4310 Mid-mount deck cannot be raised

[Tim640]

I just picked up a 4310. It's in nice shape, with one glitch: I cannot get the mid-mount deck to raise or lower. It just sits on the ground.

The cylinder is attached via pin to a slot in the Lift Arm Weldment:

When I activate the hydraulic lift, I can see that the cylinder fully activates. As the cylinder activates, the pin travels the entire length of the slot in the Lift Arm Weldment, but that's all that happens.

Here is a bigger picture of the whole shootin' match. The offending pin, in the Lift Weldment, is just above the green Draft Arm, to the left of the filter:

I'm not sure how the lift system actually works beyond that though. It's not clear what purpose the pin sliding back and forth in the slot actually accomplishes, since it's front-to-back travel (no vertical travel, so what activates lift??)

Is anyone familiar with this problem? Any obvious troubleshooting steps?

The deck was already attached to the tractor when I loaded it up. My next step would be to remove the deck, and re-install from the beginning to make sure everything is connected the way it should be.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

[sriddle1ny]

Tim640, Not sure this will help, I went through the same thing when I tried to lift my 790 mid-mount belly mower after bringing it home. After an hour I discovered the rockshaft control lever was completely closed. Having not looked if there was any cylinder movement below, perhaps that doesn't apply.

 

[John_in_TN]

Are the lift links hooked to the deck? I can't see them in you photos, but they may just be hidden behind that green guide-link arm. If they are attached, maybe they are adjusted too long.

Purpose of the slotted bracket: the depth-stop adjustment knob is at the front end of that heavy rod connected to the slotted bracket. As that bracket tilts backward it rotates the deck rockshaft (which should be connected to the deck with two lift links) lowering the deck until that depth-rod stops the travel - based on how the depth-knob is adjusted. That pin in the slot is connected to the hydraulic cylinder that raised the deck by pushing the bracket forward. As the cylinder moves backward the deck will drop to the set depth limit - the slot allows the cylinder to continue to its fully retracted position while the deck remains at the level set by the depth-knob. Sorry about the convoluted explanation, but hopefully it makes sense to you as you look at your setup.

 

[Wvanatti]

I have a 2305 - first time I put the deck on after taking it off to do work with the loader, I spent 4 hours trying to figure out why the deck wouldnt lift. (mid mount) I had put a ballast box on the back 3 point hitch, It wasn't as wide as the travel bar that came with the tractor and the lift bar on the 3 point was missing it due to width. There is a bar that connects between the deck and 3 point on the 2305. Don't know anything about your machine or if it even has this. If it does , might look at it. William

 

[ced]

Try adjusting the cutting height control knob in front of the brake pedals. It may be set to either the extreme high or low end of cut. This would be a good place to start.

 

[BRBurns]

Try adjusting the cutting height control knob in front of the brake pedals. It may be set to either the extreme high or low end of cut. This would be a good place to start.

That or the knob is missing alltogether. I'm pretty sure that you problem lies in the height adjustment knob.

 

[Tim640]

Are the lift links hooked to the deck? I can't see them in you photos, but they may just be hidden behind that green guide-link arm. If they are attached, maybe they are adjusted too long.

Purpose of the slotted bracket: the depth-stop adjustment knob is at the front end of that heavy rod connected to the slotted bracket. As that bracket tilts backward it rotates the deck rockshaft (which should be connected to the deck with two lift links) lowering the deck until that depth-rod stops the travel - based on how the depth-knob is adjusted. That pin in the slot is connected to the hydraulic cylinder that raised the deck by pushing the bracket forward. As the cylinder moves backward the deck will drop to the set depth limit - the slot allows the cylinder to continue to its fully retracted position while the deck remains at the level set by the depth-knob. Sorry about the convoluted explanation, but hopefully it makes sense to you as you look at your setup.

John, thanks for the explanation. I think I get it, kind of. Here is my grasp of it:

The adjusting knob controls to a fine degree how far back the Link Weldment will rotate. The degree of rotation of the Link Weldment controls the up/down movement of the arms to which the lift linkages on the back of the deck are attached. Tightening that knob down pulls the shaft in tighter, elevating the rear of the deck in relation to the front?

Or does it control the height of the entire deck?

I do have an adjusting knob. It's pretty frozen up -- takes a lot of effort to twist it. I'll have to see to that. In the meantime I did back that knob off quite a ways - I exposed almost a half-inch of thread just to see if it made any difference. It doesn't at least not so far.

And yes, the lift links were connected. I piddled around with it for quite a while, still couldn't figure out what was wrong. So I took the mower deck off, just to see if the lift mechanism itself was moving. It's not.

The cylinder seems to do the opposite of what I expect, but that could be because I just can't get my head around how it works yet. When I push the lever DOWN, the cylinder RETRACTS, so the pin slides to the BACK of the slot. Then when I pull the lever UP, the cylinder EXTENDS, and the pin slides to the front of the slot.

So far as I can see, that's the only thing that's happening - just the pin sliding back and forth in the slot and no other movement, anywhere.

I'll go study it some more, see if something is locking it down somehow.

 

[Tim640]

I have a 2305 - first time I put the deck on after taking it off to do work with the loader, I spent 4 hours trying to figure out why the deck wouldnt lift. (mid mount) I had put a ballast box on the back 3 point hitch, It wasn't as wide as the travel bar that came with the tractor and the lift bar on the 3 point was missing it due to width. There is a bar that connects between the deck and 3 point on the 2305. Don't know anything about your machine or if it even has this. If it does , might look at it. William

I'll take a look, thanks.

 

[Tim640]

Try adjusting the cutting height control knob in front of the brake pedals. It may be set to either the extreme high or low end of cut. This would be a good place to start.

I have an adjustment knob on the left side of the tractor, nothing beneath the pedals which are on the right side.

 

[beenthere]

Tom
Are all these parts there? A stop by the Deere dealer to get a deck manual if you don't have one (with the installation/setup instructions) may be very helpful. I too suspect the height control knob but also suspect some missing part/parts.

This is for DECK SN M04260X, -M04272X so may not be for your particular deck. See jdparts for further breakdown of your particular deck.

 

[Tim640]

That or the knob is missing alltogether. I'm pretty sure that you problem lies in the height adjustment knob.

If this is controlling it, then it's set to minimum height.

I loosened it up, which left threads exposed outside the stop. The rod did not pull back to take up that slack I left there, so that looks fishy.

But I would think that TIGHTENING this knob (as in, screwing it onto the rod, to draw more of the rod past the knob stopper) would pull the deck UP (or limit its downward freedom)??? Do I have that right?

If that's the case, then something is out of kilter, since the lift mechanism seems locked in its max downward position.

 

[Tim640]

I just found this blurb in the manual regarding the Depth Rod:

1. Set mower cutting height.
2. Turn knob (A) to the right (clockwise) to tighten. This sets the depth stop.
3. Raise and lower the mower using third selective control valve lever. The weight of the mower will rest on the depth stop at selected cutting height.
4. Raise the mower temporarily to go over obstacles or when traveling to another cutting area. Lower the mower to selected cutting height and resume mowing.
5. To release the depth stop, raise the mower slightly using third selective control valve lever to remove pressure from the adjustable depth rod. Turn the knob (A) to the left (counterclockwise) to allow full movement of the mower.


So I don't think this is it, since the deck is at its very lowest position already.

I've got to figure out what's keeping the lift mechanism from, um, lifting.

 

[John_in_TN]

Try to determine why the rockshaft isn't coming down (the weight of the deck should pull it down when everything is adjusted correctly). It appears to be stuck in the full up position (when the cylinder is in the full forward position the up-stops on the deck should be nearly touching the tractor's belly - I think a 1/4" clearance is reccomended).

Also sounds like the rear lift links are adjusted too long (I am assuming the yoke at the front of the deck is installed? If that yoke is correctly installed and adjusted, and the two green guide links are correctly installed: then the rear lift links should raise the whole deck .

 

[Tim640]

Try to determine why the rockshaft isn't coming down (the weight of the deck should pull it down when everything is adjusted correctly). It appears to be stuck in the full up position (when the cylinder is in the full forward position the up-stops on the deck should be nearly touching the tractor's belly - I think a 1/4" clearance is reccomended).

Also sounds like the rear lift links are adjusted too long (I am assuming the yoke at the front of the deck is installed? If that yoke is correctly installed and adjusted, and the two green guide links are correctly installed: then the rear lift links should raise the whole deck .

Yeah, I get that part, but even with the deck off, the lift mechanism isn't doing anything at all. And the lift seems to be stuck in the full DOWN position, since when the deck is installed, the deck won't come off the ground. I get maybe 1/2" of lift at the rear of the deck, and that's it.

I want to make sure I understand what the cylinder is supposed to be doing, because it seems counter-intuitive.

1. When the rockshaft actuator control lever is pushed all the way down, the cylinder retracts, which means that the pin will end up at the BACK of the slot on the lift weldment. And this action should result in lowering the deck? (I guess that lift weldment should be pivoting around the pin that's coming in from the adjustment rod -- when the cylinder retracts, the lift weldment rotates clockwise (looking at it from left side of tractor), causing the lift arms which are connected to the lift links to DROP?

2. When I pull the actuator control lever up, the cylinder extends, resulting in the pin being pushed to the FRONT of the slot. This is supposed to RAISE the deck?? So, the lift weldment would rotate counter-clockwise, raising the lift arms? Do I have it right?

I've haven't seen what it does when it's working properly - if I had I'd probably get it.

 

[John_in_TN]

I think you are describing how the lift should work correctly.

I believe you are mistaken about which position it (the weldment/rockshaft) is stuck in - I believe it is actually in the full UP position.

There must be something wrong with the deck connections to the tractor: the lift links may be adjusted out too long or there could be a problem with the front mounting yoke (the metal loop that attaches the front of the deck to the tractor frame). With that yoke correctly setup and the two green side-link bars in place: lifting the rear of the deck should lift the entire deck.

The rockshaft will only move downward IF the weight of the deck is pulling it down. You might try using a prybar (I kept a 3 or 4 foot piece of 2x4 handy when I had a similar setup) and see if you can manually rotate the rockshaft to the DOWN position (pry at the rear end of the rockshaft arms, where the lift links attach - the arms should rotate downward untill the stop-rod or the end of the weldment slots stop them). The rockshaft could be frozen in the bearing blocks, but I suspect the problem is with the deck linkage because as I understand your description: the deck is already on the ground (so it isn't pulling the rockshaft down).

 

[Tim640]

John, thanks for hanging in there on this one.

You may be right about being stuck "up" and I was just considering heading out to try to pull the arms down, see if I got anywhere.

In poring over the manuals, I realize that, when I first started troubleshooting, the draft arm was connected to hole A in the draft arm support bracket (4210 fashion) rather than hole B. That could allow the deck to sag too much. I'll go out and reinstall the deck and see if that doesn't fix it.

"1. Draft supports have three holes for installing draft arm:
For 60-inch mower installation on 4200 and 4210 tractors, install draft arm in center hole (A).
For all other installations, install draft arm in front hole (B)."

 

[John_in_TN]

I think you probably found the problem. I had a different setup: a 4200 with the 72" deck, but using the correct side-link hole was critical on it.

 

[Tim640]

It finally stopped being soggy outside, and I stopped being too busy with my job to get out and have another go at the mower deck. I like working on the tractor better than working at the job, although the job pays better. :laughing:

It's fixed -- it was the position of both the draft arms AND the front yoke J-hook positions. The deck was attached to the tractor, front and back, as if it were a 4210.

So basically the lift arms were letting the mower deck sag too much, and moving the J-hooks to the rear holes on the front yoke bracket, and re-pinning the draft arms to the front holes, created more more lift on the deck.

I'm not impressed with how little lift there actually is - heck my X500 has more travel. And now I've got a front-to-back level problem and the adjustment collars on the front yoke are frozen solid (they're soaking in WD40 now). But it's working, basically.

John, as you pointed out, it was a stuck up deck. Thanks for your help - I guess I owe you a beer one of these days. :thumbsup:

 

[John_in_TN]

Glad you got it sorted out!
They don't lift real high, but you should be able to get several inches of clearance once everything is adjusted correctly. Take care!

 

[beenthere]

Glad to hear you tracked down the problem. Helps when you stick to it.

I hate a "stuck up" deck.