Older tractor with rotary mower gouges dirt

[Wordspeak]

Got a mid-1960's M-F 135 which shows lots of wear and tear. Perkins diesel runs well and mechanicals seem sound except for lift arm adjustments, which may be my problem. My older JD rotary 5' mower either does not cut close enough or gouges the dirt on both sides when I mow. The rear support wheel is adjusted as low as it can go. I have tried the chains with clips but not successfully. Is there a simple remedy or do I need to have the lifts repaired?

 

[jeff9366]

The inboard end of your TPH Top Link pins through operator choice of three or four paired, vertically stacked holes (clevis mounts) on the tractor.

I speculate Top Link is pinned into the highest or next-to-highest paired holes.

Try installing the inboard Top Link pin through a lower pair of holes. Experiment.

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CREDIT: - pmbutter - March 18, 2019

"There is a lot of contradictory information about which paired holes to use for the tractor/inboard pin of the top link.

The top holes give the least elevation change of the tail wheel, but better maintains parallelism with the ground.

Operating an earth turning plow the inboard Top Link pin ought to be pinned through the upper holes, so it remains at a proper working angle, regardless of its depth.


The bottom holes provide the greatest elevation change of the "tail wheel" of my "implement", but it also the greatest angular change relative to the plane of the ground.

The bottom holes are best for something like a landscape rake where you might want to lift it up and out of the way, perhaps with a little more angle so trash drops off the tines."



RELEVENT VIDEO:

 

[jeff9366]

The rear support wheel is adjusted as low as it can go.

Extending your Top Link by screwing it out will lower the rear support wheel.

A properly adjusted Rotary Cutter will have the rear of the mower ~~ 2" ~~ or so higher than the front end of the cutter. The longer the grass being cut, the higher the rear gap should be to allow higher volume grass clippings to exhaust freely.

The tail wheel should contact the ground 99% of the time, to absorb transient shocks.

 

[jeff9366]

Is there a simple remedy or do I need to have the lifts repaired?

Expand on your perceived problem with the TPH Lower Links.

There are additional pin adjustments on the TPH that influence implement operating height.

 

[Tinhack]

My older JD rotary 5' mower either does not cut close enough or gouges the dirt on both sides when I mow.

Raise it up! What's gouging the dirt? The blades or the front corners of the mower?.

These are typically NOT finish mowers and not made for close cutting. If you want a better "lawn" look, use a flail mower.

 

[LD48750]

The way I read your problem, you need a finish mower designed to cut lawns.

 

[K5lwq]

I would like more information on the lift arm problems. I would think that should be rectified regardless of which mower to use and how to set it up.

 

[Wordspeak]

Raise it up! What's gouging the dirt? The blades or the front corners of the mower?.

These are typically NOT finish mowers and not made for close cutting. If you want a better "lawn" look, use a flail mower.

The front corners of the rotary box are digging.

 

[Wordspeak]

I would like more information on the lift arm problems. I would think that should be rectified regardless of which mower to use and how to set it up.

The crank adjustment on the right side looking from the rear is frozen and will not turn.

 

[Xfaxman]

Put check chains on it so it can't go that low: