2305 questions

[netwayne]

I am fairly new here and am excited to have TBN as a reference and place to share now being a new JD tractor owner.

Just took delivery of a new 2305 with a 54c mmm. Yesterday, I decided I wanted to remove the mower and later reattach it to become familiar with the process. The removal was pretty straight forward but I had a little issue with the re-attachment so I was hoping to get a tip from somebody out here. My issue was simply making the connection again with the PTO shaft on the mower with the PTO on the tractor. On my first attempt, I was not able to align the spline but shortly thereafter realized I could change the orientation of the spline on the mower side by moving the belt. Being right-handed, it was a little awkward for me making the connection but I was able to do it. Well, after making the connection, I went to double check that it was solid and ended up backing the shaft off the PTO. No problem, right? Wrong. I had a heckuva time making that connection the 2nd time. Eventually, I was able to do it with pulling back the coupler and then having another person push the shaft. My question is, when you first remove the shaft from the PTO, is the coupler "cocked" to make it easier for reattachment?

I also wanted to ask for opinions for on what to do with the mower deck when not in use meaning when I put the tractor away after use and it is sitting, are people lowering the mower to the ground to take any stress away from it being suspended. Right now, I am cutting grass on the highest setting. When I lower the mower and 3pt to it's lowest position, the mower deck is still suspended above the ground. The tractor and it's contact points certainly look like it can handle that load but I just wondered what other people are doing. If I move the cutting height setting to the lowest and then drop the 3pt and deck, it rests on the ground.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[jaybrad]

Sorry I can't help with your questions, but just wanted to toss in a quick "congratulations".

I don't have a JD, but have heard many good things about the 2305. Had the local JD dealer been a bit better in the customer service department, I may have had one of those in my garage, too.

Hope you have many happy hours together.

Jay

 

[mkoreen]

Put the PTO selector lever, (Yellow on left side) on the rear pto setting.. that way you can freely spin the splines on the MID PTO and hook-up is a breeze... should only take a couple minutes to put in on/off after a couple tries!

As for lowering the deck/3pt hitch, I always do before shutting down... never know who may hit that rockshaft lever or what will be under it when it does come down!

Happy tractoring!

 

[netwayne]

Thanks Jay....definitely stoked about the whole new tractoring life. Will need to pick some implements over time....

Thanks Mkoreen for the tip and sharing your preference on dealing with the mower deck at the end of the day.

Appreciate the responses!

 

[kennyd]

Congrats on your new machine, and welcome to TBN

The PTO selector trick work great as mentioned, Also works well if your hooking up a rear implement-just move the lever to the MID position.

ALWAYS lower all implements to the ground for safety reasons.

 

[Engine66]

Netwayne,

Pull your MMM shaft coupler back until it is "cocked" as you say...then when you align the splines, slide it onto your PTO shaft the coupler will automatically relase into the locked position. It is easy once you you do it a couple times. Also, make sure your height selector can spin 360 degrees freely...if it's stuck, then you need to adjust the height so the lift levers don't hit the stops...refer to your manual.

Re: storage...there's a guy on TBN who sells a set of stand wheels that slide into your gauge wheel holes so the whole MMM can stand upright. I haven't tried that, but it looks like a decent way to store your MMM if you choose to unattach it...it also allows you to move it around since it's on wheels. As far as leaving the MMM on during off season, I believe there's no harm in keeping it in the locked, upright position. Enjoy your little 2305...I really love mine.

 

[kennyd]

Re: storage...there's a guy on TBN who sells a set of stand wheels that slide into your gauge wheel holes so the whole MMM can stand upright. I haven't tried that, but it looks like a decent way to store your MMM if you choose to unattach it...it also allows you to move it around since it's on wheels. As far as leaving the MMM on during off season, I believe there's no harm in keeping it in the locked, upright position. Enjoy your little 2305...I really love mine.

I forgot to mention that, thanks for the reminder
Larry at http://www.moweraxle.com/ make the stands. I have them for my MMM and they are very nice.

 

[netwayne]

I forgot to mention that, thanks for the reminder
Larry at Carrera,Cayman,BMW,Tow Hook License Plate,John Deere,Kubota make the stands. I have them for my MMM and they are very nice.

Kenny,

That mower stand looks like a pretty handy thing except that in the picture of the example, the person must have overpainted a GREEN deck ugly ORANGE!! I just don't know if this stand will work for me!! LOL

 

[orlo]

Hi:

I have a 2305 (and a 3720 cab) and in about 110hrs on the 2305 I've never overheated it. I suspect there is a core problem with your unit. I've cut 5 acres (finish mow, now less), run the loader/bh most of the day and never overheated once.

I run both a MMM (For the 2305, and the 3720), and now I"m a RFM convert for the 3720. For the 2305 however the deck comes on and off so easily that my reasons for getting a RFM for the 3720 aren't valid (It's a pain to take it on/off frequently). I don't think manuverability is a big issue with the RFM. If you had a ton of stuff I think it could get tedious. Under Trees is actually easier/possible with a RFM in places you couldn't 'drive' under with the MMM.

Overall I don't think I'd swap the MMM on the 2305, but on the 3720 I pretty much only use the MMM once or twice a year for material collection (I hook up a cyclone rake to it).

my .02

 

[netwayne]

Hi:

I have a 2305 (and a 3720 cab) and in about 110hrs on the 2305 I've never overheated it. I suspect there is a core problem with your unit. I've cut 5 acres (finish mow, now less), run the loader/bh most of the day and never overheated once.

I run both a MMM (For the 2305, and the 3720), and now I"m a RFM convert for the 3720. For the 2305 however the deck comes on and off so easily that my reasons for getting a RFM for the 3720 aren't valid (It's a pain to take it on/off frequently). I don't think manuverability is a big issue with the RFM. If you had a ton of stuff I think it could get tedious. Under Trees is actually easier/possible with a RFM in places you couldn't 'drive' under with the MMM.

Overall I don't think I'd swap the MMM on the 2305, but on the 3720 I pretty much only use the MMM once or twice a year for material collection (I hook up a cyclone rake to it).

my .02

I think your comments about 2305 overheating were meant for a different thread.

 

[farmeratheart]

Hi:

I have enjoyed reading through many of the posts on TBN for a few months now and learned some real useful stuff along the way. However, now it's me who needs a little help !!! I have a JD2305 with 62"MMM that I picked up used this summer. Used it a few times to cut the grass, but bought it mostly for the FEL. My question-I want to take the MMM off, but the height selector knob won't rotate. In fact, the plastic knob is "stripped" so I took it off. The underlying shaft to which the knob attaches can't be budged. The knob rotated last week when I adjusted the cutting height up (for that post vacation "hay" cutting!), but now it wants to fight me. I'm hoping for some of that ol' TBN wisdom ??

Thanks.

F-A-H

 

[KML]

Do you have the mower deck fully raised when you're trying to turn the adjustment knob? It doesn't like to move if it's not.

 

[farmeratheart]

Yes-the rockshaft lever is in the "Up" position. I think the deck is in the Lock position now since its height doesn't change whether the lever is up or down. I still can't rotate the selector shaft ...

F-A-H

 

[orlo]

Your lift yokes are slightly out of adjustment. For now, shut everything off and pull up on the deck with your hand and you can lock it.

To fix this, adjust the right and left lift yokes to get just a little more lift. Don't adjust
them too much or they'll hit and you'll bend the arms.

 

[netwayne]

Hi:

I have enjoyed reading through many of the posts on TBN for a few months now and learned some real useful stuff along the way. However, now it's me who needs a little help !!! I have a JD2305 with 62"MMM that I picked up used this summer. Used it a few times to cut the grass, but bought it mostly for the FEL. My question-I want to take the MMM off, but the height selector knob won't rotate. In fact, the plastic knob is "stripped" so I took it off. The underlying shaft to which the knob attaches can't be budged. The knob rotated last week when I adjusted the cutting height up (for that post vacation "hay" cutting!), but now it wants to fight me. I'm hoping for some of that ol' TBN wisdom ??

Thanks.

F-A-H

KML is right. Deck needs to be raised to the highest (transport) position before attempting to move the knob to the INSTALL position at the beginning of the deck removal procedure. That knob is not going to move unless this is the case. Sounds like you are going to need to get another knob if it's stripped. Once you are able to run through this removal procedure a few times, it will become very easy to do. A couple of other tips to think about when removing your deck......
If you remove the deck to use an implement off the 3ph, remember to move the PTO selector lever back to either the middle or forward position prior to trying to reinstall the deck. And secondly, remember to adjust the 3ph arms back out wide if you used a rear implement that you had to narrow the arms for. I suggest putting the spreader bar back in between the 3ph arms when not using the 3ph. You need the arms to be in the wide position in order to be able to pickup the MMM for reinstalling the deck back on the tractor and it's operation after that.

 

[farmeratheart]

Thanks for the help everyone. The lift yokes were out of adjustment. I got them right and everything just sort of worked like it had been made that way !! What a great resource this forum is.

Thanks again ...

F-A-H

 

[LBrown59]

reattachment?

I also wanted to ask for opinions for on what to do with the mower deck when not in use meaning when I put the tractor away after use and it is sitting, are people lowering the mower to the ground to take any stress away from it being suspended. Right now, I am cutting grass on the highest setting. When I lower the mower and 3pt to it's lowest position, the mower deck is still suspended above the ground. The tractor and it's contact points certainly look like it can handle that load but I just wondered what other people are doing. If I move the cutting height setting to the lowest and then drop the 3pt and deck, it rests on the ground.

Thanks for the replies!

I don't worry about it an just leave it set where i was using it.
No problem after 4 years and 1130 hours.
This is a BX23 Kubota.
Surely a JD can do what ever a Kubota can do!