How to Jack up a Zero Turn Mower

Cutting your lawn is more than keeping your grass short, it’s about having a landscape that will bring pride and one that can work for you. By adjusting your lawn mower deck, you’re able to avoid leaving ugly marks on your lawn and achieve an even superior cut.

Zero-turn lawn mowers are mowers with a large cutting deck at the front of the machine. This type of mower can make a 360 degree turn without a radius because its driver wheels use independent systems, two separate motors, and hydro-pumps.

You can easily jack up your zero turn mower to either change the blades or service it. you just need to park your mower on a level surface, turn of the ignition, raise the mower to its highest position by pulling the deck lever, then raise the jack about 2 feet off the ground.

Zero-turn lawn mower

A zero-turn mower is perfect if you want to keep your large yard even and tidy. You use the lap bars of the rear wheels to steer this machine, and unlike other mowers, you can turn 180 degrees so you’re not left with a circle of uncut grass after you’ve turned.

They have fast speeds of up to 7 mph and can cut the grass around obstacles so you don’t need to use a weed whacker to do some touchup afterward. They’re also ideal for getting into the tighter parts of your lawn and are excellent for using on football and sports fields giving them a characteristic look of cross-hatching or lines on the grass.

Zero turns are more effective on flat terrain, but if you have a hilly yard, you should get a mower with an independently moving deck which will make it easier to follow the contours of your lawn.

These machines have a 12-15 horsepower with a deck size of 32-60 inches. A common problem with riding mowers is adjusting their deck height and without the correct height for your lawn or deck, your mower will cut out of level. This mostly happens when you have an uneven lawn.

How to Jack Up A Zero Turn Mower

When you jack your mower it means you want to gain access to the underside of your mower. An engine jack can easily lift the front-end of your mower high enough to allow easy deck cleaning. This jack is very affordable, strong, and capable of lifting the front of your mower since most mowers have most of their weight on the rear axle.

You should take caution once you lift the front end to use the right-sized jack stands to set the elevated frame onto to ensure it’s safe to work under your mower.

Wheel your mower to a flat surface either in your garage, sidewalk or on a level driveway. Turn the ignition key to the ‘off’ position.
Raise your mower deck to its highest position by pulling the mower deck lift lever back. Slide a jack under the front part of your mower deck in the middle.
Raise the jack till your mower is 2 feet off the ground. Place jack stands under each side of the mower deck, then lower the jack until your mower is resting on the jack stands.

What is the Proper Height for the Grass on your Lawn?

The proper height for mowing your lawn will mostly depend on the type of grass on your lawn, its growing conditions, and the season.

It’s very important to choose the right cutting height because;

Mowing will discourage unwanted grasses and weeds from taking over your lawn while at the same time encouraging the growth of your chosen grass type to flourish.
Proper mowing will create a drought-tolerant and low-maintenance lawn.

Some tips for setting your mower cutting height

Mowing your shady grasses a little higher will encourage them to grow better.
Cool-season grasses do better when you cut them as high as possible.
Use the lower cutting heights to cut your warm-season grasses in early spring to remove the dead blades.
During the drought season in summer, use the top cutting heights for your type of grass to reduce the stress on your lawn.

Some of the different varieties in the same grass type may have different cutting heights.

Mowing Heights for Lawn Grasses

Grass-type	Mowing height
Kentucky bluegrass	1 ½ – 2 ½ inches
Bahiagrass	2 – 3 inches
Centipede	1 ½ – 2 ½ inches
Zoysia grass	½ – 1 ½ inches
Bermuda grass	½ – 1 ½ inches
Ryegrass	1 ½ – 2 ½ inches
Bentgrass	¼- ¾ inches
Buffalo grass	2 – 3 inches
Tall fescue	2 – 3 inches
Fine fescue	1 ½ – 2 ½ inches
St. Augustine	2 – 4 inches

Cleaning your Mowing Deck

Your mower’s deck can have a buildup of grass clippings, dirt, and debris that can damage your mower, hurt your lawn, and affect the quality of the cut.

The dirt, debris, and grass clippings also hold moisture that can corrode the blades’ metal making it weak. You’ll also find bacteria and fungi that can spread to your lawn and damage it. A buildup of grass around the discharge area can make it hard to discharge the clippings evenly on your lawn leading to clumping. Having grass buildup under your deck can affect the airflow in the cutting chamber which will affect the cutting quality.

How to Clean your Mower Deck

Follow the instructions in the user manual to remove your deck and the blades.
Scrap off all the grass under the deck and use low-pressure water with some soap to wash off the grass, dirt, and debris from under your deck.
Use the instruction manual to reinstall your deck and blades properly.

Conclusion

It’s great to have a powerful motor on your mower, but you also need to balance it with the right cutting deck for maximum performance. A zero-turn mower has great power, speed, and maneuverability which will make it easy to mow your large yard and with proper maintenance, it will deliver a superior cut.