Height adjustment mechanism, fitted to a modern lawnmower. Image Credit: Author

Height Adjustment

Cutting height is an important factor in determining the quality of cut on almost any lawn.

When choosing a mower, it makes sense to choose one which allows you to adjust height of cut quickly, easily and with a minimum of effort and inconvenience.

Height adjustment mechanism, fitted to a modern lawnmower. Image Credit: Author

Getting the perfect lawn starts with choosing the right cutting height — and that height changes throughout the year.

• For the first few mows of the season, begin with a higher height of cut, to protect new growth and to reduces stress on the grass. As spring progresses and your lawn thickens, you can gradually lower the cutting height for a cleaner, more refined finish;
• By late summer, it’s smart to start raising the height again. This helps your lawn prepare for cooler temperatures and reduced growth;
• As autumn progresses, growth will slow markedly. However, if you use a rotary mower, many models will allow you to shred and collect fallen leaves, simply by increasing the height of cut — a handy way to keep your lawn tidy later in the season, and to get the most from your mower.

Cutting Heights by Mower Type

Understanding your mower's capabilities and tailoring it to your grass conditions, is key to maintaining a healthy, well-manicured lawn. Minimum and maximum cutting heights will vary according to the type of mower you use:

• Cylinder Mowers: These deliver a fine, clean cut and are ideal for ornamental lawns. Some can cut as low as 5mm, but most won’t go above 35mm, making them less suitable for use on longer grass and uneven ground;
• Rotary Mowers:  Versatile and widely used, some rotary mowers can cut up to 100mm. Most however cannot cut below 20mm, and only a very small number can manage 12mm or less;
• Hover Mowers: Lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, hover mowers typically cut between 15mm and 35mm, depending on the model and manufacturer.

Need a practical reference point? If you're trying to deadhead daisies, your mower will need to cut at 25mm or less. Keep in mind too, that the height adjustment mechanism — will vary according to manufacturer, model and cutting system. Not all manufacturers, offer all systems.

Single Point Height Adjustment

Single point height adjustment (sometimes called centralised height adjustment) is a feature commonly found on many electric, cordless, and petrol powered rotary mowers. This intuitive system allows users to change the height of cut in seconds, using just a single lever or button.

Instead of manually adjusting each wheel or corner of the mower deck, a single point height adjustment mechanism connects all four wheels using a centralised linkage. This eliminates the requirement to adjust each wheel individually. When the height adjustment lever is raised or lowered, the machine's cutting height is adjusted accordingly.

Single point systems are among the most user-friendly solutions for adjusting height of cut.

Single point height adjustment mechanism fitted to a Tiger TM4016HP hand-propelled petrol mower. Image Credit:  Author

Characterised by slick operation and positive engagement, the single point height adjustment mechanism fitted to this Hayter Harrier mower, is an absolute delight to use. Image Credit: Author

Single Point Height Adjustment with Adjustable Con-Bar

For users demanding greater precision and performance from their mower, some models feature a single point height adjustment system, combined with an adjustable con-bar. This dual-adjustment setup allows not only for easy changes in cutting height, but also allows the angle of the deck relative to the lawn's surface to be fine tuned — useful for optimising  underdeck airflow, especially when mulching.

Photograph of Rover's Vari-Tilt system, which combines single point height adjustment, with an adjustable con-bar, to optimise underdeck airflow, dependent  upon whether the operator is mulching, or collecting. Image Credit:  Author

This AL-KO Highline machine features a multi-point height adjustment system, comprising four levers with red handles, adjacent to each wheel. Image Credit:  Author

Multi Point Height Adjustment

Multi lever height adjustment — also referred to as multi-lever cutting height control and multi-point height adjustment — is a system that requires each wheel to be adjusted individually. Whilst taking longer and requiring more effort to adjust cutting height, than a single lever system, this approach does provide the operator with complete control, over the position of the cutting deck.

Two Plus One

This approach typically consists of a height adjustment lever fitted to each front wheel, with a single height adjustment lever fitted to the rear axle or roller. This allows the angle of the machine to be adjusted, to maximise underdeck airflow.

Remove and Replace

Remove and replace systems are (thankfully) increasingly rare. They require you to remove and replace each wheel individually to change the height of cut. Once popular on cheaper, entry-level, rotary mowers, they have largely been superseded, either by multi-lever or single-lever  systems. Remove and replace systems can prove time consuming and cumbersome – especially if you’re forced to adjust height settings mid-session.

Slot System

Some electric mowers use a slot system. Height of cut is adjusted by inserting the axles into one of several slots provided in the cutting deck. Adjustment requires the mower to be switched off and inverted before the height of cut can be changed. Like the remove and replace system, the slot approach does not lend itself easily to cut of height changes mid-session.

Many cylinder mowers, such as these ATCO Clipper models, feature a screw type height adjustment mechanism, adjacent to the blade. Image Credit: Author

A close up of the screw-type adjustment system, fitted to an ATCO Clipper 20 mower. Image Credit: Author

Cylinder Mowers

For maximum precision, most powered cylinder mowers take one of two approaches, when adjusting cutting heights:

• Either, adjusting a screw positioned to the side of the cutting cylinder;
• Or, turning a dial at the side of the machine.

Both approaches are quick and simple, and require the machine to be switched off only very briefly. Within the context of most domestic lawns, both approaches serve equally well.

Hover Mowers

To adjust the cutting height on most hover mowers, you will first need to stop the machine, switch off the power, and either:

• Add, or remove spacers between the blade and cutting deck to vary the height between the blade and the ground below;
• Or, remove the blade from the machine before inverting it;
• Or, fit a skirt to the deck of the mower.

Spacer systems may permit a greater choice of cutting heights than either the ‘remove and invert’, or the fitted skirt approaches – check before ordering your machine.

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