Deck Leveling Problems

[LowSHO]

I have a 15+ year old Craftsman, 917.258680, EZ3 mower with 18.5 hp Kohler and 46" 3-blade deck. I bought it in June, this year. The previous owner said he always had some problems leveling the deck, which I ignored. This is my third Craftsman, and I figured I could handle anything. However...

There are two ways to adjust the height: the big lever on the right side which lets you pick from High and Low cuts, and the little knob by your left foot which will let you select any height between High and Low. I like my cuts high since I have a lot of little boulder tips peeking up from the ground, and on High I can sail right over them, and the PO had the deck reasonably level at that height. Now that fall is here and I will be gathering leaves, I want to set the deck a little lower. Oddly enough, if I set the lever to Low, it is higher on the left side by 1 1/2" and if I use the little knob, both sides go down but more on the left than the right.

Sighing, I looked underneath, and the PO had the suspension arm on the right cranked all the way up, and the arm on the left cranked all the way down. I adjusted that, and the lever, and the knob, and now have a nice level shorter cut. But obviously something is wrong. I can wait until the leaves are done in November, then start pulling things off the mower, but in the meantime, does anyone have an idea why these adjustments are so difficult? I've never seen anything like this before.

BTW, tire pressures are good and even.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[bigcut]

Low,
Don't hold your breadth waiting for a reply. I posted same issue on 8-31=14 and never got a response. Mine is a craftsman 42". I have the front level/even, however the right rear of deck is about an inch higher than the left. You can look at my post, which is a few postings below yours.

Maybe you'll get some thoughts from others. Wish I could help you but, in similar boat.
John

 

[bcp]

No evidence, but I suspect in many of these cases, someone has hit something with a front corner of the deck, or they stepped on it many times getting on and off, and the deck is warped or twisted. You might remove the support mechanism from the high corner, and it would still be high.

After checking linkages and adjustments, I would remove the deck to see if it is flat.

Bruce

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have some issues with my decks cutting close on one side even though the deck is completely level when checked on level concrete. I just chalked it up to unleveled ground and not enough anti-scalping wheels. My Craftsman is much easier to level than my Ferris since it only adjusts for one side-the other side is fixed.

 

[bigcut]

I have a 15+ year old Craftsman, 917.258680, EZ3 mower with 18.5 hp Kohler and 46" 3-blade deck. I bought it in June, this year. The previous owner said he always had some problems leveling the deck, which I ignored. This is my third Craftsman, and I figured I could handle anything. However...

There are two ways to adjust the height: the big lever on the right side which lets you pick from High and Low cuts, and the little knob by your left foot which will let you select any height between High and Low. I like my cuts high since I have a lot of little boulder tips peeking up from the ground, and on High I can sail right over them, and the PO had the deck reasonably level at that height. Now that fall is here and I will be gathering leaves, I want to set the deck a little lower. Oddly enough, if I set the lever to Low, it is higher on the left side by 1 1/2" and if I use the little knob, both sides go down but more on the left than the right.

Sighing, I looked underneath, and the PO had the suspension arm on the right cranked all the way up, and the arm on the left cranked all the way down. I adjusted that, and the lever, and the knob, and now have a nice level shorter cut. But obviously something is wrong. I can wait until the leaves are done in November, then start pulling things off the mower, but in the meantime, does anyone have an idea why these adjustments are so difficult? I've never seen anything like this before.

BTW, tire pressures are good and even.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

LowSHO,
There is an online repair & maintenance manual for your tractor, FREE!!. Just go to google or yahoo and enter the model number and you will find it. It will give you a diagram of your deck and all the parts associated with your tractor. It also provides instructions on how to level, but, it probably won't help.

The design of your mower deck is exactly the same as mine...I wrote you before and warned you that you would not get any suggestions on how to level it, just as I didn't get any suggestions.

Well, I figured mine out and now have a level mower deck. If you are still stuck, let me know and I will give you the secrets to getting it level. It's not difficult, but, is a bit tedious.
John

 

[bigcut]

I have some issues with my decks cutting close on one side even though the deck is completely level when checked on level concrete. I just chalked it up to unleveled ground and not enough anti-scalping wheels. My Craftsman is much easier to level than my Ferris since it only adjusts for one side-the other side is fixed.

Gary,
If you can level the deck as you indicate...then I suspect the problem has to do with the parts, such as bent blade, broken bolt holding mandrel in place etc.

Just as I mentioned to "LowSHO", your tractor operating and maintenance manual is probably available on line and you can view and download it for free. You need to go to Yahoo or google, enter the model number into the search window and hit enter. It will come back with your manual.

In the manual you will find a diagram of the deck and all associated parts. There are simple tests by hand you can perform to determine more specifically what is broken.

Write back and give me the model number and I will look it up for you, or you can do it yourself. I've read many of your posts before, and I know you're a pretty smart guy. Let me know.
John