All mower owners have the same goal which is to make their lawns look fresh and tidy. However, not all environments are similar. Depending on your own situation, you need a lawnmower that can fit your specific environment. If you often have to cut tall and thick grass, you need a mower to deal with this problem. Many lawn mowers have problems with this type of grass, and they will get slow and inefficient in cutting grass. The even more apparent problem is when the grass is slightly wet or damp.
That is why using a proper discharge system is significant. In this case, installing a side discharge on your lawn mower will definitely ensure better grass discharging. But how to successfully install a side discharge on your lawn mower? Useful information about how to install a side discharge on lawn mower is provided in this article.
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What to consider before the installation process
Before starting the installation work, you should have a look at your lawn mower’s user manual. The user manual will definitely help you avoid any unwanted troubles. You can go online to find the user manual on the lawn mower’s company website.
Required tools to install a side discharge on lawn mower
There are two main tools needed in this entire procedure. These are:
- Side discharge Bolts and hooks: It is needed to ensure that the side-discharge gets firmly and suitably attached to the mower. For this, you will need the bolts and hooks that came with the side discharge, so they can be attached to the mower.
- A socket wrench: A socket wrench will be used to loosen or tighten the bolts.
How to install side discharge on lawn mower?
Following are the steps of how to install a side discharge on a lawn mower.
Step 1. Preparation:
You need to park your mower in an open and flat area. Turn off your lawn mower to do the task. If you use an electric lawnmower, please unplug the power cord. In case you use a gas lawnmower, make sure that the mower cannot accidentally turn on, because you will be working close to the blades during the installation process. It is a good idea to use safety gloves because they can protect your hands from getting cut by sharp edges or the lawnmower blade.
Step 2. Press the Chute Downward:
Crossing that deck’s bottom on your lawn mower is a bracket. You have to ensure that the side discharge is below this bracket. Pressing the bottom side of the side discharge chute downward can help you meet this requirement.
Step 3. Attach the Rubber Strap to the Deck:
To make sure that the side discharge gets firmly attached to the deck, extend and attach the chute’s rubber strap to the deck.
Step 4. Locate the Installation Area:
Now it is time to locate the area on the deck where the chute is to be attached. Visual inspection would be enough, but you can still use the user manual for reference.
Step 5. Remove the Bolts:
There are bolt holes in the area allocated for installing the discharge chute. If you found an old discharge chute that you are replacing, you would see that it is held in place with bolts. You should use the socket wrench to remove these bolts.
Step 6. Install the Discharge Chute:
There is a mulch plug that might cover the discharge chute. To install the discharge chute, you should pull the mulch plug upward. Afterward, attach the discharge chute’s hooks to the mulch plug’s grip cautiously. Then, tighten all the bolts using the socket wrench, turning it clockwise for tightening. Make sure that you lock all the hooks and tighten all the bolts.
Step 7. Test the Side Discharge Chute:
If the discharge chute is not firmly locked to the deck, the removal of the discharge chute itself can happen during the mower’s operation and possibly damage even the blades. In order to avoid this situation, make sure that you attach the discharge chute firmly. It can be checked when you give a jerk to the chute with your hand. If you lock it tightly, it will not fall off. If it does, it means that you missed a bolt or a hook or attached it wrongly.
Step 8. Lower the Mulch Plug:
Once it is certain that the side discharge chute is firmly attached to the mower, you should carefully lower the mulch plug. If you complete a side discharge installation process with this step done, your mower will be ready for use.
For more details, you should watch this video:
Cautions
Although you have learned the above installation process carefully, your lawn mower side discharge chute installation will not be complete without these warnings during the process. Following are what you should keep as a warning when installing that side discharge on your lawn mower:
- The first one is not to attach the side discharge chute when your mower is on. This is important because your hands might come into contact with the blades under the deck.
- The second one is not to remove the side-discharge cut when the mower is running. In case you have installed it, and it does not properly fit, make sure you switch off the mower before fixing it.
Final thoughts
It is difficult to use your lawnmower to cut bigger and thicker grass. With the increased grass debris caught in the cutting area and attached to the blade, the cutter speed will go down, and the mower’s efficiency will decrease. This means that it will take you more time and effort to do the mowing process. Moreover, you will have to clean the cutting area more often. In contrast, installing a side discharge on your lawn mower can help you avoid these problems. With a side discharge, the grass debris will move out toward a side instead of getting caught in the cutting area, which will enhance the speed and efficiency of your lawn mower.
Installing a side discharge chute is not an uphill task. By following the step-by-step guide provided in this article carefully, you can easily know how to install a side discharge on a lawn mower and faster mowing is not so far.