Mowing JD 272, 3 pt mower and JD 506 Brush hog

[hipilot]

As part of a recent used tractor purchase, I acquired a deere 272, 3 pt grooming mower and a deere 506 brush hog. There were no operating manuals for either inplement. Does anyone have a manual for sale or copys of the critical pages to help me to operate these pieces safely and efficiently. Any advice is welcome. I'm new at this stuff.

 

[prosperity]

A place to start is Deere Publications. Have your model and serial numbers handy when you call.

800-522-7448

 

[Trev]

I have a JD 272 mower, so if you have any questions I'd be glad to look stuff up for you. The previous suggestion of calling Deere is probably the best, though...

Bob

 

[yellowsocks93]

Bob, do you ever have a problem on bumpy ground of having the 272 rear mower wheels come up and then scuff the turf because the are sideways? I know I have my mower set up correctly and the front gauge wheels help some but is there any way to limit this even further? Thanks.

 

[Trev]

No, can't say I've ever noticed that.. but then my property still isn't fully whipped into shaped and I might not notice. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have adjustable heights wheels on the back, and non-adjustable ones on the front.. with a couple rollers in the middle front. To get anything but a scalp cut I have to raise the mower a bit with the rockshaft before mowing. I wish the front wheels were adjustable, so I could just let the mower float.. as it is, because it's partially lifted all the time, it tends to float over depressions in the ground instead of following them. I can't back out over a ditch and have the mower cut down into the ditch unless I mess with the rockshaft constantly.

There were springs at one point on the front wheels to keep them straight, but they disappeared long ago.. and I didn't see the point replacing them since they aren't touching the ground anyway except when it's parked and detached.

Do your rear wheels rotate (change direction) easily? Maybe more grease back there? Mine spin freely, so the second they touch the ground they align themselves properly as far as I can see.

HTH,
Bob

 

[yellowsocks93]

Yeah, my wheels spin around real quick and are lubed good. My front wheels are always on the ground and now I can go over slanted terrain and get no scalps. Even if one side is on higher ground than the other. Before I had the front wheels the trim side of the deck would cut into the soil and now I can get the mower to cut or scalp no matter how hard I try. I too wish the front were adjustable. My top link really moves up and down a lot when I mow. It seems to keep everything working good its just those rear wheels I worry about spinning around like a top. They almost rotate too good.

Nick

 

[Trev]

Hi Nick,

You mention "before I had the front wheels". Mine always had them.. I didn't even know it was an option. Did you always have two front rollers? Maybe we have two different mowers here, with the same model numbers?

It sounds like maybe someone with generic experience with rear finish mowers might be able to offer better advice. This is my first one, and it sounds like we're having quite different experiences with them.

If I lower my mower all the way, it gives a "Marine Haircut" to my lawn.. it's about an inch or less in length.. and normally this is too short for us.. it tends to burn easily in the sun, and I tend to scalp areas which aren't completely level.

My rear wheels are adjusted as high as they can go.. and my front wheels, as I said, never touch the ground.. and I get a nice cut of a couple to three inches..

Anybody else out there got any thoughts to share?

Bob

 

[yellowsocks93]

Bob,

I do have the front rollers. They came standard but the front gauge wheels were an option. I purchased my mower in late July. How long have you had yours? I have my rear wheels set for the hight I want to cut at which is 2 1/2 inches. You might want to try and take out some of the spacers in the back. It says in the manual how many to take out for the height you want to cut at. I just adjusted the center link until the front and rear wheels stayed on the ground doing normal cutting. I do have to have the depth stop know set around 4 so the 3 pt. is not fully lowered. Most of the time the rear wheels always are on the ground so its not a big issue. I was just curious. At any rate they are a very good mower.