F Series Deck Operation

[cold1313]

I've had my F3990 a little over a year now and I noticed something a few weeks ago.

I got done mowing and thought the grass looked tall. Turns out I must have raised the deck the last cutting and not let it back down all of the way.

What is the proper way to lower the deck, so that you are cutting at the cutting height that you set the deck to?

I will sometimes mow with the raise / lower level in the lower position, so that the deck can float downward more when I'm on hilly areas. I'm assuming when I am on flat land, this isn't the right idea. I would assume this would make the deck ride on the rear antiscalp rollers?

Or is it just a judgement call from the seat of the tractor on what looks right? Since then, when lowering, I let the deck lower, then let it pause and put the raise/lower level back into the center (neutral) position.

Seems like a common sense thing, but the more I thought about it, the more I was unsure.

 

[kuboman]

The raise lower lever for the deck has a float position which is all the way forward. That is the correct position for all mowing. The rear of the deck is supported by the lift arms while the front rides on the front caster wheels. If the deck is riding on the rear anti scalp wheels then it is not setup correctly.

 

[cold1313]

Thank you sir!

I had been mowing in float almost all of the time, but I am also thinking of my B3200 where if I put the 3-point lever all the way down (float), it will just keep lowering every chance it gets. I didn't know if the arms on the F series would do that, or go to the position that they are supposed to be at.

The deck should be correct. I went through the manual when I purchased it and at my last service, the dealership was supposed to verify as well.

Maybe I notice the rear anti scalp rollers moving more since it's a wide deck and I don't have the flattest lawn out there. I'll try to pay more attention this weekend and see what she does.

 

[kuboman]

The anti scalp rollers will turn in the grass but they shouldn't be touching the ground except on uneven ground where they will contact the ground sporadically. The best place to set up the deck is on a concrete floor.