[jeeper]

I picked up an '83 318 last fall which included the original 48" mower deck. I used the mower a couple times last fall and wasn't impressed compared to my old 112 with 47" deck. I didn't mess with it last year. I did my first mowing of the season last week and the day afterwards it didn't even look like I mowed.

Looking at it, it looks like the front is sitting way too low compared to the back but that's not what taking measurements off the blades say.
Today I went out and check the deck level. One thing I noticed is that with the wheels set at 2" (2nd hole from the bottom) if I set the deck level to put them 1/4-3/8" off the ground the height from the ground to the mower blades is over 3 1/2". I put the wheels all the way up and set the stop to leave them off the ground the required amount which should be 1 1/2" and it gives me a cutting height of 3" still. Quite a difference. I also measured the difference from front to back and I have the required 1/2" on the blades but the rear wheels are a good 1 1/2" off the ground while the front ones are 3/8". I just mowed again, not that you can tell from all the long grass still sticking up. Other than looking for a new model 48" or 50" deck I don't suppose there's anything else to do with mine but live with the lousy cutting.

Looking at it, it appears the front of the deck is way too low, but as I mentioned the measurements off the blades say different.

 

[KB]

Andrew,

I wonder if you have the draft plate for a 41 deck instead of a 48. there are pictures of the two somewhere on this site.

if you do have the wrong ones, I have plenty of them for 48" decks, and will swap one with you if you want.

Personally I like a tall cut height, but thats a separate discussion
KB

 

[jeeper]

The draft plate on the 318 includes the mule drive so I doubt I have the wrong one.

 

[KB]

Andrew,

you can change the draft plates on a mule drive, there is only one bolt that holds them in. your comment also looks like this has never worked right for you, which also makes me suspect.

can you take a tape measure and check how long the straight part is where the draft plate mounts to the mower itself.

http://www.wfmachines.com/discus/messages/335/279434.html

 

[KB]

Andrew,

One other question, approximately how high are the blades compared to the bottom of the deck skirt? I don't have a 48 to check, but maybe the po did a mix and match rebuild? Just a thought.

Kb

 

[bob421]

Andrew,

The wheels do not set the deck height they are there to prevent scalping. The height of the deck from the ground is controlled by the height adjustment screw on the back of the tractor.

There is really no easy way to get everything level, just takes patience. You have adjustments on both draft arms and you have the adjuster on the hanger strap on the left side of the tractor (sitting on it).

Bob421

 

[Hammerdown-7]

Hello Andrew
As Bob has said getting a deck level takes patient's. I would suggest that the first thing that you do is make sure that both Draft arms are of equal length and not bent at all, you can see this easily if you remove the draft arm Plate and lay it on the floor if an arm is bent it will not sit straight on the floor like the other one will they have to be straight and the same length to get a deck leveled correctly. It is not uncommon to find draft arms that have been Tweaked or slightly bent so make sure they are straight as well so that they support the deck evenly on both sides. John Deere sells a deck leveling Gauge tool it is Plastic and shows many different height's on it and it takes the guess work out of leveling the deck and makes it much easier than trying to measure the blade height tip's with a Tape measure. Make sure your Gauge wheel's are not touching the ground when measuring deck height they are to prevent scalping and should be off the ground some when the deck is lowered into the cutting Position. Once I make sure my draft arm's are of equal length and not bent I start measuring Blade tip's on the Right side of the Tractor looking at it from the front of the Tractor I always start with that right blade facing straight ahead.





I then check the center blade facing straight ahead, Then move to the last blade on the left that has an adjustable Lift strap where you can adjust the level height of the deck. In measuring the blade tip's it is easier to do this with the deck set in a Higher Position. Once they are all of the same height you can adjust the rock shaft screw on the rear of the Tractors to what ever height you need and check the discharge side blade tip as the Other two are all ready level now so the Three blades will be at the same exact height. If you are getting Blade tip measurement's that way off in height it may be your deck shell is bent where the blade spindle bolt's into the deck shell. I had this happen a few year's back when I hit a very large Tree root with my John Deere 140 that was hidden by leaves in the fall of the Year. The Hit was so violent that it stalled the tractor when I hit it and it Bent the deck shell where the center blade was so I had to remove the blade spindle from the deck to straighten the shell so that it was square and the mowing spindle sat flat & true again. Once I reach the desired height that I want by adjusting the rock shaft screw I put the gauge wheel's in a Position where they are barely off of the floor being a Half inch or so which completes the deck leveling process. I hope this helps, Kurt

 

[tommyhawk]

I would recommend changing the front to rear tilt to 1/8" instead of 1/2".

tommyhawk

 

[jeeper]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look to see if something is bent. I checked the length of the arms and they are the correct ones for the 46" deck. I think I incorrectly identified the deck as a 48" but should have said a 46". The 48" is the one I could upgrade to if I could find one.

As far as the PO doing something to mess it up, I doubt it. The most the PO did was take it to the dealer, which he did regularly. I would hope the dealer did things right.

I know the height adjust at the rear sets the height, not the wheels. If you look at the label though it states if you want your cut at 2" set the wheels in a specific hole and then set the deck height so the wheels are 1/4" off the ground. I know most WFMers say to go with 3/8" instead of a quarter. My issue was that if you put the wheels in the 2" hole and then set the height, the blades are actually well over 3 1/2" off the ground. Thinking about it, I wonder if my front anti-scale wheels have been changed as I mentioned the rear wheels were close to an inch off the ground... jdparts lists a gauge wheel kit but I don't know what the difference is.

kb: Things haven't worked right since I've owned it, but as I've only mowed with it a few times I wouldn't put much stock in that fact.

Kurt: I've seen those gauges and wondered if they were any good. Perhaps I'll pick on up the next time I'm near the dealer.

Last fall after I purchased the tractor my initial suspect was dull blades but the blades I got on my deck were actually brand new.

 

[bob421]

Andrew,

I have the 48" Replacement Deck on my 318 and the sticker regarding what hole to set the wheels at for a specific height does not agree with where they end up after I adjust deck.

Simply all I do is set the deck height where I want it and then adjust the wheel height to 3/8" to 1/2" off the ground.

Bob P

 

[deereman84]

Andrew-

I would never set your deck height using the gage wheels as a measuring point. Always use the blades themselves to set the height. Like others, I ignore the settings on the sticker and just set the wheels where they should be.

 

[bigdog3d]

Andrew -
I agree with Jeremy - Forget about what the sticker says and use a ruler for all of the heights off a level floor in the garage or drive.
I've used the following method on many different types of mowers with great success. The adjustments are different from one brand to the next, but the procedure is pretty much universal.

1. Set deck height to the approx. height for rear.
2. Set front deck height. recheck rear height and keep adjusting front and rear until you are satisfied. Front should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch shorter than the rear.
3. Once the height is set, level from side to side using the draft plate and the lift adjustment screw on top of the deck(not sure what it is called).
4. After deck is leveled from side to side make a final adjustment, if necessary, to the deck height in front and back.
5. Set wheel height to avoid scalping. (I don't use a rule and the stickers are long gone from my deck. I just eyeball it so my wheels are approx. 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch off the floor. (1/4 to 1/2 inch difference in the height of the wheels won't visibly affect the cut. The wheels are only there to keep the blades from hitting the ground or cutting really short on unlevel surfaces)).

Hope this helps.
Dan