Owners manual

26
SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE
Adjustments
CAUTION
Shut the engine off, remove the ignition key and engage the parking brake
before making adjustments. Protect your hands by using heavy gloves
when handling the blades.
Adjusting RH & LH Drive Control Levers
The RH and LH drive control levers can be adjusted up or down and forward or
backward for the comfort of the operator. The drive control levers can be placed in
either of two height positions, and/or can be moved forward or rearward within the
range of the slot in each lower arm.
To adjust the drive control lever height, proceed as follows:
1. Remove the upper hex screw and flat washer securing the lever to the pivot
bracket.
2. While supporting the control lever to keep it from falling, remove the hex
screw and flat washer from the bottom of the control lever and lower arm.
Refer to Figure 31.
Flat Washer
Hex Screw
Lower Arm
Control Lever
Height
Adjustment
Holes
Figure 31
3. Reposition the control lever to align with the other set of holes in the lower
arm and insert the hex screw through the flat washer and into the lower
arm. Tighten the hex screw until snug.
4. Insert the hex screw through the flat washer and through the control lever
slot and the lower arm. Do not tighten now.
5. If you are going to adjust the control levers forward or rearward, proceed to
the next step. If not, fully tighten the hex screw.
To adjust the drive control levers forward/rearward, proceed as follows:
1. If not already loose, loosen the hex screw and rotate the control lever either
forward or rearward to the desired position. See Figure 31.
NOTE: If the control lever is too tight to move, slightly loosen the hex screw
at the bottom of the control lever.
2. Tighten the hex screw to fix the control lever in the adjusted position
3. Repeat the above procedure to adjust the other control lever into the same
position. Adjust so that both levers are even with each other when in the
neutral position.
Deck Leveling
NOTE: Check the tractor’s tire pressure before performing any deck leveling
adjustments. Refer to Tires for information regarding tire pressure.
WARNING
Shut the engine off, remove the ignition key and engage the parking brake
before making adjustments. Protect your hands by using heavy gloves
when handling the blades.
Leveling the Deck (Side-to-Side)
NOTE: Check the tractor’s tire pressure before performing any deck leveling adjustments.
Refer to Tires for information regarding tire pressure. Always level the deck side-to-side
before front to rear.
If the cutting deck appears to be mowing unevenly, a side-to-side adjustment can
be performed. Adjust if necessary as follows:
1. With the tractor parked on a firm, level surface, place the deck lift handle in
a middle mowing position and rotate both outside blades so that they are
perpendicular with the tractor.
2. Measure the distance from the outside of the left blade tip to the ground
and the distance from the outside of the right blade tip to the ground. Both
measurements taken should be equal. If they’re not, proceed to the next step.
3. Loosen the lower jam nut on the adjustable lift link attached to the deck lift
arm to lower the deck and tighten the upper jam nut to secure the deck in
place, loosen the upper jam nut then tighten the lower jam nut to secure the
deck in place. See Figure 32.
Adjustable Lift Link
Upper Jam Nut
Lower Jam Nut
Deck Lift Arm
Figure 32
4. The deck is properly leveled when both blade tip measurements are equal.
Leveling the Deck (Front-To-Rear)
NOTE: Check the tractor’s tire pressure before performing any deck leveling
adjustments. Refer to Tires for information regarding tire pressure. Always level the
deck side-to-side before front to rear.
The front of the deck should be between ⁄⁄” lower than the rear of the deck.
Adjust if necessary as follows:
1. Park the tractor on a firm, level surface and place the deck lift handle in a
middle position.
2. Rotate the blade nearest the discharge chute so that it is parallel with the
tractor.