S
ection
6 — M
aintenance
& a
djuStMentS
31
Front to Back Leveling
1.
Measure the blade-to-ground height at the right rear blade
tip. Again be sure to measure at the blade tip at the rear of
the right blade when aligned along the mower centerline.
The blade-to-ground height at the rear of the blade tip
should be 1⁄8” to 1⁄4” higher than the front tip. This is referred
to as blade pitch. The same height difference should be
true for the left blade, measured front and back. The pitch
should not exceed 1⁄16
” if cut height is below 1-
1⁄2”.
2.
Loosen the jam nuts at the rear left and right of the deck
horizontal threaded rods. Refer to Fig. 6-3.
3.
Start at the rear right to raise the rear of the deck, tighten
the rear outer jam nut to raise the deck or loosen the rear
outer jam nut to lower the rear of the deck.
4.
Adjust the rear jam nut at the rear left to take the “slack”
out of the threaded rod.
5.
Tighten both inner jam nuts to secure the deck adjustment.
6.
The final adjustment would be to take the “slack” out of
the left rear linkage if the rear of the deck was raised by
adjusting the jam nuts on the eyebolt. Loosen the jam nuts
and tighten the upper nut to remove “slack”.
7.
In many cases it will be necessary to adjust deck height using
both eyebolt adjustments and pitch adjustment to achieve
the correct blade-to-ground heights. If you remember that
the front right blade tip adjustment is fixed and you level to
that height, adjusting the decks will be simplified.
5.
Once the deck is level one may find that the height of
cut does not match the height of cut indicator. A final
adjustment may be made by lowering or raising the height
of cut link accordingly. To raise the deck: remove the
shoulder bolt mounting the height of cut link to the lift
handle and reassemble the shoulder bolt in the lowest of
the three holes. To lower the deck: remove the shoulder
bolts mounting the height of cut link, flip the height of cut
link around and reassemble the shoulder bolts in the top of
the set of three holes and the bottom hole.
Adjusting the Belt Tension
To increase the tension on the belt, loosen the jam nuts on the
deck rods, then tighten the flange nuts until a ten-pound pull with
a spring scale deflects the belt about 1⁄2”. Then re-tighten the jam
nuts to secure in place. See Fig. 6-8.
Deck Rods
Flange Lock Nuts
Jam Nuts
Figure 6-4
To lessen the tension on the belt loosen the flange lock nuts on
the deck rods and then loosen the jam nuts until a ten-pound
pull with a spring scale deflects the belt about 1⁄2”. Then re-
tighten the flange lock nuts. See Fig. 6-8.
Deck Wheels
WARNING!
Keep hands and feet away from the
discharge opening of the cutting deck.
NOTE:
The deck wheels are an anti-scalp feature of the deck and
are not designed to support the weight of the cutting deck.
The mower deck cutting height can be set using the tractor’s
deck lift pedal. The deck heights range from 1” to 5”. The deck
gauge wheel position should be approximately 1⁄4 to 1⁄2” above
the ground when the deck is set in the desired height setting.
Using the lift pedal, set the deck in the desired height setting,
then check the gauge wheel distance from the ground below. If
necessary, adjust as follows:
1.
Visually check the distance between the front gauge
wheels and the ground. If the gauge wheels are near or
touching the ground, they should be raised. If more than
1⁄2” above the ground, they should be lowered.
