Adjusting MMM on a bx1500

[jbordwine]

The deck on my bx1500 is cutting unlevel. The tires have the correct PSI and the blades are not bent. The left side of the deck is sitting almost 1/2 lower than the right. I looked in the owners manual but came away a little confused. Its sitting higher on the side that has the rod with the double nuts next to the rear PTO. Should I start there first??? I measured and all of the other adjustment points are the same on each side. I really hope this is something I can do myself.

 

[kevinj]

You need to follow the manual step by step and do not skip any. The lift subframe has to adjusted first then you level it with the links and front to back is done by the yoke on the front.

 

[surfran]

I agree with Kevin, follow the manual and do all of the steps and you should be fine. It may take a couple of hours, but you should have no problems doing it.

I would also recommending making a gauge for the height you want to set it at. I did the 2" as the book suggested, but you can do for 3 or whatever you typically mow at.

There are several ways to make a gauge, but the easiest seems to be to cut a piece of wood the height you want so you can just slide it under and check your heights by feel and not have to see under (at 2" it's pretty tight to look at a ruler /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif)

If you have issues when doing it, you can probably post a question and get a reply rather quickly if you phrase the title correctly.

 

[kevinj]

The gauge !! Good point, I made one up too. Maybe another point too, turn the blades to the widest position and measure them, not the housing.

 

[Junkman]

Making a gauge is a good way to do it, however, before making any adjustments, check for a bent blade. If one blade is bent, it will give a cut that is different from the other two blades. When in doubt, the best way is to take the deck off completely and clean the underneath and then remove the blades and install new blades before dealing with the adjustments. Mower decks don't go out of adjustment unless you bang them severely. I always believe that it is necessary to check the static items first to see if there is any damage, then move onto the mechanical aspects of the mower deck. Many times when you take the time to make a complete visual inspection you will find the problem and it is easy to resolve. A bad spindle bearing can also cause a bad cut since the shaft will not be in alignment with the others and will skew the angle of the blade with one side higher and one side lower. Remove the belt to check the spindles. Grab the ends of each blade and try to rock it side to side. If you find that there is play in the spindle from side to side, then you need to disassemble that spindle and correct the defect. If you have Moweraxle's mower deck storage and service wheel kit it makes it easier to work on the deck. For more information on this item, please see this web page. Junk.....

 

[jbordwine]

Thanks for the tips! You can actually lie down behind the tractor and see that one side is higher than the other. It may have taken a hard hit at some point in its life.

 

[DaveInColorado]

Mine does that. My deck is warped after slamming into a curb sticking out with the left side of the deck going top speed. You can tell when you take the deck off and sit it on the wheels. How do I unwarp it? I've tried the simple things. I'll worry about it another day.

 

[Volfandt]

All good recommendations.
To recap,
Like has been said, make a gauge, I use a 2"x4" piece of cardboard with graduation marks at every 1/2".
Use the gauge to measure both blade tips of each blade, this will tell you if the blade and/or spindle assembly has been bent.
If you measure one end at 3" then spin the blade around and then measure the other end at 3" then thats a pretty good indication that both the blade & spindle assembly are OK.

If the blades aren't bent then follow the adj proceedure in the manual verbatum. It's not that hard to follow once you get going and makes more sense once you've done it.
You start by adj the maximum height of the MMM in the raised position then you drop it to the setting you normally mow at then you adj the end blades side to side level then you adj for the front to back level.

Side to side is adj by at the drop link attachment and front to back is adj at the front link. The front should be slightly lower than the rear by approx 1/16" to 1/8". All adjustments are measured at the blade tips, and not at the deck.

Remember, you're adjusting to get the blades level & plumb and not the deck as the discharge side will always seem to be higher due to the way it's built.....

Good luck
Volfandt