Mowing your yard to the proper height helps promote healthy grass growth. A commonly accepted rule of thumb is to remove no more than one-third of the grass blade’s height at a time. The grass uses its extra length to absorb the sun so it can grow into a healthy plant. Cutting your lawn too short can burn out the grass, leaving ugly brown spots on the lawn.
You also want to consider climate and grass type when choosing your ideal cutting height. In general, cool season grasses grow predominately in the spring and fall and should be maintained at about 3-3.5 in. Warm season grasses will grow mostly in the summer and it’s recommended to maintain these yards at about 2 in.
Remember, conditions vary regionally. You should adjust to the best suited cutting height for your climate and adapt as it changes.
Finding the Ideal Cutting Height
Finding the ideal cutting height on your lawn mower can take some trial and error. Height adjustments on Cub Cadet® lawn mowers vary by model, with many in the range from 1½ in. to 3½ in. Variations in a mower's wheel size, blade style, engine crankshaft design, and adjustment components can impact the cutting height adjustment position. It is important to know the actual cutting height of each deck position on your mower.
How to Measure the Cutting Height
WARNING: Before performing any service always disconnect and properly ground the engine spark plug wire.
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With the mower off and the spark plug wire disconnected, place the mower on a hard level surface such as a concrete driveway.
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Raise the deck to the highest cutting position.
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Measure this height setting from the blade tip and the ground.
Service Tip — Using a small piece of wood (such as an ice cream stick), stand it vertically underneath the cutting deck and use the blade tip to mark the wood, measure the distance from the mark to the end of the wood. -
Lower the deck to the next setting and repeat the measurement process.
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Continue this process until each of the cutting height settings are determined.
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Record these measurements for future reference.
Once you find the ideal cutting height for your lawn, consider marking your mower with a paint pen or permanent marker so you can easily switch to it in the future.
