Mowing JD 2210 mower deck

[fixedforever]

Hi, I have a John Deere 2210 tractor with a 62c mower deck. I only use this tractor for cutting lawns. The 62c mower deck is terrible, its always broken. Is there a good belly mower that can go on this tractor?
Thanks
Andrew

 

[beenthere]

Welcome to TBN
That is a tough deck... what is happening.. and how does it happen?

 

[fixedforever]

I have owned the tractor for 2 years, mowing commercially. Its mostly spindle problems. I have made a list of most of the common problems I can recall:

The aluminum bearing housings break (probably replaced 5)
The spindle drive pulleys strip out, this happens very easy, but its easily fixable by welding the pulley, nut, and spindle center together (probably have done this 4 times)
The bolt that holds the blades breaks or strips out, out. The blade can be welded to the spindle, but that doesn't work great. (probably happened 7 times)
The belt falls off (probably 40 times), or breaks (3 times)
The plastic wheels break, and they are expensive (at least 8 times)
The deck mounting hardware is just junk, the hangers break in multiple spots, the front mount falls off all the time
When the grass is tall, this deck does not cut well, it leaves allot still standing
The spindle mounting spots of the thin stamped deck bend, this is almost impossible to get perfect again.

For some repairs, I have found ways to make it stronger, and eliminate that part from breaking again. (shouldn't john Deere have tested this piece of junk before mass producing it?)

The lawns I mow are not that rough, There is noting more frustrating than having to leave a job to make repairs. This deck is just a poorly designed piece of junk, similar to what a cheap home owner lawn mower would have. The tractor should have a much stronger fabricated deck, similar to what a commercial zero turn mower. I've just listed the mower for sale after about 8 repairs this week. I don't know what to get, I don't like zero turns because they get stuck in mud, and on steep hills. I really just want a good deck for this tractor.

 

[beenthere]

Really? I don't believe it, but maybe you could try breaking anvils as a side attraction. (just kidding, but your experience doesn't add up to a 62c deck). Or find another mower jockey to mow.

 

[jsb2b]

Must be mowing rocks and stumps. I mow a 5 acre ex-corn field with scrub, thistle, goldenrod mixed in down to 4 inches when the hay was 3 feet plus tall and 80 percent is mowed on the 1st pass. If I mow more often when it is a foot tall, no problem. Going with the corn rows, I may bounce over a woodchuck hole or rock and going perpendicular is bone jarring. This field is rough and all I've ever had to do is replace the belt after year 8. Nothing you describe has ever broken or bent. Even if you bought a 2320 with a 7-iron, I doubt you would be satisfied.

 

[Labrat]

Holy Schnikes that doesn't sound right. Mine is 11 years old and is used mostly for mowing and I still have the original belt and spindles, just put my second set of Gators on this spring otherwise the only thing I've done is clean it and grease it.

 

[LeviH]

What in the world do you or someone else do with the deck? I had the same exact deck and tractor for 10 years. Replaced blades and 1 belt in them 10 years. I've mowed tree limbs and rocks and dirt. No problem, never even a bent blade. You have a deck that someone messed up bad to have to do that many repairs that often.

 

[megotatractor]

My 2210 with 62c is over 10 years old, mowing 31/2 rough acres, never had any of those problems.

 

[HJA1]

Mr. Fixed, but the 2210 is not a commercial mower. Why are'nt you using a zero turn? Running a mower full bore, as I imagine you do, is hard on any mower. Good luck.

 

[SuperGlideSport]

Replace your deck with a 60D 7 Iron. I had a 62C on my 2305 and wanted something more substantial. I purchased the 60D 7 Iron for an X7XX series and installed it with no problems. I had to slot the ends of the draft arms to engage the rear mounting pins on the 60D and that's it.

 

[megotatractor]

Hello again,
I was just mowing with my 2210 and 62c deck and thinking back and I think I know what the problems are. The clues are in the parts that break; hangars, guage wheels. These indicate to me that fixedforever may have an incorrect mower setup. The guage wheels were never intended to support the full weight of this deck, nor can the hangars withstand the stress from cornering while the deck is dragging fully on its wheels. Other parts breakdowns suggest that Mr Fixed has been mowing the grass way too short and likely scalping the lawns to the ground? Correct setup has the tractor supporting the weight of the deck and while parked on concrete the wheels should always remain suspended 1/2 inch off the ground. When I first got my tractor I set the cutting height with the wheels supporting the deck, and sure enough I broke a couple of hangars before I figured it out. No, this deck is not intended for this sort of use and I agree he should try a 60d 7 iron deck and not cut the grass so short.

 

[thatguy]

Hello again,
I was just mowing with my 2210 and 62c deck and thinking back and I think I know what the problems are. The clues are in the parts that break; hangars, guage wheels. These indicate to me that fixedforever may have an incorrect mower setup. The guage wheels were never intended to support the full weight of this deck, nor can the hangars withstand the stress from cornering while the deck is dragging fully on its wheels. Other parts breakdowns suggest that Mr Fixed has been mowing the grass way too short and likely scalping the lawns to the ground? Correct setup has the tractor supporting the weight of the deck and while parked on concrete the wheels should always remain suspended 1/2 inch off the ground. When I first got my tractor I set the cutting height with the wheels supporting the deck, and sure enough I broke a couple of hangars before I figured it out. No, this deck is not intended for this sort of use and I agree he should try a 60d 7 iron deck and not cut the grass so short.

EXCELLENT observation megotatractor.. your observation makes a LOT of sense

Brian