Is Your Lawn Mower Leaving Stripes in Your Yard?

Is your Lawn Mower Leaving Stripes in the Yard?

How to level Your Mower Deck

You want your lawnmower to give you an even straight cut all over your lawn. When you start noticing that your lawnmower is leaving stripes in the yard, you will need to adjust your mower deck. These simple steps will help you learn how to level your mower deck.

As with any lawnmower adjustments or repairs, you want to ensure you familiarize yourself with your owner's manual first. Each lawnmower will have specific manufacturer's recommendations on the details of how to level your mower deck. With that in mind, these are the basic steps you will need to do in the process of how to level your mower deck.
Step #1
Ensure your lawnmower has been turned off and that the engine is cool. Then remove the spark plug's wire and keep it separated a good distance from the spark plug itself.

Step #2
Ensure your lawnmower is on a level surface. Next, under the center part of the lawn mower's deck, place a section of pipe or angle iron, or other such item.

Step #3
To balance your mower deck from side to side, you first need to remove the plates at the rear. Then you can have the deck's center and rear portions placed on the angle iron or other such object.

Step #4
Next figure out how far the floor is to the tips of your lawn mower's blade with a measuring tape. If this distance is more than 1/8 of an inch as measured from one side to the other, you will have to adjust the level. This involves loosening the eccentric's shoulder blade. You will need to then adjust the eccentric as needed until you get the distance between the floor and blade tips to within 1/8 of an inch. Then secure the shoulder blade back. Next, put the sector plates back on and remove the pipe or angle iron.

Step #5
Once your lawnmower has been leveled from side to side you now need to ensure the front and rear balance is correct. To do this, you will need to take off the sector plates for the rear lift arms. The rear lift arms will be connected with hairpins and washers, so you need to take those off. Then, adjust the sector plate so that it is in a position of being a quarter of an inch lower in the back. If you can't adjust the sector plates any lower, you might need to make adjustments to the lift front rods. This involves taking off the washer and hairpin that connects the front rear arm with the front lift cable. Then turn the front lift cable so that it can go into the front arm without having the deck raised.

Following these simple steps in how to level your mower deck will keep your lawn looking even and beautiful throughout the season. Once again, follow the manufacturer's specifications for this process, and you should be able to level the deck to achieve a stripe-free yard.

About the Author:
Blake Bahrns is a lawn mower parts and small engine parts expert with over 20 years of experience working on lawn and garden equipment. For additional lawn mower tips, lawn care tips, and more free lawn mower articles visit http://www.lawneq.com/.