62D MMM blues :(

[ChuckinNH]

When I first got my Kubota I bent a turnbuckle on my lower lift arms. I had been using my box blade without much experience so I figured that I had backed into something that didn't give in newbie fashion. I replaced the turnbuckle, and a while later I bent it again. This time I looked really closely at what was going on, and discovered that the clevis that I left on the drawbar could swing far enough to the side to get over, or under the check chain. The next time I lifted the 3pt it would bend the turnbuckle. I noticed that you had some chains hanging from your lift arms, and I don't know if it is possible for them to do the same thing the clevis was doing to me, or not, but it would be worth a close look. Hope you have it fixed, and no more problems!

 

[TNTractor1]

The dealer picked up the tractor bright and early this morning. I suspect they will have to order the part again. Interesting to see if they will have it back to me by the weekend. So far, I am happy with their prompt response to my problem. They picked it up less than 24 hours from when I called.

 

[TNTractor1]

Got the tractor back today. Deck is repaired. However the cotter pins are only bent back maybe 30% (100% meaning completely wrapped around the bolt). So, here are my options: 1. Leave everything just as it is. 2. Bend back existing cotter pins as far as possible. 3. Replace cotter pins with "lock pins" (with the circle locks). 4. Replace cotter pins with thicker cotter pins and bend back as far as possible. After already trying option 1, with poor results, i am least inclined to do nothing. At a minimum I will do option 2. Option 3 is appealing, but I am not sure it will be better than the cotter pins bent 100%... is there a downside to the lock pins? I have not looked at option 4 yet, because I am not sure I can fit thicker cotter pins through the bolts... they may already be maxed out, but I will look in the morning. I went to TSC tonight and picked up a variety of larger looking cotter pins and some lock pins that look about the right size. Which option do you think is best and why? Thanks very much!

 

[ChuckinNH]

When I was troubleshooting problems on a manufacturing production floor the conversation often would go something like this. "Has this ever happened before?" "No" "When did it start doing it?" "Today" "What is different?" "Nothing". Well it was obvious that something had changed, or the problem had existed for a while. Now there are thousands of mowers like yours in service so we have to ask ourselves "what is different with this one?" There is something causing your problem that needs to be corrected for the best solution, and changing the type of pin used to secure things may, or may not fix anything, and my experience with "keeping an eye on it' is that the darn thing will fail the moment I look somewhere else. It could be that the whole assembly was just welded wrong, or made wrong, and the dealer just has to consider replacing the deck. I would ask him what he changed to insure that the problem was corrected, and I would expect him to explain what caused the assembly that works fine on other mower decks like yours to fail. "What is different?" Done in a positive, and upbeat way, that conversation might be quite productive. The trick is to get the dealer, or mechanic to start thinking about a real fix, and not a band aid.

 

[Gator6x4]

From the photo’s you posted the lift system looks similar/identical to the lift system used on other tractors with a mid-mount mower. The bolt/pin that is failing could be the weak link, sacrifice part to prevent damage to the mower or lift arms on the tractor.

Look underneath the tractor on each side you should see a metal block on each side that corresponds to a location on the mower deck. This is what stops the deck from being raised to high. You should have at least ¼ inch between the stops on side of the tractor and the stops on the mowing deck. To achieve this you disconnect the rod at one end and shorten or lengthen the rod. If the rod is too short on one side something has to give, the mower will contact the stops and the lift arms will continue to go up. A couple of times raising the deck and the bolt will be sheared through brute hydraulic force.

You may also want to lower the deck on a flat firm surface and take a long piece of wood, place it underneath each side of the deck and see if you raise the deck up. This action will simulate your mowing over uneven terrain. The deck should be able to “Float” up and down. If it will not float when you mow over uneven terrain the weight of the tractor is being transferred to the mowing deck lift system.

Get a mirror and raise the deck to its highest position and see if it is contacting something when it is being raised and lowered that is shearing off the pin. (A helper to raise and lower the deck while you watch is good to have here) KEEP HANDS FROM UNDERNEATH THE TRACTOR WHEN DOING THIS.

 

[HammA5690]

I have had the exact same problem. The first time it happened I bent it back myself and replaced the pin. 1 week later my fiance was mowing and sure enough it happpened again on the oposite arm. I have called the dealer and they are replacing both arms at no charge. Like you I have some rough ground but nothing that a normal lawn mower wouldn't be able to handle.

Its funny that I got on tot the jd operating forum to ask if anyone else has had this problem and this was at the top of the list. My opinion is that the factory cotter pins may be undersized or cheap. I will replace them with my own and see how it goes.

 

[FishHaggis]

This is a very familiar topic!!! I have had my tractor since last summer and I keep losing the hairpins holding the arms up when I have dropped the mower deck and using the 2320 on my field brush hogging. I notice a deep gouge when I back up in the earth and then I know the arms dropped again. Its a matter of time before the arm bends when it loses another pin, but I was unsure hwat to do. I was thinking of just double nuts and bolt. I am going to look for the smaller lynch pins or those double hairpins I am reading about.

I'd rather switch them up now before this inevitably happens again.

 

[prosperity]

Glad I'm not the only one this happened to!

My dealer replaced the arm to me at no charge.

The cotter pin on mine broke - the pins they are using are too small/soft.

I replaced both cotter pins with larger ones (the largest I could fit in the holes) and haven't had a problem since in 2 years.

 

[TNTractor1]

Well, all the larger cotter pins and the circle lock pins I bought from TSC were to large to fit in the bolts. So I just mowed with it as it came back from the dealer. The dealer said they changed the washers and I also noticed that the whole setup (arms, bolts and pins) seemed much tighter with much less wiggle and play. I mowed for about 3 hours straight over various terrain without any problems. However, I now believe that those cotter pins are to weak/soft and will eventually shear again, so I will look again at TSC for something that will fit. Thanks for all the suggestions

 

[47chevy]

I have had the exact same problem. The first time it happened I bent it back myself and replaced the pin. 1 week later my fiance was mowing and sure enough it happpened again on the oposite arm. I have called the dealer and they are replacing both arms at no charge. Like you I have some rough ground but nothing that a normal lawn mower wouldn't be able to handle.

Its funny that I got on tot the jd operating forum to ask if anyone else has had this problem and this was at the top of the list. My opinion is that the factory cotter pins may be undersized or cheap. I will replace them with my own and see how it goes.

I had the same problem with the tractor that I used to own. You can read my post. Most of the replys were I was abusing the tractor. Looks like it is more common than most people want to admit. Guess JD does put out junk

Hope you have better luck than me. I finally got rid of the pos.