Still trying to get the mower deck right

JimP2014:

Using JB Weld and Duct tape on a Craftsman.
You might be overqualified as a design engineer for Craftsman and Murray.

Here is a video of a guy that has some good tips when working on lawn tractor decks.
Watch the video in post #12

Forest#2 said:

JimP2014:

Using JB Weld and Duct tape on a Craftsman.
You might be overqualified as a design engineer for Craftsman and Murray.

Here is a video of a guy that has some good tips when working on lawn tractor decks.
Watch the video in post #12

https://www.mytractorforum.com/threads/cub-cadet-xt1-46%E2%80%9D-deck-belt-too-loose.1405953/?sortby=oldest&nested_view=1&post_id=13024456&utm_source=threadloom&utm_medium=email&utm_content=iss398&utm_campaign=ed1150&utm_user=R0VnWnUvc0dyN1FtS2pEaVhxYmJoZz09&utm_content_pos=4#post-13024456

Click to expand...

Forest thank you very much for the video I got through 6 minutes of it the guys like he could have courses on this stuff it's so thorough but it's 23 minutes long I do realize that the the only thing I could do other than you know replacing the deck is to use the JB weld and so far that's worked out okay but I was always wondering about the keyway + so what happens is you hit something your blade stops and then the keyway breaks and prevents the engine from destroying okay great how come they don't put the key way and the the breakaway what you need on the mower deck somehow why do you have to start messing with the engine because of a blade that hit a rock that makes no sense to me I would put the break point someplace on the mower deck but definitely it's before the drive shaft in my case would be vertical drive shell this is puzzling but so far getting back to that JB weld it has worked I didn't an extreme amount of it also it's a brand new carriage bolt. So the mower deck never had any Wheels and I added them mainly to stabilize the deck yeah it's kind of tilted in one way and you know it's another frustrating part about design for me but thanks for the URL and I'm getting the points points that are relevant for me out of it so far.

Jim

JimP2014 said:

Forest thank you very much for the video I got through 6 minutes of it the guys like he could have courses on this stuff it's so thorough but it's 23 minutes long I do realize that the the only thing I could do other than you know replacing the deck is to use the JB weld and so far that's worked out okay but I was always wondering about the keyway + so what happens is you hit something your blade stops and then the keyway breaks and prevents the engine from destroying okay great how come they don't put the key way and the the breakaway what you need on the mower deck somehow why do you have to start messing with the engine because of a blade that hit a rock that makes no sense to me I would put the break point someplace on the mower deck but definitely it's before the drive shaft in my case would be vertical drive shell this is puzzling but so far getting back to that JB weld it has worked I didn't an extreme amount of it also it's a brand new carriage bolt. So the mower deck never had any Wheels and I added them mainly to stabilize the deck yeah it's kind of tilted in one way and you know it's another frustrating part about design for me but thanks for the URL and I'm getting the points points that are relevant for me out of it so far.

Jim

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I plan on watching all 23 minutes Tomorrow

But one thing I don't know if this can be done but this website they have a poll for deck height in other words on this machine Craftsman lc2000 you have a range from 1 one the lowest setting up to six the highest setting so normally for me anyways I cut the lawn in position 5 + that should be the optimize position for the mower deck pulleys belts all that stuff I don't know how you would conduct such a poll. Maybe something like the setting you use to cut the lawn what is the percentage of time you use that setting and for me the answer is 100%.

Or how often do you switch heights on the mower deck to cut your lawn or a lawn and for me the answer is 0% of the time.

Jim

That mower wasn't built to mow 5" . None that I know of built like a Craftsman 2000 are . Re-Engineer it by disconnecting all of the height adjustment mechanicals and change what ever is stopping upward movement . ie - if metal in the way remove it . If a lift arm etc. is too short lengthen it or disconnect all and weld it to the frame at your desired height .

SeniorCitizen said:

That mower wasn't built to mow 5" . None that I know of built like a Craftsman 2000 are . Re-Engineer it by disconnecting all of the height adjustment mechanicals and change what ever is stopping upward movement . ie - if metal in the way remove it . If a lift arm etc. is too short lengthen it or disconnect all and weld it to the frame at your desired height .

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your reply here's what I can tell you on setting one I'm cutting 2 in into the dirt . On setting 2 , I'm scraping the topsoil. I On setting three I'm scalping the lawn the tires are filled with the appropriate amount of air and I looked this up several years ago like how do you raise everything up and if you do a search you'll find many people have the same problem and the best solution of that is make sure your tires are filled with the correct amount of air

But I do understand what you're saying I just don't understand why there's like a disconnect between people who make this stuff and people and I mean consumers who have lawns not commercial folks that need all kinds of different things going on so for the consumer line they don't change things up to make it easier for the people they're selling it to!
Jim

JimP2014 said:

Thank you so much for your reply here's what I can tell you on setting one I'm cutting 2 in into the dirt . On setting 2 , I'm scraping the topsoil. I On setting three I'm scalping the lawn the tires are filled with the appropriate amount of air and I looked this up several years ago like how do you raise everything up and if you do a search you'll find many people have the same problem and the best solution of that is make sure your tires are filled with the correct amount of air

But I do understand what you're saying I just don't understand why there's like a disconnect between people who make this stuff and people and I mean consumers who have lawns not commercial folks that need all kinds of different things going on so for the consumer line they don't change things up to make it easier for the people they're selling it to!
Jim

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Wait hold up you got what I meant incorrect I didn't mean 5 in I meant setting five it's just a number on the side of the machine it translates into maybe 2 in or 3 in I apologize if that wasn't clear I don't mean 5 in height to cut the grass.

This Craftsman LT 2000 has a numerical guide on the height adjustment and mine goes from setting one one to setting 6.

Jim

SeniorCitizen said:

That mower wasn't built to mow 5" . None that I know of built like a Craftsman 2000 are . Re-Engineer it by disconnecting all of the height adjustment mechanicals and change what ever is stopping upward movement . ie - if metal in the way remove it . If a lift arm etc. is too short lengthen it or disconnect all and weld it to the frame at your desired height .

Click to expand...

I did reread this, and the actual frame is blocking it. I often wondered about switching wheel/tire (s) to larger ones? Or maybe keep the wheels and get larger tires?

Forest#2 said:

JimP2014:

Using JB Weld and Duct tape on a Craftsman.
You might be overqualified as a design engineer for Craftsman and Murray.

Here is a video of a guy that has some good tips when working on lawn tractor decks.
Watch the video in post #12

https://www.mytractorforum.com/threads/cub-cadet-xt1-46%E2%80%9D-deck-belt-too-loose.1405953/?sortby=oldest&nested_view=1&post_id=13024456&utm_source=threadloom&utm_medium=email&utm_content=iss398&utm_campaign=ed1150&utm_user=R0VnWnUvc0dyN1FtS2pEaVhxYmJoZz09&utm_content_pos=4#post-13024456

Click to expand...

I watched all of the video just now. One thing I did notice even with Cub Cadet is the belt can get an angle ( not the best thing ) coming from the drive shaft pulley and then back to the mower deck pulleys. I have thought about somehow making that bottom pulley on the driveshaft adjustable height ( and also have a keyway here ) so that the belt is always ( as much as possible ) in the same plane with the deck pulleys. For me this would always work since I rarely change deck heights. meaning the same plane will pretty much always be the case.

JimP2014 said:

Forest thank you very much for the video I got through 6 minutes of it the guys like he could have courses on this stuff it's so thorough but it's 23 minutes long I do realize that the the only thing I could do other than you know replacing the deck is to use the JB weld and so far that's worked out okay but I was always wondering about the keyway + so what happens is you hit something your blade stops and then the keyway breaks and prevents the engine from destroying okay great how come they don't put the key way and the the breakaway what you need on the mower deck somehow why do you have to start messing with the engine because of a blade that hit a rock that makes no sense to me I would put the break point someplace on the mower deck but definitely it's before the drive shaft in my case would be vertical drive shell this is puzzling but so far getting back to that JB weld it has worked I didn't an extreme amount of it also it's a brand new carriage bolt. So the mower deck never had any Wheels and I added them mainly to stabilize the deck yeah it's kind of tilted in one way and you know it's another frustrating part about design for me but thanks for the URL and I'm getting the points points that are relevant for me out of it so far.

Jim

Click to expand...

"Using JB Weld and Duct tape on a Craftsman.
You might be overqualified as a design engineer for Craftsman and Murray.".

Forest maybe you picked up on my level of frustration with why I have to even mess with this stuff so I figured duct tape is good enough if it can't fix it why put more effort into it.

But the more I thought about the problem it's actually a good mix for consumers who just want to cut their lawn and folks in the business of repairing lawn equipment. I don't know I'm not in that business but if I was a manufacturer I would have stuff the kind of breaks now and then keep folks who do repair this stuff in business I have nothing against that at all. And where I live many of those folks have gone out of business for one reason or another. And not all consumer products like riding mowers are owned by people that have a flatbed or a trailer or whatever or a truck.

I mean from what I've seen with this mower deck and I've spent 2 months messing around with it off and on the deck itself should just be a shell nothing else on it all these mounts that have holes and square holes and all that other stuff should be bolted this mower deck and from there it's something like a square hole turns into a circular hole you could just replace that part plus a few bolts and nuts to have that piece welded maybe that caters to people in the business. Or even better you have to buy a brand new deck that has the part with the square hole in it I have no idea I'm just looking at it from a consumer point of view.

Jim