How To Properly Maintain A Zero Turn Mower! [Don't Skip These Items!]

[@dguiley]

I just “rehabbed” an old Toro ZMaster with about 3600 hours on a liquid cooled Kaw. Didn’t drive when I bought it and found that was due to a broken wheel motor. That sent metal through the pump which I also had to rebuild. Replaced the mower spindles because 1 was missing and the other 2 had fishing line wound up in them which wiped out the seals and bearings. AVOID MOWING OVER PLASTIC! Finally got her back together and mowed my home lawn last night. Did good so it’ll go out tomorrow on my little route. Hopefully all the money I spent will come back to me.

[@scottb5178]

I just picked up my 1st Zero-Turn, a Bad Boy MZ Magnum 54". A replacement for an old J-D LT 180 48" tractor. Thanks for the vid, I'll be saving it. I've been enjoying your channel.

[@ross7684]

Just purchased a Toro Titan mower (first zero turn that I've owned) and am bookmarking your video; great info!

[@dalewiley9208]

As a consumer/homeowner I truly thank-you.

[@cole444911]

Great video Brian! I’m probably not the only one who needed this as a reminder.

[@calebtworek4547]

Exmark maintenance is nice because it is not hard to do. Thank you Exmark for not making your mowers not so complicated to figure out👍🏻

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Haha yeah true! Folks complain Bout the price but they also require so little maintenance and greasing.

[@calebtworek4547]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance right I agree💯

[@lukechristy7822]

​@@BriansLawnMaintenance They sure are salty though. 20% more than Scag or Ferris around me.

[@sociopathmercenary]

Wait... So Exmark is NOT making their mowers not complicated to work on? So they are complicated to work on? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@KenCluchey]

I change my oil & filter at 50hrs, based on the hours meter on my wright 36 machine

[@eric8851]

I mow in the south (NC) and I use mulching blades, super sandy here and high lift blades create a sandstorm. I already sandblast my deck everytime I run, wears so fast. Change my blades ever 10-12 hours because of it.

[@BullmoosePiper]

As a homeowner who bought a Gravely ProStance, I really appreciate the tips in this video. My dealer was so down to earth about everything and basically echo'd what you said about servicing the hydros - he said that's the one thing I'm really better off letting them do. Rest of the stuff I can do myself. Question for you Brian - do you grease any of the "lifetime" grease fittings like the front casters? Thanks again.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

That's awesome. I personally don't grease any of those lifetime items. I do let the dealer do an annual maintenance on the machines, and they do check those at that time. Otherwise, for most newer machines (last 5-7 years), when they mean lifetime maintenance-free, they mean it.

[@ethanwilliams1825]

I like the Oregon blades they're decent quality for the money. Exmark blades are about twice as much and other than being a little more resistant to bending I haven't noticed any difference. I run the deck belt until it breaks and I change the hydro belt when I have it on my lift to service the hydros because it's much easier. I generally get 2000 plus hours on my tires, I flip them on the rim at 1000 hours. When I'm done with them they're close to racing slicks, but they don't slide around that bad and in a very wet season the balder tires won't dig in when you hit a soft spot. For a battery I have consistently gotten 4 plus years out of the $27 dollar Ever Start lawn mower battery.

[@jchase5158]

Maintenance is everything. 💯

[@alexb8483]

Never a good feeling when I check the oil on my mowers and it’s not on the dipstick lol. Good thing those Kawi’s are tough.

[@johnme7049]

Your videos are always helpful Brian. You always have good advice. Thanks and have a great day.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Thanks, you too!

[@jerryanderson3181]

Brian thanks so so much for all you do I having nothing but respect for you brother you have earned your success you have worked very very hard and still do its way way more than just the physical work all the mental pressure and coordinating you do very few could handle it again thanks for all you do and your wife too BESIDE EVERY SUCESSFUL MAN IS A GREAT WOMAN

[@victorestrada2789]

Appreciate the informative content Brian, hopefully you can come to Maryland sometime!

[@paulblaize8649]

Standard-lift Hustler Fusion blades (no teeth on lift) for Super Z and Scag Marbain mulching blades for Liberty Z. No chute-blocking or mulch kits on either unit. La

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Nice!

[@kruzanJFD]

What about the spindles and grease fittings?

[@peterprobst6307]

RE tires, it appears the ones in the video are not the typical turf tire tread. I'd like to know what tire is on that mower and what are the benefits of that particular tread pattern over a typical turf tire? I'm in SE PA so ours is cold weather grass like yours in MI.

[@normcorliss9608]

I have the same tires that came standard on my Toro Titan. They do bite in soft sod if you aren’t careful.

[@joieflickinger3760]

How often do you adjust the pto clutch?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Never really.

[@craigmarquis3064]

Hello Brian. Great video and great tips for maintenance. Im just wondering what kind of tires you have on the rear of that machine. Looking for new ones myself and those look like good ones.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Oh gosh great question. These are the stock ones on the Radius X. I’m not sure the name though sorry

[@Shaft827]

Have a lil drip of hydro fluid I noticed on the floor in the garage...any help where to check where it is coming from...looks like from under the deck...ex-mark turf tracer...thanks...St Hts MI

[@mikeh5034]

New sub. Live in Northern Indiana. I'm looking for a mower to cut 5 residential lawns . Will a quest series work or do I need to be looking at something more ? I have a FW 15.. too much walking for me to do all these yards. I've also looked at Hustler Raptor XD Cub cadet XT 1 and XT 2. Any suggestions

[@stevem6711]

Ferris with the Briggs motor now has the dry sump separate oil reservoir. 500 hr oil changes. Closer to a gal of oil

[@Fredlocal80]

How often do u grease

[@michaelcato8471]

Thank you Brian. This is great info for a newer business owner

[@SingleStacked]

Good tips. Don't forget to grease any zerks.

[@jronmanlawn]

Exmark is free or grease points far as I know. Many are going that route. SCAG still uses grease points on their top 3 models but not the lower 3 models. I think Hustler still has them too on at least some models.

[@stevem6711]

Ferris has greaseable spindles and multiple joints.

[@bennoyes599]

I just bought an exmark e series. Do you have a recommendation for rear tires? The stock ones don’t like my hills too much.

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

I don't I'm sorry

[@Aaron-p-q9b]

I have the exmark “commercial “ engine, the oil cap kept leaking oil. My dealer finally had to call china to talk to the guy that designed the motor and they concluded the oil filler tube was not formed right. It was “fixed” but It still drips a little. I wish they would have just put on a Kawasaki FX.

[@mattbarnett7985]

So cool to see you making these videos in the new barn!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Ikr! Dream come true!

[@jdkirane7990]

The commercial stuff is so much easy to service yourself. If they made the homeowner mowers as easy to work on the dealers would have no mowers to service haha

[@lakeforkwiring]

Very Informative Thanks.

[@edb7549]

Great video thanks for all your information

[@dougwachs]

Thanks for the vid - I've been having trouble with my PTO and found that if the battery is fully charged it doesn't drop in and out of engagement - could be the switch is wearing out as well and that's why it's so finicky.

[@BioshockChicken]

A lot of these mowers also have in-line fuel filters that get pretty gummed up from all the crap that works it’s way into the gas tank.

[@michaeldaniels5584]

Brian good maintenance video. Even of us seasoned guys, its a good reminder

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

You bet my friend

[@Fredlocal80]

How often to u grease?

[@pete1735]

I bought a toro at the end of last summer love it but it actually has a toro motor is it basically the same as the Kawasaki or different I been looking at a lot of toros and all that I've seen has the Kawasaki motor

[@stevenfaber3896]

For ZTRs, would you recommend rebuilding a hydro gear hydrostatic? How long does it last after, and is the time investment worth it?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Not really, usually it's cost prohibitive to do so.

[@collierfinch5458]

From eastern north carolina, I've been using copperhead mulching blades. Alot of yards with what I call grass gumbo. Meaning if it's green, it's probably in the lawn

[@jestillwell1964]

We have multiple sets of blades for each mower. A log book is kept for each mower with the date and hours showing all the maintenance, blade changes, gallons of fuel, and locations mowed.

[@jronmanlawn]

My method for oil change is when the hour meter ends with 50 or 00 you gotta change the oil. For the filter I do it every 100 hours. The phone reminder is a good idea too. I used to do it every 100 hours but switched to every 50 now. SCAG has a nice setup for changing belts. The tensioning pulley arm has a slot for a 1/2 inch drive ratchet and one guy loosens the tension with the ratchet and a second guy feeds the belt around all the pulleys. On my 2006 Tiger Cub the hydro belt on top and deck belt on bottom. Blower belt on top the right most deck pulley. On the Turf Tiger II the hydro belt is vertical and powers a pto shaft. The deck belt connects to the pto shaft. I think Exmark and Toro have a similar system on the 96 and the 144 mowers. I don't know if the previous owner on my Tiger Cub has replaced the PTO switch but in my almost 2000 hours I have put on it I haven't had to replace mine. The biggest issue I have is either electrical, brakes, or carburetor. I am hoping to replace the Tiger Cub with an EFI to hopefully be more long term reliability.

[@rozco1978]

If I were you, I would invest in a lift table for working on your equipment. The amount of money you will save in labour would be beneficial. Also, when you have the mower up, you can inspect idler pulleys, drive pulleys, spindles, and signs of loose bolts, brackets, pins, wiring, oil leaks etc. Another thing to check is if your deck is level and your tires have the correct air pressure. It is very important for a good quality of cut. Also, dont cheap out on what kind of oil you use. Personally, I use AMSOIL for everything. These machines work hard on hot days at high revs. You can up your oil drain intervals every 2 months or more using good quality oil. Something to think about, too. Service time/cost is money out of pocket, too. I like learning from you as I'm just starting out my lawn/snow removal company and just bought my first zero turn in April. Chreers from Alberta

[@rozco1978]

If you need a line on AMSOIL, I'm a dealer, and I can definitely hook you up.

[@mikeworkman1759]

How often to change air filters?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Annual maintenance

[@nascarnate326]

That easy removal plastic deck cover is awesome. I’m on a decade old JD that bolts on..super annoying but can’t justify a new machine with these prices.

[@jeffharvey6768]

Great job Brian.

[@broncobill1104]

Awesome video across the whole way man! Very detailed, very accurate, and very simple how you executed this. I do have to ask, do you really ever check spindles, or do you just let them go until they break? I could see undoing the belt and spinning them to listen if they aren't smooth, but how long does one of those last without any abuse? Thanks, keep it up!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

In a half dozen mowers that I’ve owned, I’ve honestly never had a spindle issue ever. Knock on wood!

[@ryansandberg2928]

Keep up the good work an definitely look forward to your videos each week

[@jerollins]

Are there areas I need to be greasing? Got a bit of a squeak from what sounds like the right front wheel on my zero turn

[@dguiley]

If you see a grease zerk it needs greased. Especially those caster bearings are subject to wet conditions and, if nothing else, the grease drives out the moisture.

[@jerollins]

@@dguiley thanks!

[@KentPetras]

What about hand tools and blowers

[@dguiley]

Unfortunately there is a trend towards “sealed” bearings and no grease fittings. The philosophy is that a sealed bearing requires no maintenance, and for those who don’t grease their machines regularly that is a good thing. I’ve heard time studies show the cost of grease and time involved are more expensive than just replacing the parts more frequently. But for those of us who would grease regularly, I can say I’ve never had a bearing failure over thousands of hours of use across multiple machines due to greasing issues. It’s always been due to another issue like some plastic damaging the seal or whatever.

[@jerollins]

@@dguiley makes sense. Appreciate the feedback

[@Jay_Ira]

Thanks for a great video bud, keep up the great work.

[@bryonkennedy1863]

Great video! Thank you for praising Jesus and saying Amen. It's so nice to learn from another Christian. God bless you Brian!!

[@Cb5colin]

Hey Brian, side discharge or mulch

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

We side discharge but I’ve seen folks do a little bit of everything!

[@Cb5colin]

Ok thanks 😊

[@2fast4sum]

How often to grease the mower?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Most of the exmarks are greaseless maybe minus one or two fittings, typically the idler pulley, etc

[@csmeyer24562]

What is a high lift blade ?

[@raymonddomagalla3357]

The blade behind the cutting edge is angled upward. Increases airflow. Improve the efficency of bagging systems

[@hartlife7795]

We are in Michigan as well. Testing out the X blade setup now. Have you ran them or tested yet?

[@JoeeGonzalez]

Maybe I missed it because I was half asleep but did you touch on greasing your equipment! Great video as always! Want to see if maybe you get another Buffalo Wild Wings meetup this year 🙌

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Love that idea!

[@Tcw2019]

You should have mentioned scraping the deck! I do that just as much as changing blades!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

That's another good one!

[@Tcw2019]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance super jealous of the new barn btw

[@FloridaTurfPros]

This is a great video, Brian. Beneficial for homeowners and commercial outfits!

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Thanks Jonathan!

[@lucasdurham6830]

We got 1200 hours on our OEM tires on my scag v ride 2. I think it was because we were gentle on the machine and didn’t turn excessively on concrete 😅

[@jamiegarcia6559]

love this.

[@revfred2008]

How do we support a product and company that is trying to replace us?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

You learn to adapt. Just like the folks who made horse and buggy whips, come on.

[@rickeysingletary6562]

Good video,I have red handle dixie,it has alot of grease fittings,Xmarks doesn't have any?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Just one or two that require annual maintenance I believe

[@jeremyd9579]

Nice video Brian, great information 🤘🏼

[@paulwerle1]

Great video!!!

[@urmomsayswhat3675]

Man your belts are really expensive. For my mowers I always get the length measurement of the deck belt or drive belt, and go to Tractor Supply to get the right length. Last one I did was $25 for a Kevlar reinforce belt on the 54 inch deck. I have to admit Im using high end homeowner equipment though

[@evanflowers2323]

What happened to the laser Z

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

We still use it, almost every week. It's a backup mower and bags for us.

[@DrewHalterman]

What about spark plugs?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Great catch, I would say annual maintenance with a tune up, I personally let the dealer do that.

[@LLeiteRltr]

Brain what happened to your lazer z

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

We still have it!

[@schofieldlawncare]

We do ours every 50 hours

[@lawnfreak3543]

Just bypass your safety switches I do that with every new machine I get that way I can get on and off the mower quicker

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Horrible idea, they're there for a reason my friend

[@lawnfreak3543]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance they are annoying lol

[@kevinspahr6632]

Why are zero turn mower belts so much more expensive than Automotive belts??? They look to be the same to me other than the lengths differ.

[@joshmay6451]

Boy for a brand new shop that things filling up fast lol jk

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

lol for sure

[@tarkus7561]

Is your hair dyed?

[@tarkus7561]

🤣🤣

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Nope, just starting to burn out in the color with the sun. I should dye it though, snow removals making me pop out grays lol

[@tarkus7561]

Just messing with you!

[@jamesnm21]

Ah maintenance. As if we don't akready have enough to do. 😂

[@greglester3403]

threw me off when you said, 3 blades on a mower only one blade is actually mowing?

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

Yeah, I worded that a little weird. I meant to say most homeowners are mowing with a 1 blade mower. We mow with 3 blades on a mower (typically). So although we do a season of worth of wear and tear by doing 30 lawns a day (versus 30 mows annually for a homeowner), we still have to take that number and divide it by 3 since there are 3 mower blades mowing a lawn with a ztr. Talk about a word salad! That still means every 3 days, we are putting an annual amount of use and abuse on a blade, which means we need to change out blades every 3 days. (for us, we change/sharpen every 2).

[@greglester3403]

@@BriansLawnMaintenance I understand now. After I thought for a bit it dawned on me that’s what you had to be meaning. Thanks

[@Mrxand2]

I blowed up my engine runing it to 0 last year did not check it the hole season 😂 it was so expensive

[@georgewright3081]

I think you missed the most important lube schedule, spindle grease? or maybe you work for the bearing company 😂

[@the_atomic_punk487]

Spindles in the exmark are greaseless, my oreviois mower had to grease them frequently

[@BriansLawnMaintenance]

This ^

[@redblue40rc33]

What's all that grey hair on top yo head?😅 Gettn old pappy

[@edb7549]

Great video thanks for all the information