Mowing Leveling rear mower

[hazmat]

Bob,

You need some front caster wheels. I checked on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://jdparts.deere.com/servlet/com.deere.u90.jdparts.view.publicservlets.HomeUnsigned> JD PARTS </A> Register & do a model search for your 272 mower. It will show a picture and everything

They have a kit available P/N BM16145 $240 Not sure if that is one caster or two. They also show some sort of chain leveling assembly. I'd vote for the Castors. My Landpride had them, just drop the deck all the way down & mow away. Well worth the $240. Talk to your dealer.

Regarding the PTO shaft. It shouldn't be so hard. I can do mine in about a minute. Is your PTO free spinning with the tractor off? I know some have PTO brakes. (my NH doesn't)

 

[Mosey]

I'd like to help, but I'm a bit confused about your problem. I'm not at all familiar with the JD272 rear finish mower. How many caster wheels does it have? How do you adjust the height of each one? For example, my LandPride FDR2572 has 4 caster wheels. To adjust the height, I pull a pin at the top and move the spacers from top to bottom or vice-versa. All I have to do is make sure I have the spacers the same for each wheel and the mower will be level. If you don't have casters on the front of the mower, then you should be able to adjust the height pretty good using the knob on the position control that you can set so the lever will always stop at the same point. If your ground is too uneven for that to work, then you need check chains. See the post

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=139814&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=check%20chains&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=50&Old=allposts&Main=138300>Lateral Sway adjustments </A>

Let the lower 3pt hitch arms float if you have the front casters or if you use the check chains.

As for the PTO shaft, it should not be that hard. You must have a burr or something. With the mower disconnected, try taking the front half of the PTO shaft off the mower (it should slide right off) so you can easily handle it and see if you can figure out why it goes on so hard. Look for burrs on the tractor PTO shaft and inside the mower PTO shaft yoke. Also, with the tractor PTO disengaged, you should be able to easily turn the tractor PTO by hand to line it up. That's how I do it. I get grease on my hands, but I just keep a rag in the tool box.

 

[Trev]

Hi Hazmat,

I don't think my PTO is free-spinning.. it will rotate about a quarter or half a turn by hand, and then it locks up tight. Now, you would think a quarter of a turn would be enough to get the splines lined up, but it doesn't seem to be. I'm really a bit baffled about what's going on here.. but the over-running clutch idea sounds like it will solve it.

The front casters also sound great! I didn't know anyone made those. I'll look into those.. that would be ideal!!

Thanks!
Bob

 

[Mosey]

A quarter to a half turn should be enough to line it up. When you check for burrs make sure you can rotate the shaft to the next tooth and still have it go on, then rotate it again and check it, etc. Maybe there's on one certain orientation that will work and it should work in any orientation.

 

[Trev]

<font color=blue> I'm not at all familiar with the JD272 rear finish mower. How many caster wheels does it have?</font color=blue>

It has two wheels in the back, which are adjusted by moving shims from the bottom to the top, etc. In the front it has a roller.. in the middle.. and I'm trying to remember what else. But no wheels with adjustments. They tell you to do the adjusting with the rockshaft lever, and lock that at the height you desire. All of this sounds good in theory, but the end result is that I really have to do this by trial and error.. mow a bit, see how it looks, adjust the rockshaft, mow some more, etc. And I have no idea how to set "level" side to side. I mean, I have the adjustment on the right 3pt hitch arm, but with no level spot to use to measure, it's just a crap shoot.

The chains I see in the thread you posted look like they'd help, but knowing where to adjust them to would be much like knowing where to set that rockshaft lever. Just kind of trial and error.. it looks like. Maybe my problems is that I haven't worked this land enough to have gotten all of the rocks and misc junk off it.. and gotten the ground leveled. Sometimes I can hear the mower hit ground.. and a big cloud of dust flies up. Other times, all is well. The ground is so rough that when the front wheels go over a bump the rear end lowers down and I have trouble. Same when the rear wheels hit the bump.. the mower raises up.

I'm not sure there's a way to avoid this with rough ground? Maybe I should just be content with mowing much higher.. I think I can go to 4 inches and maybe more. I may have to.

I'll check that PTO for burrs tonight and see what I can find. There is nothing that I can feel with my fingers, though. My friend with the old 8N says I just have to let the "new" wear off it. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[beenthere]

The over-running clutch doesn't release when you hit something. It just allows the tractor PTO to shut down and lets the mower blades continue to spin and coast to a stop. It applies power but does not brake, to put it another way. But I would check out damage to your PTO output shaft, as your problem getting the PTO shaft to slide on is not typical. Now getting the splines to line up is a normal hassle (but not one that I start and stop the tractor to solve), but once they line up, sliding it on should be easy and not require any extraordinary amount of greasing. I leave mine near dry, and if anything, would squirt on some WD-40 or similar lubricant. I don't like to have the PTO all greasy. That is too messy and not necessary, in my opinion.

 

[RoyJackson]

Bob, three questions:

1) do you have an anti-scalp front roller on your mower?

2) What kind of pattern are you missing? One side only? Patches at dips or the crest of a rise?

3) How tight do you adjust the upper link?

In reference to question #3, I leave my upper link pretty loose, that is the pivoting bracket on the mower can move up and down pretty freely, thus allowing the mower to conform more to the contours of the ground. If the upper link/bracket is pretty tight (little or no movement), my RFM will tend to lift the front in dips and the aft end when going over a rise.

That works for me.

Now, when you transport the RFM, you will want that upper link/bracket tight so the PTO shaft doesn't hit the deck of the mower (when raised).

Now, if you don't think the RFM is leveled laterally (side to side), the right side lower link lift arm is adjustable.

 

[EdKing]

<font color=blue>Okay, Ed.. I'm convinced. Where do you get these things? Do I have to shorten my PTO shafts to use them? </font color=blue>

I got mine for $30 at a local Quality Farm and Fleet closing sale. I think they run around $50 at TSC, if you don't have a TSC nearby, your local tractor dealer should have them. It will lengthen the PTO on your tractor by about 3 to 4 inches, so you shouldn't have to shorten the shaft on the implement. Only thing you have to watch is implements with a lot of momentum (like a brush hog) will keep spinning for a while when you turn the PTO off. Make sure you let it stop before you do anything with the PTO shaft.

 

[budman72]

Trey - I have a 4200 with a Frontier 5' RFM, here's my take.

My book says adjust the mowing height, then adjust the top link so the hitch pins (bottom links) and top link connection on the mower are vertical. My mower has four casters plus the front roller, but this may help. As far as connecting the PTO shaft, I raise the deck about half way, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND PUT THE KEY IN YOUR POCKET, then I can rotate the blades by hand to line up the PTO splines. I was a pain at first but gets easier every time.

Good luck,

Bud

 

[Trev]

<font color=blue>The over-running clutch doesn't release when you hit something. It just allows the tractor PTO to shut down and lets the mower blades continue to spin and coast to a stop. It applies power but does not brake, to put it another way.</font color=blue>

Why would one want this? I mean, except for people like me who can't get the PTO shaft on without it. Is the overrun clutch exclusively for making hookups easier, or is there another reason people would want this no-braking behavior on their PTO?

Tks,
Bob