Ever find yourself mowing under the harsh glare of the sun? The John Deere Sunshade for Z5, Z7, and Z9 series mowers will help protect you from harmful UV rays and increase your mowing comfort.

Keep reading to learn how to install your brand-new attachment.

In this kit:

    - 2 U-shaped bows
    - Yellow sunshade
    - 2 mounting brackets
    - 2 tension straps
    - 2 U-bolts
    - 4 nuts and washers

What you’ll need:

    - Phillips head screwdriver
    - Size 3 Allen wrench
    - Ratchet and socket

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Sunshade Assembly

Front and Rear Bows

To begin, you will need to thread the two large, metal, u-shaped bows through the sunshade to give it shape. Identify the front (no tags) and the rear (with tags) of the sunshade. Now, feed the bow with the black, plastic endcaps through the pocket on the rear of the sunshade, and then thread the other bow through the pocket on the front end of the sunshade, as seen below.

Adjustment and Connection of Bows

Now that the fabric portion of the shade is assembled, feed the loop of your tension straps over each end of the rear bow (end with tags). The tension strap will allow you to add tension later.

Then, adjust the orientation of the fitting on the front bow so that it is pointed down (the fittings are the black fork-like prongs that move up and down along the front bow, as shown below). If the fittings are loose, tighten them using the size 3 Allen wrench included in the sunshade kit to adjust the set screw on top of each fitting. NOTE: Before tightening, make sure the fittings line up with the end caps on the rear bow.

Next, proceed to connect the two bows together by sliding the endcaps on the rear bow between the fork-like prongs featured on the fittings on the front bow, as shown below. Secure those connections with the Phillips-head screws included in the sunshade kit.

Mounting the Sunshade to the ROPS System

Now, you will be attaching your newly assembled sunshade to your mower's ROPS (Rollover Protection System). Note that this sunshade is compatible with Z5, Z7, and Z9 series mowers, but not with the Z997. NOTE: Installation will vary slightly depending on the exact machine. For this article, we are referencing installation onto a John Deer Z9 mower.

Positioning and Securing the Brackets

NOTE: This part of the installation may be easier with two people.

Place the newly assembled sunshade over the mower's ROPS and find the optimal position for your mower to mount the brackets on both the sunshade and the ROPS. When positioning, ensure the exposed ends of the front bow are facing the rear of the mower, as shown.

The brackets included in the kit feature two hooks that will be used during mounting. Starting on the right side of the mower and sunshade, slide the longer hook found on the front of the bracket into the hollow and exposed end of the front bow. Once that is in place, loop the triangular metal hook on the tension strap to the second, smaller bracket hook, as shown. Follow the same steps on the other side. 

Once the sunshade is hooked onto the bracket, slip the U-bolts onto the ROPs from the inside so that each end goes through the large holes on the brackets, as shown. Tighten down the U-bolt with a ratchet and socket and the nuts and washers included in your kit to complete installation.

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And that’s it! You've successfully assembled and installed a sunshade on your Z-Trak mower! If you have questions about any of the steps outlined above or are just more of a visual learner, head over to our YouTube channel and watch our step-by-step video (also attached below)! Leave a comment or question and receive a personal reply from Brent, our resident John Deere expert. Be sure to subscribe!