Hello nightowls,
People use storage for multitude of things. I just helped a landscading contractor move from Chicago to Philadelphia and he had 3 large lawn tractors and a bunch of weedwackers and motorized yard equipment. Speaking with him reminded me of all the special precautions you need to consider when storing or moving these items.
Most importantly, drain the gasoline. Gasoline is volitile and degrades over time. If you leave gas in the tank of your lawnmover over the winter it becomes gummy and can cause damage to the engine when you try and run it again in the spring. This also eliminates a flamable material inside your storage unit which can be dangerous. These units are not well ventalated and, particularly if your unit is not climate controlled, can be a real fire hazard. If you've ever seen a bucket of oily rags spontaneously ignite you can imagine that you've inadvertantly create a similar situation. And draining the gas is easy, simply disconnect the gas line running from the tank to engine and pour into a gas can and when empty run the mower/blower until it is dry. Most gas stations will take back the gas and recycle it properly.
Clean your mower and wrap in cloth material. To prevent rust and corrosion, you want to avoid moisture traps. Old grass clipping will decompose creating water in the process and wrapping with a plastic or impermiable tarp will trap this moisture inviting rust problems.
Lastly, seasonal items are very conviently stored in portable storage units. I have a customer who we deliver her storage unit to every spring and fall as she rotates her lawn mover/summer waredrobe/outdoor furniture with the snowblower/Christmas decorations/winter coats.
"Winterizing" and storing your equipment is really pretty easy. These simple steps will help your equipment run well next season and make for happy mowing/blowing. Best of luck!
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