How to use a John Deere Home Maintenance Kit for lawn mowers
Servicing your lawn mower regularly is important to keep it performing at its best for a long time. With over a hundred models of John Deere mowers though, finding the right parts can be intimidating. That's why John Deere developed the Home Maintenance Kit. John Deere Home Maintenance Kits package together all the right parts for your lawn mower model so you can quickly and easily service your mower.
What's included in a John Deere Home Maintenance Kit?
John Deere Home Maintenance Kits include everything you need for tuning-up your mower. Each maintenance kit contains parts for a specific model so you know you're getting the correct parts every time. Home Maintenance Kits include:
2 quarts of oil
Oil filter
Fuel filter
Air filter
Air precleaner (if applicable)
Spark plug(s)
Finding the right Home Maintenance Kit for your John Deere lawn mower
To find the right kit for your mower, you'll need to know your model number. You may only need that number, but some Home Maintenance Kits will be different based on the serial number and engine number. Go ahead and write down, or take a picture of, all three just in case.
The model number can be found on the Product Identification Number tag. On zero-turns, the PIN tag is right above the engine on the frame or underneath the engine. For riding lawn mowers, look behind the right front or back left wheel. The serial number will be underlined at the end of the PIN. The engine number is located directly on the mower engine.
Hutson carries Home Maintenance Kits for all John Deere lawn mowers. Reach out to your nearest Hutson location and we'll get you set up with one.
Using a John Deere lawn mower Home Maintenance Kit
Using a Home Maintenance Kit is quick and easy. It should take less than 30 minutes to do your lawn mower maintenance if you have all the tools nearby.
Required tools
Most John Deere mowers come with convenient tool-less parts, but you'll still need a few tools to do the job. Here are all the tools you'll need to use your Home Maintenance Kit:
Oil drain pan
Oil filter wrench
Shop towels or rags
Pliers or channel locks
Spark plug socket
Spark plug gap gauge
Funnel (not necessary, but it's handy when adding oil)
Changing the oil and oil filter
Before starting, it helps to run the engine for a couple of minutes to warm up the oil. Warm oil will flow better and speed up the process. Make sure to turn off the engine and put the mower in park before draining the oil.
Place the oil pan under the drain plug and remove the plug. The drain plug should be located near the back of the engine above the mower deck on riding mowers or near the front of the engine behind the tires on zero-turns. Loosen the dipstick to increase oil flow.
When the oil has finished draining, remove the old oil filter by hand or with the filter wrench if it's too tight. Make sure the gasket comes off with the oil filter.
Lubricate the new filter gasket with oil and install it. Get it pretty tight by hand, then give it an extra quarter turn. The filter will tighten itself over time, so be careful not to over-tighten it.
Close the drain plug.
Check your manual to see how much oil the mower will hold. Fill it to about a half a quart under the required amount so you don't overfill. For example, if it holds 2 quarts, add 1.5 quarts. Check the dip stick and add more as needed. Continue to add more and check the dipstick until it's full.
With the dipstick back in, run the engine for a couple of minutes and check for leaks.
Changing the fuel filter
Locate the fuel filter. It should be off to the side of the engine.
Remove the hose clamps from the filter using the pliers and take off the hoses. Make sure you remember which direction it was going so you put the new one on correctly.
Put the new filter on and move the hose clamps back into place.
Run the engine for a couple of minutes and check for leaks.
Changing the spark plug(s)
If your mower has a V-Twin engine, the Home Maintenance Kit will come with two spark plugs, otherwise you'll only need one.
Locate the spark plug(s). On a riding lawn mower, they're near the front of the engine on the side. On zero-turns, they'll be near the back of the engine on the side.
Remove the spark plug wire.
Remove the spark plug using the wrench.
Set the gap on the spark plug to the recommended size found in your owner's manual.
Replace the spark plug. Once it starts getting tight, tighten it about another quarter turn.
Re-install the spark plug wire.
Changing the air filter
Your Home Maintenance Kit may or may not come with a foam precleaner. If it does, go ahead and put the precleaner on the air filter before starting.
Brush away any debris from the air intake screen.
Locate the air filter. The air filter compartment will be on the top or side of the engine.
Remove the cover and take off the old filter. It may have a hose clamped to it or some nuts holding it in place.
Install the new filter and replace the cover.
If you made it this far, you've successfully completed maintenance on your lawn mower! If you feel like going the extra mile, now is the perfect time to sharpen your mower blades. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help with using your Home Maintenance Kit.
