60" MMM questions and problems

[kiphorn]

60\" MMM questions and problems

I just bought a used TC24D with 60 hours on it. It was delivered a week ago. I've done some driveway maintenance but until today the ground has been to soft to use the mower .

I was looking at the mower height set up in the manual. I wanted to set the height to 3". For a 60" side discharge mower, the front wheels should be set on A and the rear wheels should be on 5. What is the X/Y adjustment? I can't find anything on the deck that looks like the picture in the manual to make an X/Y adjustment. What am I missing?

The ground was still a liitle soft. At about 4 locations the front mower wheels sank into the ground. I didn't realize it until I had done some serious damage to the new lawn. The wheels sank and began to plow the soft soil. I know the deck is heavy but should this be happening? Shouldn't the lift system support the deck and prevent the this from ocurring? My grass was just planted so I didn't have much to mow, so to temporarily solve the problem I set the position control to hold the mower wheels at the point where they were just skimming the ground. This kept the wheels from digging in. Do I need to make some adjustment to the lift system?

Is there a rule/reccomendation against raising the deck with the PTO running. I was lifting the deck as I traveled over the stone walkway leading up to my house and lowering it once I got to the other side. When I parked the tractor and was looking at the deck I noticed oil on top of the deck by gear box. Do you think this could have been caused by lifting the deck with the PTO running?

I would have thought that the mower was set up properly before it was delivered so with the exception of changing the cutting height I didn't expect to have to make any serious adjustments. Was I wrong to think this?

Thanks for the help.

Kip

 

[MikePA]

Re: 60\" MMM questions and problems

<font color="blue">I was looking at the mower height set up in the manual. I wanted to set the height to 3". For a 60" side discharge mower, the front wheels should be set on A and the rear wheels should be on 5. What is the X/Y adjustment? </font>
The X/Y adjustment is which hole the pin goes through in the tube attached to the deck to secure the front wheels, i.e., the ping goes through hole X or Y an then into hole A on the shaft attached to the caster wheel.

<font color="blue">The ground was still a little soft. At about 4 locations the front mower wheels sank into the ground. I didn't realize it until I had done some serious damage to the new lawn. The wheels sank and began to plow the soft soil. I know the deck is heavy but should this be happening? Shouldn't the lift system support the deck and prevent the this from occurring? </font>
The wheels on my deck always ride on the ground. I do not believe the 914A is a floating deck.

<font color="blue"> My grass was just planted so I didn't have much to mow, so to temporarily solve the problem I set the position control to hold the mower wheels at the point where they were just skimming the ground. This kept the wheels from digging in. Do I need to make some adjustment to the lift system? </font>
I don't think so.

<font color="blue"> Is there a rule/recommendation against raising the deck with the PTO running. I was lifting the deck as I traveled over the stone walkway leading up to my house and lowering it once I got to the other side. When I parked the tractor and was looking at the deck I noticed oil on top of the deck by gear box. Do you think this could have been caused by lifting the deck with the PTO running? </font>
I raise the deck all the time when I am cutting. Did the oil come from the gear box or drop down from something on the tractor? The smell should tell you if it's engine oil or gear oil.

<font color="blue">I would have thought that the mower was set up properly before it was delivered so with the exception of changing the cutting height I didn't expect to have to make any serious adjustments. Was I wrong to think this? </font>
Nothing you've said indicates to me that the deck is adjusted wrong. Someone posted the complete procedure for adjusting the 914A deck a while ago, probably in a thread started by thcri when he was having a problem with his deck leaving uncut strips.

I think raising the 3ph to prevent the wheels from digging into the soft ground is a good solution.

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Re: 60\" MMM questions and problems

Kip,

I just bought a new 24D with the same mower and had a lot of questions. Take a look at the "leveling 914A" thread last updated 10/08/03 in this section for some detailed info provided by this forum. It helped me understand enough to adjust the settings with confidence.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The wheels on my deck always ride on the ground. I do not believe the 914A is a floating deck. )</font>

The 914A rides on a cushion lift. It weighs 481 pounds and could never ride fully on 4 skinny wheels. The manual says the cushion lift should be adjusted so you can easily lift one side with your hand. I'm guessing that amounts to about 100 pounds or so. An important part of the cushion lift system is setting the postion control to assist in supporting the weight of the deck. They even provide an extra decal to place along the lever to guide your selection of lift postion. So I would say the 914A is partially floating deck. The deck wheels are only to allow it to follow the ground contours for an even cut.

You will see in the discussions I referred you to that my dealer prefers the back wheels to be off the ground for the "best" setting without leaving marks. Here in the northeast, I only tried it once and took it off for the season. My ground is beyond soft, so I'm hoping I can use this deck with the cushion lift and not have any real problems.

Hope this helps. I would have set up a link to the other post, but I don't have the computer patience this morning to figure it out /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[hazmat]

Re: 60\" MMM questions and problems

How to Level 914A deck

That's the link that has detailed instructions on how to level the deck.

Not to be a jerk, but have you read the owner's manual yet? Maybe you didn't get one as it is a used tractor. The MMM has it's own manual. If you didn't get it, you can order one from New Holland for a few dollars. Not sure what the 800 number is, but your dealer will know.

When I first got my MMM, I used it before reading the manual (hey the grass was getting high & excitement took over). I put the position control all the way down. Man did that thing make a racket banging over every bump in the grass. Also left ruts in the soft spots. After reading the manual & adjusting the position control such that all 4 wheels just touch the ground - it cuts great & no ruts.

No worries, once you get it dialed in, you should be happy with it. I know I am.