​How to Install a John Deere Lawn Mower Sun Canopy or Shade

Shop this Part Number LP68122

UV rays can cause major skin damage year-round causing sunburn, wrinkles, heat rash, and more. Using the John Deere Sun Canopy or Shade on your lawn tractor can greatly help to protect yourself from the harsh sun and even make your mowing experience a bit more enjoyable.

Keep reading to learn where you can purchase this product and how to assemble and install it on your machine today.

Inside this kit:

• Hardware
• Durable shade material
• Canopy support rods
• Structural frame pieces
• Instruction manual

What you’ll need:

• 10mm nut driver (or socket and extension)
• 13mm socket and ratchet
• 13mm wrench

Prepping the Mower

To begin install, start by lifting the mower seat and attaching the mounting plates onto the underside of the CargO Mount System. When fitting the plate into place, pay close attention to the larger hole in the center and the shape of the two holes on the CMS to make sure they lineup correctly underneath.

One in place, secure the fit by screwing the four small nuts onto the existing screws on the CMS. Tighten these by hand at first and follow with the 10-mm nut driver.

Assembly Required

Canopy frame

First, connect both of the upright pieces to the cross-member bar by lining up the holes on one and the silver push tabs on the other, as seen here. Once connected, the sliver tab will lock each into place. Keep in mind that the cross-member bar will go around the seat on the rear of the mower, so be sure to install the pieces in the right direction. Once you have those assembled, attach two of your black mounting rods and attach them to the top of this frame like shown to complete the back frame of your canopy.

Now mount your last two structural frame pieces into the larger hole on the CargO Mount System, like shown. The frame pieces are labeled to show “left” and “right” to let you know which side to install them. Next, place a small washer on both bolts seen below and thread the bolt through the frame piece into the CMS, then follow by slipping the larger washer and nut on the underside. We will keep these bolts loose for now to allow for movement that may be necessary later on in the installation process.

Once the last two frame pieces are semi-installed, connect the back cross-member bar frame there, like shown below.

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Canopy shade

To assemble the canopy shade, begin by connecting the two white support rods seen here followed by one of the black support rods connected to one end of that. Notice one of the white rods features rubber tubing and a metal cap on one end—this is where you will connect the bare end of the second white rod by sliding it into the metal cap until you feel a secure connection, then follow with by connecting the black rod to the end as stated previously.  

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Next, feed the connected rods through the designated pocket on the silver side of the shade material and pull them through to the opposite side, like shown. Attach the remaining black rod to the exposed white rod and ensure the bendable portion of the rod connection is centered inside the pocket. This will allow you to bend the rods into a half-moon shape to smooth out and adjust the shade material into place.

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Now that you have the material fitted onto the support rods, mount the rods onto already installed frame pieces. To do this, slide the two exposed rods into the open ends of the frame pieces and raise the shade material up so it will fit over the top of the frame like shown. Secure the shade material to the frame using the Velcro stripping along the sides (Tip: the Velcro will not connect properly if the shade is not aligned properly on the frame, so when it lines up everything is fitted correctly). Next, simply connect the support straps to the cross-member bar on the canopy frame by buckling them into place securing the shade further.

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The last step in the installation process is to revisit the bolts in the CargO Mount System we discussed earlier and use your tools to stabilize and secure the canopy frame to the mower. For a more detailed visual of this process, check out our video below!

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And that’s it—you’ve now successfully installed a John Deere Lawn Mower Sun Canopy or Shade onto your John Deere Riding Mower!

If you have questions about any of the steps outlined above, or are just more of a visual learner, head over and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch our step-by-step video (also attached below)! Be sure to leave a comment with your questions to receive a personal reply from Brent himself, our resident YouTube John Deere expert.