How to Adjust a Scotts Reel Mower
Best suited for turfgrasses with fine textures, the University of California notes that reel mowers are also good to use when a low mowing height is what you want. There are three adjustments that you can make to a Scotts reel mower.
You can adjust the Scotts reel mower cut height to a higher or lower setting. To adjust higher, use the adjusting lever at each wheel. To adjust the height below 2 inches, remove the wheels and relocating the adjustment assemblies. A final adjustment you can make is to adjust the blades themselves for either a more even cut or to keep the blades from rubbing the rear cutting bar.
Although a new reel mower has already been pre-adjusted before leaving the factory, Scotts notes that they may become misaligned. You'll notice your mower becomes harder to push or cuts are uneven if this happens.
Adjust Cutting Height Below 2 Inches
Remove the hubcap from the center of one of the reel mower wheels. There are two notches between the hubcap and the wheel. Insert a flat-head screwdriver into one of the notches, and pry the hubcap off the wheel.
Locate the retaining ring between the bolt head in the center of the wheel hub to the mower and the wheel hub. Place the flat-head screwdriver between the ring and the bolt head, and pry the ring off the wheel hub. Pull the wheel hub away from the mower.
Locate the nut to the bolt securing the wheel adjustment assembly in place. The nut will be on the back side of the wheel adjustment assembly and the frame of the mower. Place an adjustable wrench around the nut, and remove the bolt with an appropriate-size socket wrench.
Rotate the wheel adjustment assembly down to the lower notch, and secure the assembly to the mower frame with the retaining nut and bolt. Slide the wheel hub over the bolt head, and slip the retaining ring between the wheel hub and bolt head to secure the wheel hub. Place the hubcap into position, and press it in with your thumbs until it snaps into place. Repeat for the other side of the mower.
Scotts Reel Mower Cut Height
Scotts Elite reel mower height adjustment begins with locating the adjustment levers between the mower wheels and the frame of the mower.
Pull the adjustment lever toward the wheel to disengage the lever from the adjustment plate.
Move the lever up or down to the desired cutting height, and set the lever back into a notch on the adjustment plate. Place the opposite-side wheel in the same adjustment as the first.
Adjust Blades Scotts Reel Mower
Locate the two adjustment screws on each side of the mower for the cutting blades on the cutter bar. The cutter bar is on the rear of the mower assembly.
Turn the back screws on each side (the screws farthest from the blade) counter-clockwise with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Each screw must be turned an equal amount. Turn the two front screws clockwise to move the cutter bar farther from the blades. This adjustment will keep the blades from scraping the cutting bar.
Make an adjustment to have the blades cut evenly by loosening the front screws evenly in a counter-clockwise direction. Rotate the back screws clockwise with the Phillips-head screwdriver to move the cutting bar closer to the blades and create a more even cut.
