Wheels up or down ?

[cubs4lifeofme]

What do you all prefer on the deck wheel height ? i have 4 wheels on mine and have always had them @ the lower hole as it was in that position when i bought them. Seems to take the weight of the tractor and cause some traction loss, i use the gauge and run it between 5 and 6, recently raising the wheels up 1 bolt hole and really like it, dont seem to drive the wheels down into the yard as hard...

 

[dschwandt]

The deck needs to HANG from the tractor not the other way around.
The wheels are there to help the deck over high spots to avoid scalping,

 

[mgonitzke]

The deck needs to HANG from the tractor not the other way around.
The wheels are there to help the deck over high spots to avoid scalping,

That is true for all of the older decks. The 60" Haban and the 46", 48", and 54" decks on the later machines are designed to be run on the wheels.

 

[Jay Fetters]

The dealer I used to work for back in the late 90's said the gage wheels should be set about 1/4-1/2 inch above the ground while parked on a flat hard surface, with the deck set at mowing height. I usually go closer to the 1/2 inch, and get very good results with not scalping. My 44a deck has rear gage wheels, and front slides and I set those the same, with decent results. My xt2 46 fab deck is set this way with 4 gage wheels, and it never scalps in my wooded yard.

 

[dschwandt]

My GTX2154LE Hangs as well as the GTX2154
All 4 wheels are solidly mounted and there are 4 adjustment holes where they are mounted. Those decks are sooo big and sooo heavy if they are rolling on the ground and bearing weight in a turn the wheels and corners of the deck will gouge the ground at any high spot you might encounter with the corners such as mowing around a tree while making the turn.

I usually mow at a #5 setting sometimes at #4 depending on how thick or long the grass is and both units get a lot of use at the cemetery in a large area where there are only a few burials.

 

[RAllison]

The deck needs to HANG from the tractor not the other way around.
The wheels are there to help the deck over high spots to avoid scalping,

I needed to learn that!

 

[awoloch]

Good question and very informative discussion. Thank you all!

I just put two new 7" diameter Martin brand steel gauge wheels (from CC Specialties) on the mower deck of my Cub Cadet 100 and need to set the correct heights for both the 3 mower blades and 2 gauge wheels.

In semi-arid and very sunny Colorado Springs, I keep my mowed grass between about 2 -3 inches high, depending on rain vs. drought conditions. Back in Central Illinois, I used to mow so my cut grass was 2 inches or lower, since rain was usually plenty over the years when I lived there.

 

[Joshthroop]

Gents,
I have a 1282 and I cannot seem to get the deck up high enough. It scalps the lawn. I use it in my orchard where I don't care about the cut however I have to use a newer cub to mow my yard due to the extremely low deck height of the 1282.

 

[cubs4lifeofme]

Is there a wat to lift the deck in the hangers ?

 

[awoloch]

You may use 2x4s (or 2x4s and a long pry bar) to form a fulcrum and lever to lift and block/support each side of the deck into position with the hangers.

 

[elamott]

I have a stupid question. Why does the deck have to hang from the tractor. Why not have it ride on the 4 wheels
elamott

 

[PACub100]

That's actually not a stupid question, logic would lead one to believe that riding on the wheels would provide a better, even cut

 

[dschwandt]

You must have a golf course absolute flat lawn then.

 

[PACub100]

Not at all, in fact I have a bank by my road that is pretty steep.
Don't get me wrong, my deck hangs (not the only thing that hangs)
I just meant it's not a stupid question and I've often thought the same thing...

 

[Jay Fetters]

I have a stupid question. Why does the deck have to hang from the tractor. Why not have it ride on the 4 wheels
elamott

It's because allowing the deck to hang "hides" the imperfections in your lawn. Letting the low spots have tall grass and the small bumps get cut shorter. A deck that rides on the grass will follow the contours of the lawn much more exactly than one that hangs. Giving the illusion of a flatter, leveler lawn, and a cleaner cut.

 

[tkhoffman]

Many new Zero Turns do just that. They float on chains from the machine so they do follow the lawn better

 

[mfrade]

It's because allowing the deck to hang "hides" the imperfections in your lawn. Letting the low spots have tall grass and the small bumps get cut shorter. A deck that rides on the grass will follow the contours of the lawn much more exactly than one that hangs. Giving the illusion of a flatter, leveler lawn, and a cleaner cut.

That hasn't been my experience. The deck that rides on the lawn will show all the low and high spots, every time one side of the deck runs lower than the other side - it cuts that side lower of course. Creates a lawn that looks like the Atlantic Ocean! Swells & chop abound! LOL.

 

[RAllison]

There ain't a deck out there that's gonna do my lawn perfectly without scalping here and there!

 

[ToddAllen]

Is there a way to level the deck so that it won't scalp the lawn????

 

[Jay Fetters]

That hasn't been my experience. The deck that rides on the lawn will show all the low and high spots, every time one side of the deck runs lower than the other side - it cuts that side lower of course. Creates a lawn that looks like the Atlantic Ocean! Swells & chop abound! LOL.

I guess I wasnt very articulate in my description. But yeah, you want the deck to float above the ground, hanging from the tractor. The gauge wheels should be approximately 1/2 inch above the ground with the deck positioned at your desired cutting height, while your tractor is parked on a flat hard surface. Now to go beyond the gauge wheel setup, the deck should also be pitched lower at the front versus the rear. Measuring the blade tips, with the blade parallel to the machine, the front of the blade to should be adjusted to be 1/4 to 3/8 lower than the rear of the blade tip. This is a general spec, exact spec depends on manufacturer, and is very rarely set at the dealer, and never even checked at a big box store. Most customers are amazed at the difference in cut quality and efficiency of the the tractor when the cutting deck is properly set up per manufacturers recommendation. Most cut quality complaints are fixed by simply adjusting the cutting deck properly. And almost every deck will scalp under the right conditions.