Maintenance for a Simplicity Regent Deck

Daily Maintenance

• When using the lawn tractor on a daily basis, you must clear the deck area of grass and other debris. After use, turn off the mower and detach the negative cable from the battery for extra safety. This prevents someone from engaging the mower while you are working on it. Use the mowing deck's lift lever to lift the deck up from the ground. Wear gloves, reach under and remove all of the grass or other debris from the mower's blades, inside the deck shroud and away from the deck belt.

Check Mower Blade Stopping Time

• Perform this check before use in the spring and before storing in the winter to determine if the lawn tractor requires service. Sit in the operator’s seat of the lawn tractor. Place the tractor in neutral and confirm the power take off is not engaged. Start the mower’s engine and look over the left-side footrest down at the mower belt. Engage the PTO and wait for a few seconds, then disengage the PTO. Count the number of seconds between disengaging before the mower drive belt comes to a stop. Any time over five seconds requires servicing.

Annual Belt Inspection

• Inspect the belt before use each spring and replace the belt if you discover any shine, cracking or breaks on the belt. Belts that seem excessively loose or stretched may also require replacement. If you notice that the mower blades don't seem to engage or you hear a whining or high-pitched squeal from the mower deck, this could also mean the belt needs replacement. If this is something you are not comfortable with, take the lawn tractor in for servicing.

Mower Blade Sharpening or Replacement

• Mower blades require periodic sharpening to cut grass efficiently. When you find that it takes more than one pass to cut an area, this indicates that your mower blades are dull. If you use your lawn tractor in a rural setting, mower blades require replacement sooner than blades used in a suburban setting. When the blades hit large rocks, they can also bend, which makes the lawn tractor unusable until you replace the blades. Purchase replacement blades at most home improvement centers based upon the mower deck's dimensions.