Fall in Nebraska doesn’t ease in gently. One week you’re still mowing, and the next the leaves are down, and the ground is freezing. That narrow window between summer and winter is when preparation matters most, but most homeowners either rush through it or skip it entirely.
We sat down with Darrin, one of our equipment specialists at Ty’s Outdoor Power, to get a practical, no-fluff fall yard checklist with lawn care tips for the Midwest.
Get Your Leaf Cleanup Tools Ready First
Before the leaves fall, make sure you have the right tools lined up. According to Darrin, the essentials are:
- Handheld and backpack blowers for moving leaves into piles
- Shredder vacs, which are a multi-tool that works as a blower and a vacuum, sucking up leaves, chopping them, and bagging them for easy disposal
- Mowers with bagger systems, both walk-behind and riding, to pick up large volumes of leaves quickly
Sharpen Your Blades and Clean Your Deck
If you’ve been mulching or side-discharging all season, your mower isn’t automatically ready for leaf season. “Make sure that your blades are sharpened and you’ve got the proper blades on there if you’re gonna use a mower to assist in picking up the leaves,” Darrin said. A clogged or dirty deck restricts airflow and reduces how well the bagging system pulls in debris.
Don’t Overlook Fall Trimming Tools
Fall is also a popular time for trimming trees and hedges before winter sets in. Darrin recommends having these ready:
- Hedge trimmers for cleaning up bushes around the house
- Handheld pruners for smaller branches
- Small chainsaws for thicker limbs or trees that need cutting back
Getting this done in fall, before plants go dormant, makes spring cleanup significantly easier.
When to Bring Your Mower in for Service
Most homeowners still need their mower through leaf season, so Darrin recommends waiting until after the leaves are fully down before bringing it in for end-of-season service.
“Typically the end of season’s gonna be after the fall, after the leaves have fallen, because a lot of customers do use their mowers at that point,” he said. “The grass isn’t growing, but they work well to assist in that leaf cleanup.”
How to Winterize Your Mower (and Any Gas Equipment)
Winterizing lawn equipment, or preparing equipment for long-term storage, doesn’t have to be complicated. But one step matters above everything else. “The biggest thing that we will stress is to deal with your fuel. ” Get that fuel out of there,” Darrin exclaims. Here’s the process he recommends:
- Add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank (stabilizer prevents fuel from breaking down)
- Run the equipment until it uses up all the fuel. This pulls the stabilizer through the entire fuel system, including the carburetor
- Clean under the deck and scrape out any debris
- Lubricate all moving parts, including grease joints, pivot points, and anything that could stiffen up over winter
Every spring, Ty’s service department sees the same thing: equipment that won’t start because the fuel was left in over winter. “Fuel will gel up inside of the carburetor and clog those ports, and then it’s not gonna start,” Darrin explained. “That’s the biggest thing we see: old fuel left in units.” This applies to all gas-powered equipment, including blowers, chainsaws, and mowers.
While You’re at It, Pull Out the Snow Blower
As you’re putting fall tools away, use that same trip to the garage to check your snow blower. Look at the scraper bar and paddles (the rubber parts that move snow), add fresh fuel, and do a test start. You want to know it works before you actually need it.
Your Fall Prep Checklist at a Glance
- Gather blowers, shredder vacs, and bagger systems
- Sharpen mower blades and clean under the deck
- Trim hedges, bushes, and trees before winter
- Service the mower after leaf cleanup is done
- Add fuel stabilizer, run it through the system, then store dry
- Lubricate all moving parts before storage
- Test your snow blower and put fresh fuel in it
Fall prep is one of those things that pays off quietly. Either you do it now, or you spend a spring morning waiting on a repair that could’ve been avoided. If you’re unsure about any of this, bring your equipment in and let our service team take a look before the season hits.
