62D MMM blues :(

TNTractor1 · Jul 2, 2011

Thanks, once the dealer fixes it again, I will go to TSC and get sone new pins to replace the cotters... great idea

sldva00 · Jul 2, 2011

glc24 said:
... I replaced every cotter pin with nice beefy hairpins...

This is what I did to mine also. My attachment arm got bent up the same way within 10hrs of use last year (2010 year model). My land is flat but bumpy. It does have a slight grade for drainage. I also mow the small ditch that is in front of my property. The slope is not too bad.

pdp11 · Jul 2, 2011

I have independent lift on my 2520, so the linkage looks different. Mine is held together with split wire rings, just like the one that is on the pin for your drawbar. That seems to prevent any possibility of the pins coming out, and I've never had a problem.

mjncad · Jul 3, 2011

pdp11 said:
Mine is held together with split wire rings, just like the one that is on the pin for your drawbar. That seems to prevent any possibility of the pins coming out, and I've never had a problem.

McMaster-Carr www.mcmaster.com calls them cotter-rings and if the dealer doesn't carry them, they are an alternate source. They work great.

Another possibility is a double-hairpin. It sort of looks like a bow-tie for lack of a better description. I've only seen them at the Deere dealer for Big Box Mart class lawn tractors; but there may be heavier ones for all I know.

jakdeere · Jul 3, 2011

I had the same issues with my uncles 2720. The rear lift are looked like a twin to yours. The tractor only had 10 hours on it so the dealer fixed it but, said he not fix it if this happened again. GLC 24 is right get the heaviest hair pins that will fit in there with a washer behind it and make sure your deck is adjusted properly. If they installed your mmm on a friday afternoon they probably just threw it on.

bz1 · Jul 4, 2011

If it helps I can tell you that the brackets shown by GLC4 are exactly like my 2008 JD2520 tractor. Me new 2011 tractor has the same brackets as TNT. I know both my new tractor and deck are 2011 models. I'm only guessing but I think they changed them because of clearance problems when you install chains. On my old tractor with the bent brackets I had to set the tires to wide position so the bracket would clear my tire chains. Back in 2008 JD did not offer any tire chains for the 2520 tractor. Now they do offer chains, and conveniently the bracket has been made straight to allowing for chain clearance. The deck has not changed. If you were to check TNT's setup you would find that the forward (black) draft links for the deck now have an extra bend in them to reach inward to line up with the straight bracket while GLC4's linkages are straight. The width of the attachment points on the deck are exactly the same for my 2008 deck versus my 2011 deck. I carefully noted these differences between my 2008 machine and my 2011 machine. I had this same problem with my 2008 setup when I first got it and I found it was more caused by incorrect installation of the cotter pins. And of course as others have said there needs to be washers behind each cotter pin. The cotter pins need to be installed with both legs bent all the way around against the round pin. If you don't bend them all the way or you only bend one leg they will catch on something and be ripped out. Also the correct washers need to be used. They need to have holes the right size so they fit somewhat close to the pin. I totally eliminated this problem on my 2008 and a previous machine by making sure I had the correct washers and installing the largest cotters that fit in the holes and bending both legs all the way around. I ran that setup for 13 years on two previous machines and never had another cotter come loose even while spending lots of time driving through thick brush while cutting firewood. My personal observation is that none of the pins you guys are talking about will hold as good as the proper sized cotter pin that is properly installed. The only thing better would be to use professional grade lock wire and install it correctly.

PCABE5 · Jul 4, 2011

bz1 said:
If it helps I can tell you that the brackets shown by GLC4 are exactly like my 2008 JD2520 tractor. Me new 2011 tractor has the same brackets as TNT. I know both my new tractor and deck are 2011 models. I'm only guessing but I think they changed them because of clearance problems when you install chains. On my old tractor with the bent brackets I had to set the tires to wide position so the bracket would clear my tire chains. Back in 2008 JD did not offer any tire chains for the 2520 tractor. Now they do offer chains, and conveniently the bracket has been made straight to allowing for chain clearance. The deck has not changed. If you were to check TNT's setup you would find that the forward (black) draft links for the deck now have an extra bend in them to reach inward to line up with the straight bracket while GLC4's linkages are straight. The width of the attachment points on the deck are exactly the same for my 2008 deck versus my 2011 deck. I carefully noted these differences between my 2008 machine and my 2011 machine. I had this same problem with my 2008 setup when I first got it and I found it was more caused by incorrect installation of the cotter pins. And of course as others have said there needs to be washers behind each cotter pin. The cotter pins need to be installed with both legs bent all the way around against the round pin. If you don't bend them all the way or you only bend one leg they will catch on something and be ripped out. Also the correct washers need to be used. They need to have holes the right size so they fit somewhat close to the pin. I totally eliminated this problem on my 2008 and a previous machine by making sure I had the correct washers and installing the largest cotters that fit in the holes and bending both legs all the way around. I ran that setup for 13 years on two previous machines and never had another cotter come loose even while spending lots of time driving through thick brush while cutting firewood. My personal observation is that none of the pins you guys are talking about will hold as good as the proper sized cotter pin that is properly installed. The only thing better would be to use professional grade lock wire and install it correctly.

BZ1 thanks for noting your '08 and '11 observations and the detailed difference between the two MMM lifts :thumbsup:. Nice to see JD made some engineering changes for the better.

Kep · Jul 4, 2011

I bought mine in Mar of 2011 and the deck from the dealer wasn't installed right. When I took the deck off one of the cotter pins wasn't spread and the other was missing. They didn't fit very well so the first thing I did was replace all the cotter pins with larger hair pins then spent some time setting the deck up right. It hasn't given me any more trouble all year.

glc24 · Jul 4, 2011

My personal observation is that none of the pins you guys are talking about will hold as good as the proper sized cotter pin that is properly installed.

Hey bz,
This is very true.

I try to keep a keen eye on everything. I have expected a problem by now,but so far,everything has been good. The reason for the pins,is I take the linkage off frequently. I just don't like it under there when I'm in the woods.
Now that I have my "lockup kit",I may start leaving it on,and I'll change out the hairpins for proper fitting cotters.:thumbsup:

Back in 2008 JD did not offer any tire chains for the 2520 tractor. Now they do offer chains, and conveniently the bracket has been made straight to allowing for chain clearance.

I really don't know how close they would be to my linkage because it has to come off for my snow plow sub frame. If it were on I'd bet it would be really close.

Greg

TNTractor1 · Jul 6, 2011

Wow, thanks for all the great info. The dealer is going to fix it this week and I am going to tell them to bend the cotter pins all the way back and wrap around the bolt. Even with that, I will inspect it all once I get the tractor back and possibly replace with thicker pins.