# Tractor Maintenance



## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

Hi all -

I just moved into a house last fall that has a pretty good sized lot and in the spring I got a ss5000 Toro zero turn. I love it - but changing out the blades is a huge pain. It could really be alleviated if I could get under it - do you recommend a couple of ramps, or a jack? I've seen a few jacks that look fantastic but are above my price range.

My budget is $100. Any advice or places to look around would be most welcome.

Thank you!


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## TheTurfTamer (Aug 8, 2018)

Check your local craigslist for Craftsman Jack. There should be a few for around $50.00. This will work great!


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

I have a electric hoist in my garage that was just under a $100. I lift the front end up and put to jack stands under the axels for safety, that way i have the hoist and the jacks for two means of support. Also works great for skinning a deer and many other tasks. You might want to look at northern tool for a cheap hoist if your interested.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

I use this
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pro-Lift-Lawn-Mower-Jack-Lift-with-350-lbs-Capacity-T-5335A/301790350?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD28I%7C28-34_RIDERS%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000032317572%7c58700003837560165%7c92700030694423126&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl8ng67L-3AIVw5CfCh1i_AQ6EAQYAyABEgJ46PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNW9r-6y_twCFU1TwQodvqMFUw
It works well. No issues so far. It is still kind of a pain to get under the deck. But with an impact wrench, changing blades is a 20-minute job or less.


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

Aawickham78 said:


> Check your local craigslist for Craftsman Jack. There should be a few for around $50.00. This will work great!


WIll that work for my model though? I can't attach a picture now, work firewall won't allow it but it's a Toro ss5000 and the only way I see being able to raise it enough to work on the blades is something that holds each front wheel up...


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

Can't you remove the deck, flip it over, then remove the blades?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC82QTB3D6w


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

How about a ramp?






I have a walkbehind so I can easily lift the front end up and just use 5 gallon buckets to support the front. Like @social port , using an impact gun makes it a quick change.


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

Powhatan said:


> Can't you remove the deck, flip it over, then remove the blades?


Yeah, trust me I've seen this video multiple times and it drives me crazy how quickly he does this - Yes, I can do it this way but I have a very rough garage floor and my knees are shot, and dragging it out from underneath makes the ugliest screeching sound. Much rather just keep it intact and work underneath it...


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

ericgautier said:


> How about a ramp?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah I was looking at ramps first - but the jacks/hoists get so much higher - I'm a really big guy and the more space I can give myself to work the better and the less I hurt the next morning  EDIT-Duh, pull into the grass to help my knees, but even still it's extremely awkward at my height to get in there. The higher the better.

These are definitely my fall back if I can't find anything else - do you have a favorite set of ramps, maybe some go higher than others, or some are stronger?


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

social port said:


> I use this
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pro-Lift-Lawn-Mower-Jack-Lift-with-350-lbs-Capacity-T-5335A/301790350?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD28I%7C28-34_RIDERS%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000032317572%7c58700003837560165%7c92700030694423126&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl8ng67L-3AIVw5CfCh1i_AQ6EAQYAyABEgJ46PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNW9r-6y_twCFU1TwQodvqMFUw
> It works well. No issues so far. It is still kind of a pain to get under the deck. But with an impact wrench, changing blades is a 20-minute job or less.


90 bucks, I bookmarked this - love it. Can't you get a drill bit that serves that purpose or do I need to buy a new tool entirely?


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

I use a floor jack from Harbor Freight. Just a touch over $100 but it has an 18" lift which is more than enough to get under the deck plus it's not a one trick pony. I use it on my vehicles for tire rotations too.

FWIW, I had a Hustler Raptor similar to your Toro that was easy enough to just lay on the floor and remove the blades with a ratchet. The blade bolts on the new mower are torqued to 118 ftlbs so I need to use the impact on those.


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> I use a floor jack from Harbor Freight. Just a touch over $100 but it has an 18" lift which is more than enough to get under the deck plus it's not a one trick pony. I use it on my vehicles for tire rotations too.
> 
> FWIW, I had a Hustler Raptor similar to your Toro that was easy enough to just lay on the floor and remove the blades with a ratchet. The blade bolts on the new mower are torqued to 118 ftlbs so I need to use the impact on those.


What part of the mower did you push up from? I'm not seeing anything that would make sense other than something that lifts from the wheels...


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

MichiganGreen said:


> ForsheeMS said:
> 
> 
> > I use a floor jack from Harbor Freight. Just a touch over $100 but it has an 18" lift which is more than enough to get under the deck plus it's not a one trick pony. I use it on my vehicles for tire rotations too.
> ...


I put the jack under the frame that runs between the front wheels. Plenty strong enough to support the weight of the mower. I would normally use a small piece of 2x4 between the jack and frame to keep from scratching it up. Should be able to lift it high enough to get an impact in there if you need to but the torque spec on most residential blade bolts aren't that high so I would at least recommend reinstalling them by hand. Check your manual for the torque spec.

Edit to add: Those Mow Jack things are definitely nice but when your shop is packed like mine there's just not a lot of room for more stuff. My dad has one and it definitely works well but it takes up a lot of space and raising a mower is all it's good for. If you have room and don't need a floor jack for other stuff like vehicle maintenance that would be the way to go.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

I have a MoJack that I bought for the orange monster. It was about $200.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422360_200422360

If you buy one of these make sure you get one that has enough capacity. If I had it to do over I might go for something a little heavier duty. Make sure you get jack stands. I myself would not crawl under a mower being held up by 5 gallon buckets but that is just me. :shock: Maybe some 4x4 stands instead.

When I moved I got a Raptor flip up. It's a great idea. Grasshopper has them too.


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

Yeah that raptor is pretty sick, and makes me jealous because I paid the same for mine from what i can tell from these. Mower envy is the last thing I need right now! Agree on the buckets though  I'm good on that


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> MichiganGreen said:
> 
> 
> > ForsheeMS said:
> ...


Probably going the floor jack route as space is a premium like you mentioned. Can i swing a decent one for under 50 at an HD or Lowes?


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## HomerGuy (Jun 5, 2017)

I'm always somewhat leery of shopping there, but you might want to check out Harbor Freight. I was there this weekend and looked at the Pittsburgh that was on sale for $70 (https://www.harborfreight.com/300-lbs-atvlawn-mower-lift-61523.html) and the Fischer that was on sale for $169 (https://www.harborfreight.com/750-lbs-Heavy-Duty-ATVMower-High-Lift-Jack-63298.html). The Fischer was much nicer and really heavy duty. My biggest complaint with each of them is the amount of floor space they take up when not in use.

I ended up with a MoJack HDL 500 from Home Depot for two reasons: 1) I had a gift card and 2) it folds up nice for easy storage. I haven't had a chance to use it yet.


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

I use the MoJack from Home Depot.
At $179, I think its a bit over your budget, but the cheaper one above should do just fine.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MoJack-HDL-500-Lawn-Mower-Lift-45501/205691650


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

Here's the one I have. https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-steel-heavy-duty-low-profile-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-64240.html Harbor Freight does have some really good stuff but you have to weed out all the cheap junk they carry. I'm sure you could find a decent jack for around $50 or so. Just make sure it lifts high enough to do what you need.


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