It mows

Interesting , yes it is . It also has taps from the pump to add a hydraulic 3 point hitch to the back for plows and other implements . I do have the belt covers , and they are on the deck . Wouldn't do to get grabbed and lose a limb ... I'm not sure what pressure I've got in the tires right now , but probably too much . Less pressure , especially on the rear , means more tread in contact with the ground and that might be part of my traction problems . I still need to figure out why the main deck height knob on the lift mechanism isn't working correctly , it seems to be stuck . I expect by weeks end I'll have it all sorted out and correctly adjusted . Today I'll be picking up new tires for the front and a new belt for the main drive . New spindle bearings on the outboards are coming too . That should be all I need to have it fully and properly functioning . I'm not sure what a new yard/garden tractor with comparable features costs , but I know I can't afford one . JD is proud enough of their new units you have to call to get a price ... there were no prices in the flyer I got in the mail , just discount offers between $500-$1000 , so you know they ain't cheap !

Reply to
Terry Coombs
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I suppose the triples do expose more belt than is safe.

I've never had problems with traction except from dead starts with the wheels on the stops.

Hey, guys, who sells the cheapest tires for these critters? My fronts are bald. Carlisle 15x6.00x6NHS Turf Saver II.

(I traded $300 worth of work for the beastie with hydrostatic tranny, go/reverse pedal and have only changed oil, put on a couple belts, and replaced the blades with thicker Pro thatchers in the past 6-7 years.)

It's nice to be able to totally rebuild something for under a Benjie, innit?

I understand they're all made in China now and the shit has totally hit the fan, with JD fans bailing by the tens of thousands.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

On 05/18/2015 8:32 AM, Terry Coombs wrote: ...

W/o looking at the spec, I'll bet about 14 psi will be recommended.

Even more significant will be adding some weight if you're pulling something...

Reply to
dpb

I spin 'em all the time when using the front blade . Lowering the pressure in the tires might help ... I don't remember what I put in them when I mounted them , seems like it was around 20 or so - which is probably about

10 lbs too much .

I'm waiting on delivery of 2 16 x 6.50 - 8's at about 30 bucks each including tax . My tire guy matched WM , but I gotrta mount them . WM would probably insisted in mounting , for another 15 bucks or so because these are "special case" wheels .

Got the deck adjustments figured out , new belt in hand , and am awaiting those tires to get it adjusted properly . If all the new parts arrive on time I'll be spending friday and saturday (if she works both) finishing up and getting the front blade back on .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

During the icy season I had a board laying across the fenders under the seat with a 70 lb bag of sand on each side . The fenders weren't quite wide enough ... with the added weight and the chains , I was able to clear our road to the highway so everybody down here could get out . What I need is a couple of 2-3" thick steel rounds I could bolt to the wheels . Bet it wouldn't spin then !

Reply to
Terry Coombs

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grab them before deere kills them...

If the deck has front wheels like

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it's a terrain following deck. Those you set the height with the wheels and the deck follows the ground. You just set the height adjuster on the tractor to the lowest setting.

If the deck looks like this style

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with no front wheels it's NOT a terrain following deck. These you need to set up and level under the tractor. Then you set the cutting height with the adjuster on the tractor. The tractor then carries the deck.

Reply to
Steve W.

Drag on the blade as it goes through the grass. The tip of the blade cuts the grass and the rest of the blade is there to support that cutting edge. With the front of the deck tilted down 1/4" the 1/2 of the blade that isn't cutting grass doesn't get drug through the grass slowing the blade down.

The deck itself should tip down 1/4" in the front. This is actually a common adjustment on better mowing gear.

Reply to
Steve W.

Don't be sure of that. I have the Cub Cadet equivalent of that Deere. For winter duty it has a 275 pound steel cab, loaded tires, chains, and

190 pounds of wheel weights, plus my FA in the seat and it still spins !!

Cub Cadet 2263 (it was an 1863 from the factory but I stuck a 22 horse on it) It's from the last true garden tractor series that CC put out. Then they started the 1000/2000 series to meet box store pricing. The

3000 series were nice but $$$$$$
Reply to
Steve W.

A neighbor had leftover 25 Lb wheel weights from a Sears bagging(?) kit that included them for tractors smaller than his. They didn't directly fit his or mine, but I have machine tools...

You could ask Sears if they have extras from kits they installed.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Mine looks more like the first one , with wheels front and rear . The adjustment mechanism is different though , it uses a pin-in-hole arrangement . I've already bookmarked links to both the mower and deck manuals , see no (easy) way to actually download them, to my comp though . Those manuals have been up since 2009 , I'd think if JD was going to kill them it would have happened by now ... The only problem I see with letting the tractor carry the deck is that it can then cut taller where the ground dips . I don't think that will be a problem with the rough cutting I have planned though . Good to know I can run it either way , I did get the adjuster on the tractor freed up yesterday . So many people have contributed information , my thanks to all !

Reply to
Terry Coombs

15 too much, according to the manual. Yeah, a front blade would require LOTS of traction, and likely real tractor tires with heavy lugs and liquid filling.

I've found them for $26-52 each for the exact same tire. I like to sell at retail, but _buy_ at wholesale, please. ;)

Is it just a scraper blade, for leveling your drive, or what? Pics, please, once she's mounted.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

POP! And oh-so-easy to R&R, eh?

Are you using chains in the ice/snow?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Or weld stubs onto the back of the frame and load regular lifting weights on them. Used weight sets go for cheap on Craigslist and free on Freecycle. They'd be very easy-on/easy-off, and store well too.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

It's a regular blade like you'd see on a dozer , hydraulic up and down - I can lift the front wheels off the ground with it . I had to take it off the get at the mower drive box . I can either run it square for a straight push or angle it to either side . It has a spring so if I hit something it tilts , or can be locked upright . I've used it to spread gravel on my driveway , and it works just swell for clearing snow/ice . The neighbors love that ...

Reply to
Terry Coombs

One of my first purchases was a set of chains - because I knew from the start clearing ice and snow would be the primary winter use for it .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

The only reason they are still up is probably because it's pictures and not a single file. They went after a few other sites with lawyers. Told them to take the manuals off line or else.

Reply to
Steve W.

Friend that's giving me the leaky deere has a sidemount weight system on his tractor to allow mowing the ditch without tipping over. It hangs a hundred pounds or so about 3 feet out on the high side to hold it down!!

Reply to
clare

That sounds like an outrigger sailing canoe I used to sail on Carnegie Lake in NJ. d8-)

Reply to
Ed Huntress

That's cool! Hyd or pin/hole angle adjustment?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

You never thought you'd see an outrigger on a tractor, huh?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

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