Things You'll Need
Operator’s manual for your particular model (a number of these may be found online at the manufacturer’s Web site under the additional resources)
Wrench
2x4 wooden block
3x3 wooden block
Tape measure
Raising a Snapper mower deck is sometimes necessary in order to achieve a better cutting performance from the lawn mower; raising the deck in order to balance the front and rear, or side to side, decks will usually be a relatively simple and straightforward process. However the specific steps will vary somewhat from model to model, and will be determined by the height of the deck as well. The following is a basic outline of the general steps that one will need for this process; be sure to have the operator's manual for your specific model of lawn mower in order to have access to the exact instructions for this, and to be able to reference the parts mentioned below.
Raise A Snapper Mower Deck
Step 1
Turn off the engine if it is running, and allow the machine to cool off completely. Stop the blades; remove the key, and set the brake. Remove the spark plug wire and secure it away from the spark plug. ALL of these steps must be done before attempting to service the mower.
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Step 2
Place the machine on a level surface; place a piece of angle iron, pipe, or similar object under the center of the deck at the rear.
Step 3
For side to side balancing for 42-inch decks, see the following (this is only for 42-inch decks; for 48-inch or other size decks see the manufacturer's operator's manual for other instructions): a. Disconnect the rear sector plates; rest the center and rear of the deck on the angle iron. b. Measure the distance from the tips of the blades to the floor using the measuring tape; if this distance is within 1/8 of an inch from side to side, the deck levelness is satisfactory. If it is greater than this distance you will have to adjust the levelness; to do this see the following: i. Loosen the shoulder blade that retains the eccentric ii. Turn eccentric "up" or "down" as required until the blade tips are within 1/8 of an inch of the same distance from the floor iii. Tighten the loosened shoulder blade from step i. iv. Readjust the rear sector plates so that they align with the holes in the support brackets. v. Reconnect these sector plates; remove the angle iron. vi. Check the side to side level once again; if the blade tips are not within 1/8 of an inch from the floor re-adjust once again following the above steps until this achieved. vii. Check the front to rear balance; remove the sector plates connected to the rear lift arms by taking out the washers and hair pins which connect these two. viii. Move sector plate as needed to raise or lower the rear of the deck; the rear of the deck should be set so that it is ¼ of an inch lower than the front. If this can not be achieved, and the sector plates are in their lowest setting, adjust the lift front rods as follows: 1. move the deck lift lever to the #5 position. 2. place a 2x4 wooden block on edge under the front center of the deck 3. place a 3x3 wooden block on edge under the rear center of the deck 4. disconnect the sector plates by removing the hair pins and washers; lower the rear of the deck onto the 3x3 block 5. remove hair pin and washer connecting the front lift cable to front rear arm 6. remove front lift of cable and rest front of deck on 2x4 block 7. loosen jam nut on front lift cable 8. rotate front lift cable until it can be reinstalled into front arm without lifting the deck 9. secure lift cable to lift arm with washer and hair pin; secure the jam nut 10. reconnect the sector plates to the rear hanger brackets with the washer and hair pins. 11. raise deck and remove the wooden blocks; repeat the above steps for front to rear level until levelness is reached.
Step 4
Start the mower; test the levelness out by using the machine to measure improved performance.
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