How to Measure a Riding Mower Deck
Tip
To avoid using a floor jack, or if you do not have access to one, use a helper who can hold the opposite end of the tape measure.
Warning
Do not attempt to work on or around your mower when the engine is hot.
Riding mowers have a variety of deck sizes and shapes. Some are square, while others are round, and still others are oblong. The deck is typically the widest part of the riding mower, and indicates how wide a cut the machine can make. One, two or three blades may be beneath the deck. It is important to understand the exact deck width to know if the mower can fit through gates in your yard, or into storage areas, or between permanent obstacles. Always measure the deck of any riding mower you’re considering buying.
Examine the placement of the pulleys on the topside of your mower’s deck to determine if any will obstruct a straight path from one side of the deck to the other. If there is no obstruction, feed your tape measure through the pulleys, across the center of the deck, and hook it on the opposite side. For a round deck, locate the widest area of the circle, or the diameter, and extend your tape measure across that area. Note the distance on your tape measure. This is your deck size.
Chock the rear wheels of the mower, and raise the front of the mower about 6 inches off the ground with a floor jack if your mower’s deck is not accessible from the topside, or if the pulleys prevent a straight path for your tape measure.
Lie down on the ground next to the elevated mower, and pass the tape measure beneath the blades, hooking it on the opposite side of the deck. Note the distance on the tape measure. This is your deck size.
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Lisa Larsen has been a professional writer for over 18 years. She has written radio advertisement copy, research papers, SEO articles, magazine articles for "BIKE," "USA Today" and "Dirt Rag," newspaper articles for "Florida Today" and short stories published in "Glimmer Train" and "Lullwater Review," among others. She has a master's degree in education and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
