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Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 8:05 am
by Quiksilver
I'm sure that this subject has cropped up before, but up-to-date info would be good....
My current leve-tondeuse is a simple, heavy and utterly frustrating bit of kit that involves me getting down on my knees to try to slide the bar under the mower. Much jiggling and profanity later it does what it should. About an hour of scraping the deck, then the process is repeated in reverse by which time I'm knackered
leve tondeuse.jpeg
I've got a hefty voucher to spend and would really like to get a bit of kit that will make this task easier, so any recommendations please? There seems to be a choice between screw-type (how easy or difficult is this?) hydraulic (ditto) or even electric-powered (at a price!).
Any thoughts on tipping the machine sideways v tipping the front up? Doesn't sideways lift twist the chassis?
Replacing my beloved autoportée with a 'rider' is not an option...TIA
ETA: The mower is around 200kgs
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 8:52 am
by L Austin France
Sorry, can't really help except to say a screw type side lift modified to use a battery drill works well.
I only need to lift my Stiga Villa machine for occasional maintenance as deck cleaning is easy.
Ah! the joys of a frontal cutter.
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 10:24 am
by hughnique
I have the bog standard screw type jack that sits under the back wheels and just lifts one side to gain access to the underneath. I had a problem at one time which I rectified by making sure the petrol feed to the carb was closed and that it had been run dry to empty it completely. With the carb in the jacked up position, the float valve was not closing properly and petrol was streaming through to the sump. I would also check the level of fuel in the tank as that obviously is at a strange angle, so a near on empty tank is probably a good idea.
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 10:36 am
by niemeyjt
How about a quad bike lift to get all four wheels off the ground?
https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/563719 ... g-capacity
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 10:39 am
by Hotrodder
I have always used the screw type that lifts from the side, with a simple modification to use a rechargeable drill to do the turning. I just lay the lifter down behind the rear wheels and nudge the mower back onto it with my knee. After dealing with what I can reach from that side I let it down and set it in place to lift the other side. I never give a thought to petrol getting into the sump. The carb on my Briggs and Stratton motor has a fuel stop solenoid on the bottom of the float chamber. When the engine is switched off it automatically closes via a spring regardless of what angle the mower is standing. As a precaution against spring failure while it is sitting idle I have also fitted a simple fuel tap in the tube between the tank and the carb.
The only remaining issue is how quickly the damned decks rust away because they are usually not galvanised or properly painted when manufactured.
I have a shed full of good B&S mover engines that have outlived the decks they were attached to.
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:03 am
by Quiksilver
L Austin France wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2024 8:52 am
Sorry, can't really help except to say a screw type side lift modified to use a battery drill works well.
I only need to lift my Stiga Villa machine for occasional maintenance as deck cleaning is easy.
Ah! the joys of a frontal cutter.
I just knew you'd say that
The MTD that I'm getting rid of has a Jetwash system which supposedly makes cleaning a doddle. Pure publicity...it doesn't do a thing except possibly introducing water into parts of the deck that you'd rather didn't get wet.
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:04 am
by Quiksilver
hughnique wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2024 10:24 am
I have the bog standard screw type jack that sits under the back wheels and just lifts one side to gain access to the underneath. I had a problem at one time which I rectified by making sure the petrol feed to the carb was closed and that it had been run dry to empty it completely. With the carb in the jacked up position, the float valve was not closing properly and petrol was streaming through to the sump. I would also check the level of fuel in the tank as that obviously is at a strange angle, so a near on empty tank is probably a good idea.
That was my other concern with tipping sideways...both fuel and potentially oil dribbling all over the place. Never been a problem with tipping the machine backwards...
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:08 am
by Quiksilver
Thanks for the link, J. It needs to be on a hard, level surface though (in very short supply here) and my previous experience of crics here in France is that they don't last long....
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:09 am
by Polarengineer
I think the quad lift would severely restrict access to the deck. I also have the screw type side lift and have not seen anything sensible that prevents you getting down on your back to fix the thing. I am thinking of building a couple of high ramps in the garden off an existing slope.
oil and fuel spills when tilting the mower do not happen.
Ride-on mower lifts
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:18 am
by Quiksilver
Hotrodder wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2024 10:39 am
I have always used the screw type that lifts from the side, with a simple modification to use a rechargeable drill to do the turning. I just lay the lifter down behind the rear wheels and nudge the mower back onto it with my knee. After dealing with what I can reach from that side I let it down and set it in place to lift the other side. I never give a thought to petrol getting into the sump. The carb on my Briggs and Stratton motor has a fuel stop solenoid on the bottom of the float chamber. When the engine is switched off it automatically closes via a spring regardless of what angle the mower is standing. As a precaution against spring failure while it is sitting idle I have also fitted a simple fuel tap in the tube between the tank and the carb.
The only remaining issue is how quickly the damned decks rust away because they are usually not galvanised or properly painted when manufactured.
I have a shed full of good B&S mover engines that have outlived the decks they were attached to.
I remember you saying about the deck issue. Must be a make/manufacturer thing, or possibly climate, because my original Bestgreen deck is still going strong and unblemished 18 years on! Everything else is giving up the ghost, though. The MTD, on the other hand, is a pile of crap and no amount of re-badging them as Troy-Bilt will change that.
Hey-ho....on balance, I think a frontal-lift is the way to go, even if it doesn't get the deck as far off the ground as a side-lift. What does puzzle me is that I regularly used various clients' ride-ons in UK and there simply wasn't an issue with gunge collecting in the deck and collection tube
