955 Mower Depth Control Issue

[955er]

I was mowing over the weekend with my 955, I went to change the depth of the mower, and the control knob would not turn; it was stuck. It would not turn in either direction. I took the sheet metal off and got a large crescent wrench on the bolt. I was able to turn the bolt the half turn I wanted, but it took some effort.

I took a brief look at the mechanism, and it seems like there is a gear/shaft type of arrangement that lifts or lowers the arms. Is there some grease fitting I am missing that needs some attention, or do I need to take the deck off?

I should add that it has always worked in the past, and I did try it with the deck in the up and down positions, with no change. Any help will be appreciated. I did do a quick thread search and found no help.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[955er]

Nobody has ever had one of these bind up?

 

[JD755]

I am not aware of anything that needs to be lubed. As long as the deck has been raised full up before the knob is turned it should work. I'll look it over for possible issues, but never had a problem.

 

[beenthere]

Did you see where it was binding?
Almost had to have been some threads that were corroded that you managed to move the half turn. Lubing those threads likely would help.

 

[yankeerider]

I'm at a loss, too. One thing you might try: with the engine running, turning the adjuster crank while simultaneously raising the mower deck.

That adjuster doesn't want to move while it's supporting the weight of the mower, and you may have just enough play in there that it's unloaded only when the lift lever is activated.

 

[955er]

I can get out to the barn tonight. I am going to take off the deck and see if it moves without the MMM on. I am thinking that I may have some corrosion in there as well.

I'll check it out and let you know what I find.

 

[techwrtr2]

There are some bushings in the frame, perhaps they are worn? One of these days when I can do without the 855 for a bit I need to replace said bushings. It's going to be a project since the lift arms don't want to move, thus I have put it off.

 

[slocanriverman]

I am having the same issue with my deck. The hydarulics do not raise the deck and I can't turn the dial. Used to work until I did a lot of tilling recently. Removed the top plate and it seems like something is missing, but I don't know what since I never saw everything when it was all there. Does anyone have a good picture of what the big bolt and hydraulics mechanisms look like under the plate. The manual I bought from JD does not show anything. Thanks for any help.

 

[Mechanos]

I've had the adjuster bolt sieze up. Soaked it down with penetrating oil and got it broken loose. Ran the bolt all the way up, wire brushed the threads on the bolt and gave them a healthy dose of anti-sieze.

 

[slocanriverman]

I freed the back of the mower and dropped it down and the rotary dial works fine. But there appears to be something missing, the shaft from the hydraulics
piston is not attached to anything, but looks like it should be attached to the deck raising\lowering mechanism. Also there is a rod coming from the 3-point hitch that is not attached to anything, but looks like it should also be attached to the raising\lowering mechanism. If anyone has a picture of what everything should look like under the top plate concerning deck lowering items, I'd appreciate it, as the JD manual does not show much at all. Thanks for any help.