Run your equipment out of gas. Gasoline left unused over the winter can lead to gummy deposits in your engine and carburetor. That's bad, and if you can run your mower or blower out of gasoline after the final use you'll help avoid this issue. If you've got a full tank of fuel to burn this can be tricky, and in the past I've used my mower to mulch fallen leaves in order to use up the available fuel. My current mower has a really handy fuel shutoff valve that allows me to leave the tank full, but run the engine/carb dry. Very clever.
2) Clean everything. Mowers seem to get filthy in the summer. If you have a mulching mower especially, you're bound to have some nasty caked up partially composted grass clippings all up in the underside of the mowing deck. Unplug the spark plug wire and get that stuff scraped out of there. Some people use this as an opportunity to take the blade off and sharpen it. Personally, I just wait and sharpen it in the spring.
3) Check the spark plug and air filter. It's really easy to forget about the air filters on your gas powered equipment, which is too bad. They also get terribly nasty and should be replaced regularly. Clogged air filters lead to poor efficiency and generally degrade your engine performance. It's a good idea to unscrew the spark plug, put a few drops of oil in the hole and pull the starter cord a few times to lubricate the cylinder. Be sure to screw the spark plug back in, lest you get unwanted junk in the cylinder while the mower sites in your garage.
4) Change the Oil. Yeah, this is where things get messy. Changing the oil on a lawn mower can be downright aggravating on some models, but it's a really good idea. As the saying goes; oil is cheaper than engines. Usually your mower will have a drain plug somewhere near where the engine meets the deck, and it's a simple matter of unscrewing that plug, tilting the mower so as to drain all the oil - while not spilling any, then replacing the plug and refilling the oil resevoir. Practically speaking, I've never managed to do this without making a mess and cursing. The best bet is to consult your owner's manual for the exact location of your oil drain plug.
I'm still convinced that I'll be mowing the lawn before again before the end of the year. But if you're already buttoning things up for the winter, be sure to take care of your equipment too. You'll be happy you did.