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Read articles →A pre-season prep walkthrough focused entirely on getting a rotary cutter ready before it turns a wheel. Mike steps through gearbox oil check, side-to-side and front-to-back leveling, cutting height math using the skid plate, and greasing every point on the machine. Practical depth with real numbers and safety reminders. Best for new tractor owners who've never prepped a brush hog before.
Tractor Mike is a longtime tractor-industry insider with decades of hands-on experience in the equipment business. He built his channel to help first-time and rural buyers make confident decisions, and his guidance comes from that deep, long-term background rather than a sales pitch.
Slowly unscrew the sight plug on the gearbox; a little oil should trickle out. If low, remove the fill plug and add oil until it trickles out, then replace both plugs.
Measure the skid plate height; blades cut two inches higher than the skid plate reading. To mow at four inches, set the skid plates two inches off the ground.
Set it a little lower in front than back, a quarter to one inch, so debris discharges out the back instead of being mulched, which saves horsepower.
Grease both tail wheels, the rotating parts where the wheels turn, and all points on the PTO shaft until grease is visible coming out.
