problem reattaching deck lt166

   / problem reattaching deck lt166 #1  

denno

New member
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
10
Location
Middleburgh, NY
Tractor
John Deere LT166
Greetings and thank you for being here.

Bought a used LT166 yesterday. Drive belt came off during transport.
Today took the deck off, easily as the guy had said. Put the belt back to rights.
[Passing question here: up front by the pulley is a brass widget on a plastic mounting piece, couple of bolts. Supposedly that is movable to keep the belt closer in to the pulley, but does not look as though it will move if undone, to me. Wondering if it moves, or if there is another dodge for keeping the belt from jumping off in front or, for that matter, in rear; or if this slightly worn-looking belt might need to be replaced and a new one will be a bit tighter].

Anyhow: trying to replace the deck, basically the rear whatchamacallit arms don't drop down much at all no matter how I work the big left-hand lever or the dial on the floor. I've owned other mowers, various brands, and it's all about the same mount, and to replace the deck I drop the lever to the lowest mowing position and those arms go down and can easily be attached to the deck. Not happening this time.

Something not attached right, or something?

I'm going back outside to look from underneath while my left-brained wife works the controls (that means she's a far better engineer than I am!); also a friend dropping in who has a JD riding mower, different model. But I do love the help I get on various forums, tractors, cars, computers, so I'm asking here in case we cannot figure it out.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to find a doggone FREE manual to download. Know where one is?

Thanks!
denno
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166 #2  
:welcome:

Sounds like you have the height adjustment knob in a 'high' (too high) position. Lift the lift lever, and turn the height adjustment knob to the lowest cutting height possible. That will allow your links to connect to the deck.
The Deere design is to carry the deck on the tractor, not let it ride on the deck wheels. Therefore the height adjustment knob is used both to 'level' the deck as well as 'carry' the deck. The lift lever is to just raise and lower the deck between 'top' and down to where it contacts the height adjustment.

The op man is part no. John Deere Operator's Manual OMM135075
Google that and some sites come up where you can buy it, as it is too old to come up online to look at.
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166
  • Thread Starter
#3  
OK, actually I just came back here to say my wife and I got the deck back on, and she has been out mowing for five minutes and has not come back to report any thrown belts, so so far so good!
It was a mighty pain in the rear.
I phoned the guy who sold it to me, and he said those arms don't actually drop much until they have the weight of the deck on them. So we put the deck on blocks, and on one side I still had to use a lever to haul the arm down far enough the match the holes up.
Should it be this hard?

Turning the knob does not have any visible effect while the deck is dismounted. Should it? Something need lubricating or something?
Am I understanding you to be saying that turning the knob in itself should raise or lower the arms?

Deere sells the manual for $10. Just seems that most manuals in the world are posted somewhere for free download.

Thanks so far!

denno
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166 #4  
.....................I phoned the guy who sold it to me, and he said those arms don't actually drop much until they have the weight of the deck on them. So we put the deck on blocks, and on one side I still had to use a lever to haul the arm down far enough the match the holes up.
Should it be this hard?

Turning the knob does not have any visible effect while the deck is dismounted. Should it? Something need lubricating or something?
Am I understanding you to be saying that turning the knob in itself should raise or lower the arms?

No, it isn't supposed to be that hard. The knob is not working. Without the deck on you should be able to put the big lever forward and then turn the height knob and see the lift arms underneath raise and lower. If you have to lift the deck, use a long stick for some leverage to make it easier.
May need to remove the fender deck and get at the height apparatus to get it lubricated and working, or check to see if something is broken.

The knob will not raise and lower the deck with the weight of the deck on it. You need to raise the deck all the way up, then adjust the knob for the height. Then lower the deck down for it to rest on the set height.


Deere sells the manual for $10. Just seems that most manuals in the world are posted somewhere for free download.
You will be lucky to find it free, but free to try. Might check eBay once in awhile to see if there is one there. They do have value, so with that comes a price. And they are copywrite'd.

You can go online to jdparts.com and see all the parts for every Deere made, and it is free.
But it will be $10 well spent, as there is a fair amount you prolly don't know about your lt166, and don't want to have to learn the hard way. Although we are glad to help. Just note that there is an operators manual and a technical manual. Also, there is a newer model LTR 166, that I don't believe is the same as what you have.

For your other thread about the main belt coming off, that may also require the fender deck removal to see if there is a weak spring or bearing going out in the idler pulley. And it may be as you suspect, a worn drive belt. That too can be seen on jdparts (free registration). For model no. just put in lt166 and go to the mower deck parts.
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Thanks again.
More specifics about the knob: with the deck attached, and the lever pulled back, I can indeed set the height for mowing. But, as noted, with the deck off the knob doesn't raise and lower the arms.
From underneath I could not (A) see enough or (B) in my ignorance, understand how turning the knob links up to raising the arms.
That's why, in this case, I need to see a diagram.
Or maybe I can see it with the fender deck off. To do which I may need a manual...

Question about the manual(s): Does the technical manual show diagrams of the parts and systems, and/or give instructions for various operations? (Have to ask because I can't LOOK at it!)

I appreciate your helping out right from the get-go of my jumping into this forum.
I see 90 views and only your indefinite answer to the belt problem. Is it that uncommon an occurrence?

Tomorrow I will see if I think I can get at this fender deck; I will also be considering just surrendering the machine to the shop. I think the knob/arm problem is something the guy I bought it from just considered normal and lived with. Also not sure I can tell if a spring or bearing is failing.

Bought the tractor for $700, 655 hours on the meter; still going to consider it a good deal if it needs a couple of basic things repaired/replaced.

denno
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166 #6  
Tractor probably has a lift assist spring that hold the arms up. Turning the knob is not going to bring them down because the spring is holding it up. The weight of the deck will pull them down. Now, when you turn the knob, you will notice that the handle will go farther down as you lower the setting.
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166
  • Thread Starter
#7  
OK, there we have two opposite opinions.
Surely would be nice to see a diagram.
Anybody got one?
Knob-to-arms linkage, plus a possible spring?
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Thanks, Ron. That helps some. I can see the spring in question.
I can't figure out how the height knob attaches to the rest of it; and the actual rear draft arms don't seem to be shown at all.
At the very least, this gives me some vocabulary with which to discuss the matter with the shop.

denno
 
   / problem reattaching deck lt166
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Post-script.
The answer:
This is the FABULOUS Freedom 42 deck.
With the deck in raised position, on the left side of the tractor, down below, there is an arm that has two holes in it, and a rod held in either hole with a pin. The two holes are labeled "remove" (or something) and "mow." With the rod in the "remove" hole, the deck can be attached and detached without any agony.
 
 
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