If you own a zero turn, you already know the worst part of maintenance: getting under the deck. For years the standard answer was to tip the mower up on its side, block it with whatever was handy, and hope the carburetor didn't flood and the battery acid didn't find the paint. I did that for longer than I like to admit, both at the dealership and on my own 54 inch zero turn at home. Then I started using a MoJack EZ MAX lift jack, and I stopped tipping mowers altogether. Here are ten reasons why.
Stop tipping your zero turn. Lift it instead.
The MoJack EZ MAX lifts up to 450 pounds, rolls on its own wheels, and gets the deck high enough to work under without blocking or balancing. This is the jack I keep in my own garage.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →Tipping a zero turn is a gamble every single time
A zero turn is heavy, and the center of gravity is not where you think it is. My own 54 inch zero turn weighs somewhere north of 700 pounds with a full tank, and most of that weight sits behind the front axle. Tip it wrong, even a little, and you are either fighting it back down or picking up the pieces. I watched a customer try to prop his mower on a cinder block one afternoon, and the block crumbled before he got his hand out from under the deck. The MoJack lifts straight up from the frame, so there is no balance point to find and no moment where the whole machine decides to go the rest of the way without you.
You can actually see what you are working on
When a mower is tipped on its side, you are working blind. Oil runs where it wants, the belt hangs at an angle, and you are reaching into a space that was never designed to be serviced sideways. The first time I lifted my mower at home, I found a cracked spindle boot I had missed for two seasons, because I had never been able to get a good look at that side of the deck. With the deck lifted level, you can see the belt path, the spindles, and the underside of the deck the way the engineers intended.
No more flooded carburetors after every oil change
Tip a mower on its side and fuel can run into the carburetor and flood it. Then you spend the next ten minutes pulling the plug, cranking it, and hoping. I did that with my own mower on a Saturday morning in June, and it took me the better part of an hour to get it running again. A lift jack keeps the mower level, so the fuel stays where it belongs. That alone is worth the price of the jack.
Battery acid stops finding your paint
A tipped mower can leak battery acid onto the frame, the deck, and the floor. It eats paint, it eats concrete, and it is a mess to clean up. I learned that lesson on a customer's mower years ago, when a tipped battery etched a line down the side of the deck that no amount of touch up paint ever really covered. Lifting the mower level keeps the battery where it is supposed to be, and your garage floor stays a lot cleaner.
Blade changes go from a two person job to a one person job
With the deck lifted, you can reach the blade bolts from underneath without contorting. You do not need a second person to hold the mower steady or hand you tools. I have changed blades on my own 54 inch zero turn in the time it used to take me to set up the blocks. Last fall I swapped all three blades, sharpened them, and had the deck back down in about 25 minutes, and I was not hurrying.
Belt changes stop being a knuckle busting ordeal
The belt on a zero turn has to route around spindles, pulleys, and tensioners, and you cannot do it properly with the mower on its side. Lifted level, you can see the whole path and work the belt on with both hands. The first belt I changed on the jack took me about 40 minutes, and the only blood came from a burr on the deck edge I should have filed down years ago. It still takes patience, but it takes a lot less blood.
The jack rolls, so the mower goes where you need it
The MoJack EZ MAX has wheels, which means you can lift the mower and roll it across the garage to get better light or more room. That is something no pile of blocks can do. When you work in a shop bay all day, being able to move the job instead of working around it is a real advantage. On smooth shop concrete I have rolled a lifted mower a few feet, slowly, to get it under the overhead light. On a rough garage floor I lower it first.
It is safer for your back than any amount of blocking
Every time I tipped a mower, I was bent over, reaching, and straining. After twenty years on the bench, my back reminds me of all of it. Working under a lifted deck means you can kneel or sit on a stool and keep your spine in a neutral position. That is the kind of benefit you do not notice until you do not have the pain anymore. I am 58 years old, and I would rather spend the money on a jack than on the chiropractor.
You will actually do the maintenance you keep putting off
The real cost of tipping a mower is not the risk, it is the avoidance. When a job is a hassle, you put it off, and a dull blade or a loose belt costs you grass quality and engine life. With the jack, the setup takes a few minutes, so you stop talking yourself out of the work. I used to put off greasing the spindles because it meant getting down on the concrete. Now I lift the deck, hit all three fittings, and I am done before the coffee gets cold.
It pays for itself the first time you use it
One trip to the shop for a belt replacement or a blade service can cost more than this jack. I am not going to quote you a price, because prices move, but I will tell you this: the MoJack EZ MAX has paid for itself several times over in my garage, and I have used it on customer mowers at the dealership more times than I can count. When a customer asks me what tool they should buy first, this is the one I point to.
What I'd Skip
If you only mow a flat half acre and you pay a shop to do your maintenance, you do not need a lift jack. A floor jack and a couple of jack stands will get you by for the occasional blade change, and honestly, a cheaper lift can be fine if you only use it twice a year. The MoJack EZ MAX earns its spot if you work on your own mower regularly, or if you have more than one machine to maintain. If that is not you, save the money and keep your mower in good shape with the basics.
I have changed blades on my own 54 inch zero turn in the time it used to take me to set up the blocks.
Lift it once and you will never tip a mower again
The MoJack EZ MAX is the jack I recommend to customers who are tired of working on their knees. It lifts up to 450 pounds, rolls where you need it, and makes the jobs you avoid feel easy.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →