Prep a New Tractor

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.

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