Zero Turn Services

Naturally, frequency of maintenance will vary with individual use. Your zero-turn riding mower will need an oil change annually at minimum, with oil and air filters, spark plugs, blade sharpening, scraping under the deck, and lubrication of various moving parts.

These machines have larger motors with more oil, larger fuel and air filters, heavier blades that take more grinding, air-filled tires, more belts, drive transmission, and usually two spark plugs instead of one.

Oil and Air Filters

Keeping your oil and filters clean will do wonders for the longevity of your mower. Zero-turns have all the same maintenance requirements of push mowers, but on a larger scale. These machines often have two or three blades (sometimes four to six on mulching systems), more oil in the engine, and more cleaning is required.

Motors like these that have oil filters should have engine service with every 100 hours of operation. This is the typical manufacturer’s recommendation, but if you’re operating in very dusty, dirty conditions, you would be wise to change the oil more often. During spring cleanup in particular, clients “in-the-know” change their oil around the 50-hour mark.

It’s also wise when working in dusty conditions to keep a close eye on the condition of your air filters. Inspect your air filters and give them a tap to shake loose accumulated debris. Don’t try to blow them clean; doing so actually makes them less effective. Check to be sure you can see light passing through the filter, and replace it if it fails this test. This is an inexpensive part with a very important job.

Mower Blades

Keeping your mower’s blades sharp is the key to a quality, professional looking mow. A dull blade tears the grass instead of cleanly cutting it, leading to unsightly brown tips on each blade of grass within a day or so.

Your operating manual will give you specifics; try and be one of the exceptional folks who actually reads it! You’ll do well to maintain a written log of your usage in order to keep your maintenance on schedule.