Mower Deck Issue

[wkashner]

I'm having trouble with the mower deck becoming detached from the quick attach when working on rough terrain where a certain amount of twisting or contact with objects (downed limbs, etc.) is experienced. It seems the deck tends to ride to one side and the spring loaded pin is removed from its hole, then when the conditions are right, the other pin will come out of the hole. How close should the distance be between the brackets on the mower deck (where the spring loaded pins are located) and their contact point on the quick attach assembly? There is no adjustment for this that I can see, but there is a little over an inch difference between the two measurements, that is to say the mower deck brackets are about an inch further apart than their attachment point on the quick attach assembly.

 

[jstich]

The arms have bent in allowing the pins to come out. Just bend them back out where they belong so they are snug against the mower deck brackets. A good sized pipe wrench works well for this.

 

[mgonitzke]

Before we start bending things...What tractor and deck? A picture of the subframe would be helpful. Most of the subframes had a brace at the back that would prevent things from getting that far out of whack, so I'm wondering if you don't have all of the correct parts for whatever deck/tractor combo you are using.

 

[wkashner]

Yes, Matt, there is a brace on the QA assembly that doesn't show any evidence of being bent. It's a Cub Cadet 149. Deck ID looks to be 441U1_1 (not sure about the 6th character). I'm sure it's not the original deck with this tractor. I've had the tractor and deck about 20 years.

 

[glippert]

Wayne, maybe it's just an optical illusion in the deck pic, but it appears the brackets are bent outward. It's not likely, since they are so beefy, but if they are bent outward it could allow enough play between the brackets and the sub-frame for the sub-frame lift arms to slip off the pins. But the more likely scenario is, as Jerry suggested above, the lift arms of the sub-frame are bent inward, which would have the same effect. Good luck & let us know what your find.

 

[wkashner]

I agree that the brackets on the mower deck were bent outward (and a little out of square with the deck), so I adjusted them inward. I will likely be on the rough terrain (maintaining a walking trail as a volunteer) in a couple weeks, so we'll see how it works out. Thanks for the assist, gentlemen.

 

[wkashner]

Made some "adjustments" to the mower deck brackets. Spent about 5 hours trail mowing and the deck remained attached with no issues.