Best Possible Riding Lawn Mower Modifications to Apply

Today, we shall discuss various DIY modifications that you can perform on your riding mower.

A riding mower is a type of lawn mower where the operator drives and controls all the operations while seated on it. The riding mower is also called a ride-on-mower, a lawn tractor, or a tractor mower. Riding mowers may resemble small tractors and are bigger and more powerful compared to traditional stand-behind or push mowers. Ride-on mowers are suitable for handling large lawns. 

Riding mowers have large, rotating, grass-cutting decks that are powered by a large mower engine. The operator sits on top from where he drives the mower while controlling the grass-cutting operations below him. Riding mowers come with control pedals for steering, acceleration, or braking depending on the model. Riding mowers come in different shapes, sizes, and engine horsepower. 

Why do you need to modify your Mower?

Riding mowers are easy to use and effective in mowing lawns. However, as they age, they become less effective especially due to normal wear and tear. At this point, or in the course of their use, carrying out some modifications on your mower will restore their original functionalities or improve performance. These modifications can be carried out to:

• Increase mower speed
• Increase fuel economy
• Improve lawn-cutting functionalities
• Extend sell-by date
• Improve efficiency
• Restore an aging mower.

The following are some of the modifications that you can do on your mower at home if you have the right tools, basic knowledge, and will to experiment.

Increasing Mower Speed

Riding mowers are not fast machines. A ride-on mower can attain a maximum speed of 4mph (6 kph) though this depends on the engine horsepower output. A faster mower means you can complete your lawn mowing faster. To increase the speed of your mower, you can perform the following modifications:

1) Modifying or removing the Governor

Riding mower engines are equipped with a governor that controls the speed of the mower by regulating the fuel and air intake of the engine. The governor acts like a cruise control and ensures a certain mower speed is maintained at all times by detecting load changes and making corresponding throttle adjustments. 

To increase the speed of the riding mower, you can adjust, disable, or remove the governor to allow the engine to unleash its full potential which increases the RPMs. To adjust the governor,

• Locate the governor in the riding mower engine
• Locate the governor lever and arm
• Loosen the bolts holding the arm and then detach the governor from the engine.
• Once you locate the governor's arm, locate the regulator spring and adjust the length of the spring so that the governor does not cover the throttle holes.
• If this does not work, remove the spring completely to release the governor flap that controls the fuel/air intake.

After you are through with the above steps, run the mower to test its performance without the governor. If it does not work as expected, consult an expert to rectify any arising issues.

Remember that some governors are more complicated to disable or remove and require an expert to do it. Others will require the re-configuration of the mower engine computer when the governor is removed. But once successfully removed/disabled, the mower speed will increase.

2) Tighten the drive belt

The drive belt is responsible for the rotation of the drive shaft. A tighter belt means a faster rotation of the drive. This can be done by locating the belt below the mower deck and adjusting the screws to tighten the belt. You could also fit a smaller but stronger belt that will withstand the faster rotations that will arise after the changes have been done.

3) Modify the Carburetor

The carburetor, like the governor controls fuel flow into the engine. The carburetor comes with factory settings that optimize your mower performance. However, you can adjust these settings to allow more air-fuel mixture entry into the engine to increase its RPMs, and by extension, speed and power.

This can be done by adjusting the following carburetor sections:

• Widening the air inlet to allow more air into the engine
• Adjusting the main jet to allow more fuel into the float bowl
• Adjusting the high-speed jet to allow a larger volume of air-fuel mixture into the engine
• Adjusting the throttle speed control and setting it to the maximum
• Change the choke settings to fit with the new carburetor adjustments.

Once these settings or adjustments have been made, the speed of the mower will increase since a larger volume of air-fuel mixture will be allowed into the engine for combustion.

By removing the governor, installing smaller belts, adding larger pulleys, and modifying the carburetor, the mower engine becomes stronger and the RPMs are increased. These modifications will greatly increase engine power output which, by extension, increases the speed of the mower engine.

Other Modifications

Other modifications can be carried out on the mower to improve power, mower height, operator comfort, and other engine performances.

4) Modifying the Engine /Mower pulleys

Most mowers come with a belt system that transfers the engine power to the mower. In this system, a belt connects the engine crankshaft with the mower through pulleys. To increase the speed of the mower, you could modify this belt system by installing larger pulleys on the engine and the mower.

Once you fix the two larger pulleys, one on each of the parts mentioned above, you will have to change the belt and install a larger one to connect the two pulleys. This will increase the speed of the mower significantly and will go a long way to increase your lawn mowing speed.

5) Seats and Cabin

The 'cabin' of the riding mower is open and the operator rides the mower while under the mercy of the weather. It is possible to modify the seat as well as put a cover to ensure the operator is comfortable and well-protected from the sun, wind, dust, or rainfall. 

The seat on the riding mower is not very comfortable. You can replace it with a suspension seat or one with armrests. With proper measurements and some fabrications, the new comfortable seats can easily be installed on your mower. Likewise, modifications can be done to put up a small covered cabin over the operator's head.

When a fully covered cabin is installed, the mower becomes an all-weather mower; you can mow your lawn anytime regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. 

6) Modifying Height Using Bigger Tires

The riding mower is fitted with tire sizes that are suited for its speed and use. However, you can adjust the tire sizes to suit your operations or to be at par with the other modifications that you may have done on your mower.

You could raise the height of your riding mower by changing the size of the tires. Mowers come with standard tires for each category of mower. The standard tire size for riding mowers is 15x6.00-6. Note that this number is interpreted as follows

• 15(15 inches) is the overall height of the tire when inflated and fixed without any load
• 6.00 (6 inches) is the overall width of the tire when mounted
• 6 (6 inches) is the rim width

The standard size is the lowest you can put on the mower.

After raising the mower height, the deck will rise and you may have to adjust it downwards (using the adjustment link) so that it can continue functioning properly. The deck adjustment must be equal to the height that you increased on your tires.

Putting on bigger tires will significantly raise the height of the mower, increase the maneuverability of the mower, and also increase tire traction. For instance, you may decide to put a tire size 18x6.00-6, this will raise your mower height and increase ground clearance by about three inches. Remember, you must ensure you change all four tires to this new size. 

7) The Deck

The deck is the most critical part of the riding mower. A good deck ensures efficiency, improves performance, and enables better lawn cutting and mulching. You can modify your mower deck to suit your needs. A bigger deck enables you to cover more ground, increases manoeuvrability, and saves fuel by up to 20%.

However, a modification to increase the deck size must also be compensated by a similar modification on the engine to increase power output and other operational features. The deck size goes hand in hand with engine torque and horsepower. Decks come in different sizes and weights which are commensurate with the engine torque/horsepower as sampled below.

As you modify your deck to your preferred size, remember to have the following considerations:

• The size of your mower
• The engine output of your mower
• The weight of the deck
• The blade size
• The side discharge of the deck
• The height of the deck

Decks are custom-made and come in different sizes for different mowers. If you choose to fix a bigger deck, you have to carry out some modifications in the undercarriage of your mower.

8) Racing Machine

With proper expertise and technical know-how, you can also turn your riding mower into a super high-speed racing machine! With super heavy engine and frame modifications, the mower can be turned into a 50 MPH racing car. But this is a risky modification and is not recommended.

These are some of the more common and easier modifications that are possible on a riding mower.