Raising the height of your lawn mower can be beneficial in many ways- it’s not only good for lush green looks but also protects your turf from being overrun with weeds.
Perhaps the greatest benefit is that it generally promotes healthier grass growth meaning less watering and reduced need for fertilization.
Below we show you how to increase lawn mower height and begin reaping the sweet fruits of a raised lawn mower deck.
How to increase lawn mower height
Even if you don’t know much about this, altering the height of your lawn mower is pretty easy.
Better still, it won’t even take you the whole day as some lawn mower maintenance procedures do.
Assembling the tools for the job:
Though it depends on the type of mower you’re working on, you may need basic tools for this task.
At the bare minimum, have a wrench and a screwdriver with you.
A measuring tape may also be essential for some of the hacks.
Precautionary steps:
It is said that it’s better to be safe than sorry when working with machines and this is no exception.
For this reason, we propose that you implement the following measures before moving on with the height adjustment process.
- Keep the mower grounded
Park it on flat ground, turn it off then remove the ignition key.
Still there, remember to let the engine cool off.
Moreover, check that the safety brake is engaged and preferably disconnect the spark plug.
- Wear safety gear
Put your leather gloves on for protection (you may be working with blades at some point) at the very least.
How to increase lawn mower height (step-by-step)
Even though the actual method may vary a little from one manufacturer to the next, the procedures described below cut across a big number of lawn mower brands.
Here is what to do:
Method 1: Play around with the levers
Most modern lawn mowers feature levers that allow you to raise/lower the mower.
For the most part, some gas mowers come with adjustment tabs on all the four wheels while electric mowers tend to have one lever.
Steps:
- Pull the tab on each corner out towards the wheel.
- Next, move the tab into a different notch in front (you may even jump two or more notches if practical).
- Repeat this on all the wheels or as appropriate.
This gives a lift to each corner and it’s a nice way of making the mower go higher.
Tip: You can push the levels backward one or two notches if you feel that the mower went up excessively.
Note: If you’ll be using this technique, check that you don’t adjust the levels to different heights because a non-uniform lawn mower blade level will hurt your grass when cutting.
Method 2: Remove then Re-install the wheels
The first technique involves refitting the wheels at a higher level.
In fact, for some mowers, all you have to do to get few extra inches is remove the wheels then refit them but this time a raised setting.
These mower brands are equipped with a simple snap-in system and the process should be a piece of cake.
And yeah, you need to make sure your tires are all aired up well (but be careful because your large lawn mower wheels won’t work well if over-inflated!).
My last piece of advice here is that you consider making further adjustments (even if you have to mow a patch of turf in an inconspicuous area to test how it cuts) up to the time you obtain the height you want.
Further action:
Of course, replacing the current wheels with slightly bigger ones will certainly give you more clearance.
The catch is, you must have the space needed to mount them.
Plus, it can be costly because you’ll be upgrading both the wheels and tires though the accruing height advantage makes it a gamble worth taking.
Method 3: Remove spacers on the mowers to increase height
The other super helpful strategy in cranking up the height of the mower is the subtraction of a couple of spacers.
You remove space washers underneath the deck where the blades sit (can be between the motor and the blade) one by one until you attain the height you want.
Now, you want to have zero spacers for the tallest mowing height and fix a spacer for every shorter size you might want to cut.
Besides, the caster spacers can be re-positioned to change the pitch as you find necessary.
The only problem is that lawn mowers have greatly varying designs and there’s no standard procedure of detaching or adding spacers.
Check what your manual says about spacers’ removal to be sure.
Method 4: How to increase lawn mower height by making changes to the trunnions
For all I know, you could also try to take the direction of adjusting the trunnions to raise the deck with a few more inches.
The trunnions attach the deck lift link components and can help give more height to the mower once adjusted.
There’s no set adjustment limit and it’s more of a trial and error on various models.
Overall, you’re supposed to tighten or loosen the nut from the trunnions until you get it right.
Peruse through your operator’s manual for the precise location of the trunnions.
That said, this can be a bit technical and there’s nothing wrong with calling an expert for help if everything else has failed and you’re yet to get enough height.
Like with every other lawn mower procedure, your first stop is the manufacturer’s manual before going about raising the height of the lawn mower.
That’s the only way you can sure you’re not missing out on something or overlooking a critical step.
The other thing to keep in mind even as you increase the height of the lawn mower is that trimming off more than one third of the grass at once could shock the plant (for most grasses types).