Getting Your Power Equipment Ready for Winter (November 19, 2001):

It’s the time of year to put your mower, tiller, trimmer, and chainsaw away for the winter. Do you drain the gas or fill the tank? We feel you should empty the tank and run the mower dry, but before you do, do several other things to the mower first. Take time to check the mower for loose bolts, nuts, and screws; sharpen and balance the blade; clean the air filter, (Wash foam filter in warm soapy water, ring out well, then put a little oil on the filter and ring it in to it); and drain the oil and fill it with fresh (most engines hold 20 oz—you can use a 20 oz plastic pop bottle to measure the oil). Then clean your mower by spraying the mower and engine down with gunk or a good strong soap, start it up and hose it off being careful not to spray the air filter, oil fill tube, and gas cap. Let the mower run for at least 5 minutes or longer. You can take an old turkey baster and suck most of the gas out of the tank (use caution, gas is flammable) and restart the engine and let it run dry. Store your power equipment in a dry clean area. If your mower is hard to start or you had other problems with it, now is the time to take it in to your local repair shop and have it tuned up.

Now get rid of all extra gas sitting around in gas cans. Just dump it in your car gas tank. What about two-cycle mix with oil in the gas? It’s fine to dump it in your car. It will be diluted down and won't hurt a thing.