Lawnmower Deck Riser

I need to raise the deck on my lawnmower so I can take the blade off for sharpening and install it again, as well as to clean caked grass clippings from under the deck for more efficient operation and to reduce rusting of the steel deck. I need to do this without engine oil getting into the engine valves. That means holding the handle down. (There is no oil drain plug under the engine, so raising the mower deck does not help with that.)

Materials

1. 2 x 4 piece, or greater than 2 x 4 about 8 inches long
2. # 10 or 12 Panhead sheetmetal screw
3. 1 x 2 or 2 x 2 piece 5 to 6 inches long
4. Hinge and screws (optional)
5. 16 penny common nail

Tools

1. Saw (I used a table saw.)
2. Mini-hacksaw
3. 1/2 inch drill bit
4. 1/8 inch drill bit
5. Electric drill
6. Screwdriver
7. Hammer
8. Measuring tools
9. Centerfinder (optional)

The body of the riser is a piece of nominally 2 inch lumber about eight inches long. Its width needs to be enough to clear the frame for the garage door when the body is set into the roller track for the garage door. I used a center finder to scribe a line down one edge.

See the second photo. Drill a hole on the center line that is just a bit smaller than the sheetmetal screw so the threads grab well in the wood, but the screw still turns into the wood without excessive effort. Place the hole about midway between the ends of the body.

See the third photo. Leave between 1/8 and 3/16 inch between the bottom of the screw head and the wood surface.

The first photo shows common holes in garage door track. A keyhole is needed so the head of the sheetmetal screw can slip into it and slide upward to secure the body (Step 1) to the steel door track.

See the second photo. Use a narrow straightedge to mark between the sides of the oblong hole and the round bottom hole.

See the third photo. Use a drill bit or a countersink chamfer bit to enlarge the bottom hole to a diameter that passes the head of the sheetmetal screw without difficulty.

See the fourth photo. Use a mini-hacksaw like the one shown to remove any material between the two holes. If needed, use a file to smooth any rough edges.

See the fifth photo. When finished you should have a nice keyhole.

Try pushing the screwhead into the keyhole with one end up and then with the other end up to see if one of those choices fits better than the other. Select the orientation that works better, and mark the end that is to be upward.

While holding the body as high as possible, measure the distance between the bottom of the body and the concrete floor.

See the second photo. I used a table saw to cut a piece of 1 x 3 to the length of the distance between the bottom of the body and the floor. Put the body in place and slide the piece you just cut between the body and the floor to hold the body in place.

See the fourth photo. It shows part of my first attempt at this project. It works well and I use it often. The version I am showing in this Instructable is a simplified version easier to make. On the version I use I have a hinge I made. The body support is attached to the body and moves in and out of place about a hinge. That is a handy feature, and you can easily purchase a suitable hinge. If you wish, you can simply slide the support place into place and leave it unattached to the body.

I chose a very simple way of providing a hook to hold the lawnmower handle down. You may make a fancier version. I used a 16 penny nail. I drilled the body at an angle with a hole just a little smaller than the diameter of the nail. Then I pounded the nail into the hole so a couple of inches of its length and its head are exposed.

The first photo shows the mower handle hooked under the nail. The second photo shows the mower deck elevated. I have used my riser many times and it is a very handy accessory.