Mower Deck Help

[bpientka]

Hello All,

In my travels I saw a 44inch deck in some ones front yard. After checking things out (good spindles, light rust) I picked it up. When I put it onto my 1711 I notice the front center roller had some play. The holes in the metal plate had enlarged so the roller moves up and down 1/4-3/8 of an inch. I also notices some wear on the left front skid.

While the mower seems to cut fine I create tracks in the yard from the skid.

Any suggestions?

Since the skid is warn I could weld it back to orginal shape which might reduce the trails.

Is the play in the front roller causing this issue?

Maybe I just need to level the deck?

Thanks,

Bernie

 

[wheinsohn]

Bernie, get the front roller kits, cut them skids off, and be mark free. It is the best thing I ever did to my 50" decks.

 

[jchamberlin]

Bernie: I agree with Wes, I'm having trouble with the skids on my 50A deck, even though the previous owner re-worked them. They also tend to "snag" things if I'm not careful.

The previous owner of my 44A deck installed "Patio Wheels" in place of the skids; I think that IH sold them as a "kit." They seem to sit up higher (their height is not adjustable) and seem to serve primarily to assist the front roller in its anti-scalping function. I haven't tried it on the whole yard yet, just a test patch, but I think it will do better than the skids. Even though I carefully leveled the 50A deck, the skids would put down marks unexpectedly.

Picture of my 44A deck, the previous owner modified it, I only painted it and replaced worn parts.

 

[wheinsohn]

Bernie and Jeremiah, the brackets in the Cub Cadet kits have 3 holes for adjustment. The kits are not that hard to put on with the right tools. One of the hardest parts is getting the brackets square to travel so the wheels do not wear real bad.

 

[bpientka]

Thanks Everyone. I have wheels on my 50" deck and was thinking the 44 needed them. The couple times I used the 44 the skids just don't work. Anyone built those plates? The Cub parts are like $70 plus the wheels.

Bernie