I know we have a few ZTR owners here, and was curious as to what you're using to jack up your machines? I've swapped blades on mine twice in the three seasons I've owned it. I did this just by lifting the deck as high as it would go and just wiggling my wrench in (using a block of wood to stop the blades). Needless to say, it was a pain. I have a new set of blades coming in and I need to get them installed before mowing season. I'm considering getting a ZTR specific jack like this one. I'm a bit cheap, though, and I'm hard pressed to drop money on something I may not use very often. Then again, I also don't want to rig up something with my standard floor jack that will have my 900+lb Gravely smashing me So, what are you guys using? Recommendations?
I have a John Deere Z830A and at around 1400 pounds it's a beast. I've considered getting a jack like the one you posted, but I'm not sure I would even trust those. I use chains and the front loader on my tractor lift mine. Sorry. I realize that probably doesn't help you much.
Mine weighs around 550 pounds (Cub RZT 50), as you know most of the weight in in the rear. I hang a strap with a hook from the rafters in the garage and pick the front end up by hand and allow it to pivot on the rear axle and attach the hook to the front end. EDIT I'd spend $200 on a winch before a specialty jack like that. The winch could be used for a multitude of other things as well.
Why are you buying new blades each time instead of sharpening then with a angle grinder? We usually sharpen our mower blades many times unless they are bent or something of the sort... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just have a set of car ramps, the metal kid you drive the front wheels onto. I do the same thing with the mower when the blades need sharpened. With the deck all the way up and the front wheels on the ramps, I have no problems getting the blades off. My mower is a 60" zero turn Hustler
Because I'm changing setups. Going from mulching blades to standard high lift blades with side discharge. Last time I changed the blades was because of a mechanical issue. Time before that, the original blades that it had when I bought it used had more than a 1/2 drop across the edge which is beyond the manufacturer's recommended replacement. I never really thought of using ramps simply because I felt like I still wouldn't be able to get myself in good position to access the three spindles, but it may be worth a shot.
My deck drops off really easy so I just drop the deck and work on it that way. But when I jack it up, I use a floor jack and jack stands. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
Pretty similar to what I do, except I hang a pulley system from the ceiling making it pretty easy to lift it up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The one I uses self locks when you let go of the ropes but I don't completely trust that so I just tie it off to something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In my business I run Exmarks and just run them up on car ramps its a pain but it is what it is. My walkbehind I can just lift up and put a board to hold up. They make jacks for mowers (ie mojack) and they look nice but not for that price 300+ around here. I bet I have 75-100 sets of 3 blades and sharpening them is much cheaper than 15-17 per blade.
What about a chain engine hoist....if you have a spot to hang it they are around 50 to 75 bucks Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
We have a Dixie Chopper with a 60" deck and we always use metal car ramps as well. It provides plenty of room to be able to get the blades on/off and we also use them when we want to clean the grass out from underneath. We have 3 sets of blades for ours but typically just do a rotation and sharpen them with a hand grinder.
I don't have a zero turn just three conventional mowers but I do have a jack exactly like the one you posted and it works flawlessly. I used to use metal car ramps and it was a PITA! The jack has two spring loaded pins that self lock in either one of two holes depending on height desired. It doesn't really depend on the lock up pins though they are just a safety measure. I trust mine completely, they are far more stable than they look like they'd be. You can even take the handle off and use a 3/8s impact to run the jack which is a threaded rod on mine. I had reservations of spending the money too until I got it home and used it, never regretted buying it.
