Before
using your brand new tractor, there are several critical items to
take care of. Here's what to do to make sure you get the best cutting
performance.
First,
we check the tire pressure. You may be surprised to know
that most lawn tractors are shipped with the tires over-inflated!
It is done to reduce damage.
Second,
we level the deck. We find that many of the decks that we
receive are not level.
Many
dealers will do it for you, but the home centers like Home Depot
and Lowe's generally do not level the decks, and neither does
Sears.
The
operator's manual gives the proper procedure. It'll take you
about 30 minutes, depending on the deck lift system design.
We've
found that a leveling gauge (AM130907) sold by John Deere makes
the job much easier. Deck leveling is both side-to-side and front-to-back.
Another
area worth your attention is the initial battery charge.
Batteries that come with the mowers are generally not fully charged
and need to be when first purchased. These new batteries have a
partial charge that is capable of starting the engine. However,
the charging system on the tractor's engine, coupled with relatively
infrequent use, typically makes it incapable of bringing a partially-charged
battery up to full-charge, as your automobile engine could. So if
you don't fully charge it when the machine is new, at some near-future
point it just won't start.
It
happened to us this year, which is why I am mentioning it now. A
further incentive is the fact that the life of a new, partially-charged
battery that becomes fully-drained will be significantly shorter
than if you'd fully-charged it to begin with.
Likewise,
you should keep your battery fully-charged during the off-season,
or you'll be buying a new one every 2 years or sooner. For a lawn
tractor, you'll need your own battery charger (a trickle charger
will do).
So,
when you buy a new lawn tractor, make sure the battery is fully
charged. As with deck leveling, most dealers will do this, although
we have experienced some who claimed they did when it was not the
case. And the home centers usually do not charge the batteries.
Do check the charge status of the battery on your new tractor and
save yourself the expense of premature replacement.
