Classic form
Ride on mower pre start checklist for a council crew
A ride on mower pre start checklist covers the rollover bar, seatbelt, seat switch, blade guards, brakes and tyres at the depot, then the slopes and hazards on the day's run. This council version puts both halves on one form so the mower check and the site walk are signed together.
The form itself
A static copy of the finished form, exactly as it renders. Nothing here can be filled in or submitted, so read it as a reference and build your own from the button above.
Every field, and what it collects
The complete field list, in the order respondents meet it.
- UnitDropdownRequired
- Options: M12 zero turn, 60 inch deck · M14 zero turn, 52 inch deck · M15 out front rotary mower
- Hours showingNumberRequired
- Reserves on today's runShort textRequired
- Mower checksRating gridRequired
- Statements:
- ROPS raised and pinned
- Seatbelt
- Operator presence seat switch
- Blade guards and deck
- Discharge chute or mulch plate
- Park brake holds
- Tyre pressures
- Fuel and oil, no leaks
- Steepest slope on today's runSingle choiceRequired
- Options: Flat or gentle only · Some slopes under 15 degrees · Steeper banks, left for hand mowing
- Hazards walked before mowingMultiple choice
- Options: Rocks and sticks cleared · Drains and pits marked · Water edges noted · People and dogs in the area
- Defect photoPhoto upload
- Photograph the part that failed, with the blades disengaged and the key out.
- Mower operatorSignatureRequired
Mower
At the depot
On site
What each field on this form collects
The unit comes from a list of three council mowers, two zero turns and an out front rotary, with the hours and a short text for the reserves on the run. The mower grid has eight rows read at the depot: the rollover bar raised and pinned, seatbelt, the operator presence seat switch, blade guards and deck, discharge chute or mulch plate, park brake, tyre pressures and leaks. On site, a single choice records the steepest slope on the run and a checklist records the hazards walked before mowing. A defect photo and the operator signature finish it.
Why a council mower gets a pre start at all
A ride on mower looks like garden equipment, but a zero turn on a wet bank behaves like any other rolling machine. WorkSafe Victoria has published an alert about a ride on mower rolling over, and the controls are the same as for a tractor: rollover protection that is actually up and a belt that is actually worn. The seat switch matters for a different reason. It stops the blades when the operator leaves the seat, and it is the switch that gets bypassed when operators jump off to move a branch. Testing it on the wash bay each morning takes a few seconds.
Slopes and water edges
The slope question is a single choice with three answers, and the third answer sends steep banks to hand mowing. That is a decision for the depot, before the operator is halfway up the bank. Water edges are in the hazard checklist because a mower that slides on a creek batter can end up inverted in water. Drains and pits are marked before mowing because a front wheel dropping into an open pit tips the machine and throws the operator forward.
How to adapt this form
A golf course adds a row for the reel height and a dropdown of holes instead of reserves. A school groundskeeper removes the reserves field and adds a question confirming that students are inside before mowing starts. A contractor who mows for several councils adds a client dropdown so each council can be sent its own export of checks at the end of the month.
What makes this form work
The seat switch test is described
The paragraph tells the operator to lift off the seat with the blades engaged on the wash bay, and says what must happen. A row that only says seat switch invites a glance; a row with a test invites a test.
Steep banks have a third answer
Steepest slope on the run offers flat, under 15 degrees, or steeper banks left for hand mowing. The form gives the operator a way to record the safe choice instead of a box that only accepts yes.
Depot and site on one record
Eight mower rows at the depot and a four item hazard walk on site sit on the same form with one signature, so the council has a single record for each unit and day.
Questions people ask
Do ride on mowers need ROPS?
Many ride on mowers, especially zero turns, are sold with a rollover bar, and where one is fitted it must be up and pinned with the seatbelt worn whenever the mower runs. Folding it down to pass under trees is a known cause of fatal rollovers. Check the manufacturer manual and your state regulator for the rules on older units without one.
How do you test a mower seat switch?
On flat ground with the blades engaged and nobody nearby, lift your weight off the seat. The blades should stop and on most units the engine should cut out. If anything keeps turning, mark the row Fail and leave the mower at the depot. Never test it by reaching under the deck.
What slope is too steep for a ride on mower?
The manufacturer manual gives the maximum slope for that model, and it is often lower than people expect, especially across a slope or on wet grass. This form uses 15 degrees as the council limit for its own units and sends steeper banks to hand mowing. Use your own manual figure rather than this one.
Should the operator walk each reserve before mowing?
Yes. Rocks, sticks and bottles become projectiles, and drains and pits are hidden by long grass. The hazard checklist on this form records what was walked. It does not prove the walk happened, but asking the question every day builds the habit, and a missing tick is something a team leader can ask about.
Can the team leader see which mowers failed today?
Every submission lands in the responses table with its time, unit and answers, and the table can be exported to CSV. Matrix answers export as one column, written as each row and its answer separated by bars, so a quick search for Fail finds the units that stayed at the depot.
Build your own in about a minute
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Want the steps in the builder? Read Move a paper pre start book online, then Export the season of checks. For everything this generator can do, see the form maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .