Preparing Your Lawn Mower for Transport
Loading the Lawn Mower
First, you’ll want to ensure that your riding lawn mower has enough clearance to fit in the bed of your truck. Lower the tailgate and turn on the parking brakes of your truck. Drive the lawnmower onto the ramps. Ensure that your riding lawn mower is in a neutral gear before loading it into your truck. Use ratchet straps to secure the mower while it’s loading. Attach a ratchet strap onto the mower axle and secure it to the corners of the trailer. Check tension on all straps and make sure to tie up any loose ends.
Ensuring Truck Readiness
Clear out any debris or loose items from the bed of the truck and ensure that the truck is parked on a flat and level surface. The truck must have a ramp that is sturdy enough to hold the weight of the mower.
Securing the Mower for Transit
Position the riding lawn mower in the center of the truck bed to distribute its weight evenly. Lower the mower deck to its lowest position to minimize its height and secure the mower with tie-down straps.
Moving Truck Considerations
Can you put a lawn mower in a moving truck? Drain all gasoline and oil from the mower for safety reasons before loading. Using tie-downs or bungee cords, secure the mower inside the moving truck to avoid damage. Check with the moving company to ensure they allow the transport of lawn mowers and consider the size of the mower versus the interior dimensions of the truck.
Before hiring a moving company, clarify if they are willing to transport the lawn mower, as some items may be prohibited by law.
Additional Tips
Most residential mowers are intended only for cutting grass, and using them for heavy tasks can reduce their lifespan. Without ramps, lower the trailer tailgate to the ground to create a ramp for loading the mower, then secure with ratchet straps.
To load without ramps, attach non-slip straps to the tires for traction, set the mower in low gear and carefully drive onto the ramps. Once in the truck bed, park the mower, remove the ramps, and raise the tailgate.
Be sure to remove all gasoline from the mower due to safety risks. You can also nail wooden blocks to the floor for stability during the move.