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I have the HF lift and it will not come close to picking up my 61" Ferris 3100Z so i doubt it will pickup your raptor. I tossed the HF lift and got one of these.

I started off using a standard engine crane and a couple of flat slings.
Worked a dream
Latter on upgraded to a yard crane .
But in a pinch I have used a rope & pulley over a balcony post when both of the cranes had something on them that I did not want to drop right then & there.
A doubleaction engine cramewill be even better and they you have a tool sitting in the shed that can be used for a lot of lifting jobs, not just your mower.

I suggest buying the heavier version. The 750 lbs version. I did modify mine as the ATV saddle keep getting the way of mower decks. I do wish it had roller wheeel for slide uder mower instead having to either drive the mower up on the lifts or pushing them on to the lifts. Also with some Cub Cadets the deck still hit the foot but that is easily resolved by using a couple 2 x 8's to lift the fronts up over over it.

I use a farm jack for the front and a floor jack for the back. I toyed with the thought of getting a fancy jack, but why? The farm jack makes getting to the blades easy enough and that's the most common thing I have to do. The best part about this, is that I use both jacks for other things. Single use tools are not cost effective and they take up a lot of space. They're just too gimmicky for me. If I worked on these zero turns all day long, then a fancy jack might make sense. But I don't, so it doesn't. This may not answer your question directly, but it may give some pause on why you think you need a fancy jack like this?

100% with you on that Pete.
My reps are always at me to stock & sell the Mo-Jack brand of mower jack but an engine crane is a far more useful tool, take less space & I already had one .
Apart from that to do a full service it is good to get the weight off the front wheels to get grease into the load bearing surfaces .
Most garages & shed have open roof frames so again a chain block over a truss will do a pretty good job for a fraction of the price.
I find it rather funny that now days we seem to need 300 special tools to replace a single item that our parents used to do the same 300 jobs.
Then we complain that we have no money

I got one of those fancy lifts that i paid $750 for and it was worth every penny. Every rider that comes in goes up on it. I have a cherry picker engine lift but in my small shop it takes up too much room to leave setup. I have had a couple different lifts. One with a hand crank, a couple with the foot pump. The one now hooks up to air and raises up in about 15 seconds. It also has an accessory that lets you roll a push mower on it to raise up to work on. And i have a plate i can hook on to work on generators and the like. One of the best tools i have bought for the shop.

I have one and while handi they do take up room when not using. I find it's always in the way for some reason. And I can't stand just letting it outside and get ruined..

4getgto said:

I find it's always in the way for some reason.

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I have two sheds and a largish workshop. One shed (yet to be named) has an open space that I use for my lumber as well a closed in section I use for general storage. My yard crane lives there in the back with the lumber. I also have an AgShed what was once a manger for horses. It houses my Hustler, a work bench, a parts washer along with several shelves, my Tym tractor as well as finish mower and more garden tools than I ever want to use. The Grotto, my 20x35' workshop is dedicated to mostly woodworking and a bit of welding. All my automotive tools live there and I have tools dating back to 1969 when I first started. I retired from the automotive industry in 1999, and set out to do other things. I see my tools, automotive and otherwise, as insurance should I ever need to make an honest living again.

I say all that to show that I have more tools than sense and I simply hate it when a tool is "always in the way". It seems that I spend an inordinate amount of time working around these things and so I have set out to organize and re-organize, label the crap out of every thing so when I pass they will be able to see easily what I've accumulated. I seldom enjoy "get me by" tools that seem to be part and parcel of places like Harbor Freight. Again, were I a shop servicing these zero turns, shaving a few seconds off of a job might make sense. As 4getgto pointed out, these tools often get in the way when not in use and that could cost you more than the seconds you might save. I doubt it takes me more than a minute to lift either end of my Hustler with the farm jack or the floor jack. My jack stands are positioned for a quick flick under the carriage, and I'm shimmying under with the tools I need to start the job, or at least to inspect the problem. For the average user, a fancy jack like that is a solution in search of a problem. They end up buried under a mountain of tools gadgets and toys that were the be all and fix all but no longer seem to be needed. I've seen those garages that are so full that you can barely walk through them, much less find a tool and use it. A place for everything and everything in its place.

Your brain is your most important tool. Whenever I have a lifting problem, I think it through first. It's amazing to me just how versatile that farm jack is. Not only does it quickly lift the front end of my Zero turn, but I've pulled fence posts, squared a building, pulled my van out of the mud, lifted my van out of sugar sand, tensioned a light pole I hit with my tractor and more. So when you think about buying tools, buy the best quality you can afford, and choose one that's versatile over a one trick pony. No, not a Swiss Army Knife mentality. A jack should just... you know... jack! My farm jack hangs o the end of a shelf, out of the way until I need it. While not light, it's still incredibly portable and can go with me to any part of my 10+ acre homestead. Since it's not hydraulic, it never seems to fail, either.

Many thanks to everyone who replied. Very informative. Looks like the farm jack is the winner. I have a engine crane, but I put pneumatic casters on it which makes it too high to fit under the front end of the mower. For just changing blades, it looks like the farm jack is perfect. I might hook the engine crane to it after I lift it, just for safety purposes and peace of mind. I don't think I can bench press the mower and I really never want to have to find out for sure.

I put jackstands under the edge of the mower deck. I never had my farm jack fail me, but I'm not taking that chance. They are mostly out of my way while in position. My Ryobi impact makes short work of the blade bolts, and I do use anti-seize on those threads.

bladedoctor said:

Many thanks to everyone who replied. Very informative. Looks like the farm jack is the winner. I have a engine crane, but I put pneumatic casters on it which makes it too high to fit under the front end of the mower. For just changing blades, it looks like the farm jack is perfect. I might hook the engine crane to it after I lift it, just for safety purposes and peace of mind. I don't think I can bench press the mower and I really never want to have to find out for sure.

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All these different methods to get under a ZTR and my commercial guys change blades every day with no jack or lift. what they do is just get a front wheel just on the trailer ramp and drive up to the ramp to the back edge of the trailer. They can get under and do 2 blades then do the same thing on the other side of the trailer ramp to get the 3rd blade.

I purchased the heavier Fischer 750 lb. Heavy Duty ATV/Mower High Lift Jack from HF. It currently sales for $209, however, I saw it on sale and had a coupon. This lift is a monster, it lifts both of our ZT mowers with no problem (Gravely HD 60 and ProTurn 148). Lift also has safety lock pins that work as safety jacks. Easy to maneuver and store.

I have a 54" raptor and the lift from Harbor freight works great for me!

Looks like the 750 lb. Heavy Duty High Lift Jack from HF is a winner for what it specifically is used for. Even the "REVIEWS" on it are good.


If I needed one, this would definitely be the one I'd invest $ in.