Mowing Mowing with a 318

[Toolguy]

Could someone please explain how to get a 318 with the 50" deck to do a good job? I saw on another thread where someone said it would be hard to beat the mowing quality of a "well tuned 318". I have had a 318 with a 50" deck since 1990 and have never been too impressed with how it mows. It always leaves the grass a little uncut where the front tires push it down. I like the tractor and have used it for many things. It has over 1300 hours and is still running strong. I don't use it as much as I used to since I bought a larger orange tractor with a 60" deck which IMHO does a much better job. I still use the 318 for when the ground is wet and for some tight areas of the lawn. I sure would like to know if it is possible to improve the cut quality. I previously owned a 214 with a 46" deck and it did a better job than the 318. Is it the 50" deck that is the problem? I know that the blade tip speed on these is not very fast compared to other mowers. I have talked to other owners of these machines that feel the same way that I do. I know that the early 318s had the option of a 46" or 50" deck. Is there any hope for the 50" deck and if so how does one go about "tuning" it to make it do a quality job? Thanks.

 

[jcmseven]

There is no hope for the 50" deck. Sorry.

John M

 

[TimS]

You could try the speed up pulley made specifically to address this problem on the 50" deck - part #AM116141 available from your Deere dealer. Also, make sure you do a good job leveling the deck - try to get it within 1/8" side to side, and have the front 1/8" lower than the back. The manual says to have the front somewhere between 1/4" and 1/8" lower than the back, but I find that 1/4" is too much and can give you that "too high on the sides" look.

Tim

 

[gary_dsc]

I used to have a 318 with the 50" deck. I found that if I kept the blades sharp and drove at a reasonable speed, the cut was pretty good.

 

[Toolguy]

Thanks TimS, I will check into that speed up pulley. I never knew there was such a thing. I did relevel the deck this year and it made a noticeable difference. The smaller pulley may be the answer I am looking for.

 

[RickO]

make sure you run a "high lift" blade on it if they have them for it. I had a JD 170 and if I got the flatter low lift blades it wouldn't cut worth crap. But with the more angled high lift blades it cut great. They create more upward lift to pull the grass of the ground.

I also had a 318 with the 46" deck and it did cut nice.

 

[deere755]

I bought a different pulley to speed up the deck and high lift blades and still was not satisfied with cut. I am like you the deck will not cut in the wheel tracks I kept the deck as clean as possible and the blades sharp and drove slow that seemed to also help but it was never great. My 46 did a nice job and my 60 inch also does a slick job but as far as the 50 inch goes I don't think you will ever be happy.

 

[Toolguy]

Thanks for sharing that before I went and spent $50+ on the pulley. I have always had the highlift blades so I guess I will just continue to use as is. It is not terrible, I just wish it was better. 30 years ago I bought my first "real tractor" a used JD112 with the 46" mower. To pick up a little extra money I would mow the yard of the rental house next door to me. The landlord only wanted to pay me to mow it every two weeks so it was usually 6" to 8" tall when mowing time came around. That 112 would do it in one pass going slow and, other than some pretty thick grass clippings, leave it looking quite good, actually. I could never do that in one pass with the 50" mower.

 

[planman8]

My 318 has a 46" cut and mows great. I have had it for 14 years without any problems. I think I am glad that I didn't get the larger deck now. Now I use my new 2305 to cut the yard and it cuts just as well as the 318 does. It has a 54" deck.
Planman

 

[BroD]

I know this is a old thread. But my the first JD was a 316 that I bought new around 1990. It was around 5,000 bucks and did terrible with dandelion stems. I mowed a couple of cemetery's and it was a nightmare. The mower I owned before was a Lowes brand mower that I gave under two grand for but mowed the stems three times better. Well I traded the 316 for a 455 which mowed flawlessly. Have also owned a 757, a F-620 and just bought a John Deere 318 with 50" deck. Most modern commercial decks are raised up about a1/2 inch in front which does two things. It does not push over the stems so much which in turn allows more air to be pulled up through the front. I will be modifying my deck in a couple of weeks to minimize poor mow quality. I tried some tall grass the other day and all it did was push it over. So I know this will be needed. If any body wants, I will post my results.