7 Iron Deck Locked in Up Position

mfickett · Nov 29, 2011

Have a John Deere x748 with a mid tractor 7 iron mowing deck. Recently the deck locked in the up position. Removed the deck and played with the height adjustment knob and the attached levers, was able to lower the lift arms to re-install the deck. Deck moved up and down briefly, but locked again. Have contacted local dealers and John Deere Customer Support. No answers. Does anyone know if there is a locking mechanism preventing the deck from moving up or down? Thank you.

Dutch445 · Nov 29, 2011

can you get the deck off again? could be harder
with arms not lowered, but you should be able to
jimmy it off

after that, can you have somebody move the
lift lever on the dash while you watch the cylinder
under the tractor?
if it's working ok, could just be some stubborn linkage.

how many hours on the tractor and how long have you had
it?

beenthere · Nov 30, 2011

:welcome:
Did the deck lift work well for a period of time and suddenly lock up?

Or did this happen after the deck was off and re-mounted?

What events led up to the first lock-up?

mfickett · Nov 30, 2011

Thank you for your responses. Deck worked well for majority of summer. Locked up while the deck was on the tractor. Removed the deck with the lift arms in the up position. Fiddled around with the height adjustment linkage and was able to get the lift arms to drop. Reloaded deck. Deck worked well for a very short period of time and locked again. I am leaning toward it being an issue with the linkage connecting the height adjustment. Will be removing the deck shortly to install winter snowblower. Purchased tractor in spring of '09. Hours: 426. Very pleased with tractor. Disappointed with local dealers and JD Technical Support.

Dutch445 · Nov 30, 2011

my gut feeling is it's an adjustment of the lift linkage.
you may have to lengthen the lift yokes equally
and bring the deck down a tad bit. just take the
pin out, and turn the turnbuckle counter clockwise
on both sides, try 5 or 6 turns each side at first
and see if it makes a difference.

again, just a hunch here but an easy thing to try

beenthere · Nov 30, 2011

mfickett said:
............ Disappointed with local dealers and JD Technical Support.

Unless they are looking at the unit, then figuring out what is causing the hang-up is just as difficult as it is for us to help you directly.
You are in the best position to analyze what caused the lock up when you managed to get it unlocked.

Fiddled around with the height adjustment linkage and was able to get the lift arms to drop.

Something was released or fixed. Either something bent, moved too far to become tight, or whatever. Maybe you can locate that problem when you remove the deck this time around. Wish you luck.

mfickett · Nov 30, 2011

Good info, but not buying into JD Dealer and JD Support empathy. Neither have been good for any inquiry since I bought the tractor. Point of Fact, local dealer took three ordering tries just to get the right parts for the soft cab. (6 weeks) When cab was installed, local dealer did not return the handles and screws for the rear wheel wells. When I call for parts, neither local dealer can find the parts for my machine. When I contacted JD Support, they do not have the model # on record. When you pay over $10K for a piece of equipment, you expect decent service. Haven't seen it, sorry to say.