Image via bucklava on flickr.
One of the most important parts of a riding lawn mower is the mower deck. The mower deck serves many purposes on the riding lawn mower. All of these purposes are vital to the efficiency of the mower, to the safety of the machine operator, and to the property around the yard being mowed.
The lawn mower deck acts as a base for the mower to rest upon. The chassis is built mainly upon the mower deck and is connected to the deck and axels. Without the lawn mower deck, the riding mower may be a completely different machine. The pulley system that rests in the chassis underside the mower runs the engine as well as turns the blades and belts. Some lawn mowers have optional grease fittings. These are mainly found on the zero turn riding mowers. The main pulley is generally the part of the system that is fitted with these, and they are used to keep the belt lubricated and free from debris.
The deck of the lawn mower acts as a cover for the blade. In this housing, air flow is controlled. Air is forced upwards by the spinning blades. The upward moving air pulls the grass straight up, making for a cleaner, more even cut. The housing also helps protect the blades from rain, sleet, snow and hail. These weather conditions may damage a blade.
It acts as a safe guard to keep larger items from getting caught in the blade housing. Large clumps of grass or dirt may block the blade completely to hinder the cutting path. Large clumps in the housing may also damage the velocity of the air flow, which can stop the grass from being pulled completely up. Keeping large, hard objects such as rocks and wood out from under the mower can protect the blade from being damaged, chipped, bent or even broken.
It helps keep projectiles down to a minimum. By keeping large objects from getting underneath the mower and away from the blades, it can not only protect the blades, it can also keep objects from being forcefully ejected from beneath the mower. By reducing the risk of projectiles, the mower deck also prevents a majority of personal injuries as well as damage to personal property. This can save a lot of time, money and energy. Time can be saved by keeping people out of the hospital and can minimize the time needed to repair any damages. Money can be saved the same way. Energy can be saved by reducing the amount of repairs that need to be made during the mowing season.
The lawn mower deck houses some of the most important parts of the machine, not only for the cutting of grass, but also for the efficiency of the machine itself as a whole.
