I mounted mine for the first time and it took me about 30 minutes. about 5 minutes just to get it under then another 10 for the hangers. The biggest mistake I learned doing thisthe first time was ....remove the stupid access plate on the bro tek skid plate before installing !! after that came off the drive shaft installed in about 2 minutes. Now the GCK60-23BX grass catcher that is a whole different story that thing took my over 2 hours as one hole just wouldnt line up. Not to mention I cant figure out how to hold it in place while I install the pins. I am guessing that its a 2 person job but I do not have the operators manual so maybe I am missing a step somewhere
I got the catcher/blower/bagger that was available in the year 2000 with my
BX2200. That model had the top link permenantly attached, welded in place and unable to pivot. There also was no way to adjust the length. The purpose of this was so that it was impossible for the unit to lower to the ground while fully attached to the 3ph. The diameter of the hole in the end of that arm and the holes in the 3ph were exactly the same. The darned thing had to be aligned to within a 64th of an inch to get the pin through all the holes. There was no play or slack at all the the weight of the thing created pressure in the hydraulic system. I had to get everything as closely aligned as possible, then hammer the pin in place with a sledge hammer. Taking the thing off was worse, because you never knew the right place to stop the 3ph pressure release valve. I had to take a smaller diameter pin of sufficient length and a sledge to drive the pin out backwards. Usually the weight of the unit on the 3ph put so much pressure on the connection that when the regular pin came out, the opposing holes took a big bite on the smaller pin. I then had to crank up, finess the 3ph up and down while trying to jerk the smaller pin out of the holes.
While the MMM is a snap for me to put on and take off, the bagger was just the opposite. I sold it to the legendary TBN member Junkman for half price. I have heard that some later models no longer have that nonadjustable, fused top link. A good design would be to just have a regular top link so you can attach everything while it's on the ground and no hydro pressure, then some other way to lock the 3ph. So, keyman, you are not alone in this. If I still had mine, I'd saw off that fused top link, put a regular Cat. 1 attachment point for a regular top link and use it that way.
Take heart though, my first few times with the MMM were well over a half hour. The dolly, lots of lube, and a refined technique solved the problem. Canter the deck so that you have as much shoulder and head room as possible on the left side. Try to get your head and left shoulder under the tractor. Cock the lock collar back. Use gentle finesse, not force. Rotate the device back and forth 2 to 4 degrees while at the same time rocking it back and forth the slightest bit in every possible direction. If it isn't sliding on, be even gentler, not more forceful. Whenever the stud is perfectly perpendicular to the face of the coupler, and all the splines are perfectly aligned with the grooves, it will slip right on. Eventually you'll get the feel for it. Again: finesse-not force. A dolly means not having to rotate anti-scalp wheels; it also makes aligning everything very easy. A strip on the front edge lifts the chassis of the deck. Holes beneath the blade bolts prevent pressure on those bolts, which would prevent you from being able to rotate the locking connector to the PTO shaft. See links to my pics above.
Good luck!
