Winter Prep

[Larry Caldwell]

That is a serious prep list, but you might have missed a few water system details. Did you drain all the outside water faucets and store the garden hoses to keep them from freezing? Also, it is a good time to stabilize the fuel in your lawnmower and other small gas equipment before putting them away for the winter.

Good point about the fuel. I store all small engines dry. Since I have been working on generators, they all have fresh oil in the crank case and empty fuel tanks. The chainsaw, of course, only gets used in the winter, so it has been sitting empty all summer, but I haven't sharpened any chains since last March. It's time to get busy on that.

All my outdoor faucets are freeze proof. I lump garden hoses in with fall yard cleanup, but you reminded me that I have not done yard tool maintenance. I like to give all wooden handles a coat of boiled linseed oil. I will spend the winter doing stuff like sharpening mower blades. Any tool maintenance goes on the winter or early spring list. I do have a bunch of lead-acid batteries that need to be recycled. They are the remnants of a solar storage project for a travel trailer that doesn't live here anymore. I see that more as an unfinished chore than a seasonal project.

The big project for this week is the Christmas lights. Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow and I like to light up the day after.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I made a post pounder for the markers out of a ½" pipe, pipe cap and steel dowel.

The dowel is 6" longer than the pipe.

I pound the dowel into the ground until the pipe touches the ground, remove it and put the marker in the hole.
View attachment 4422197

So do you guys pull your markers every year? I have reflector markers along one short section of driveway, and leave them in year round. I should replace a few.

 

[bigtiller]

So do you guys pull your markers every year? I have reflector markers along one short section of driveway, and leave them in year round. I should replace a few.

Yes.
I think most of us pull up and store for the warm months.
If I didn't, they'd probably get ran over or mowed down.

 

[grsthegreat]

I got the driveway markers in a few weeks ago. Cordless impact drill with long masonry bit works wonders.

Everything else is done, chimney cleaned, gutters cleaned, sprinklers blown out.

Only thing left is chaining up tractor and hooking up hydraulic powerpack and hoses on tractor. But no snow in near future, so ill put that off still. I may just go ahead and install the hydraulic unit and hoses, as that takes the most time in prepping the tractor…..well see how lazy i feel in a few days.

Im actually looking foreward to snow, as the dog stays alot cleaner than the muddy mess from the rain.

 

[CalG]

I pulled out the emergency 4.5kw generator, Started and ran fine on the third pull. Filled the fuel tank with this years gas.

Greased the FEL on the B2601, mounted the front snow blower on the B7200. Moved the battery tender from one battery to another, don't ask me which, there are too many. Hauled the snow tires up from the shop lower level to fit to the wife's Volvo AFTER we drive down to Boston twice next week ;-)
Brought a half skid of wood pellets just outside the downstairs door, close to the burner.

The anticipation ans excitement of coming winter is JUST SO INVIGORATING! Love it!

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I pulled out the emergency 4.5kw generator, Started and ran fine on the third pull. Filled the fuel tank with this years gas.

I tested a 4.5 kw gasoline generator this year, but mostly I keep them stored dry tank, cylinder fogged, and exhaust/intake bagged to keep bugs out. It had been sitting in the barn for 10 years and started on the second pull. Made power fine. I should button it up again in case it sits for another 10 years. My dad used to store all his farm equipment that way. I only have a tractor now, and I use it year round, so small engines are the only thing to get mothballed.

The anticipation ans excitement of coming winter is JUST SO INVIGORATING! Love it!

I learned many years ago how to dress for the weather. I think summer heat is ugly weather, rain and snow are nice.

 

[ultrarunner]

Forgot about fogging… only did that with the old outboard.

 

[MossRoad]

Winters have been so mild here for the past few years about all I do is make sure I have a good snow brush in each vehicle, put the snow shovel by the back door, put the plow in the tractor and back it into the back garage. It gets so little use that I have to put a battery tender on it over the winter.