# Help ! Screwed-up Mower Deck



## bigcut (Jul 13, 2014)

I have a craftwman model 917.270820 twin blade 42" deck. IN the spring I placed 2 ramps to the back of my tailgate and changed the blades. Things were fine till I changed the blades. 
Now, the right rear side of the deck is about an inch higher than the left rear side. However, the front of the deck is even. I'm perplexed as to what to do to bring the rear into alignment. Also curious as to what happened when I changed the blades to cause the deck to go out of alignment !!
Any thought, suggestions ????
JOhn


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## allisfan (Oct 23, 2014)

You might have bent one of the rear supports if the weight of the tractor was unbalanced on the ramps.


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## ftorleans1 (Jul 12, 2009)

Ditto to what allisfan mentioned. The rear deck support is most likely been bent upwards which will cause the rear of the deck to ride higher than normal. Simply changing the blades will never throw a deck out of alignment.

The deck more than likely struck the ramps or leading edge of the tailgate which caused the hanger to be bent. Keep in mind, The deck hangers are in most cases, Barely enough to hold the deck and any upward force applied to them will almost always bend them.

If it was an older Cub, Deere, Gravely or the like, They would be able to withstand more punishment as the hangers are almost twice as thick...

Let us know what you find!!!


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## bigcut (Jul 13, 2014)

ftorleans1 said:


> Ditto to what allisfan mentioned. The rear deck support is most likely been bent upwards which will cause the rear of the deck to ride higher than normal. Simply changing the blades will never throw a deck out of alignment.
> 
> The deck more than likely struck the ramps or leading edge of the tailgate which caused the hanger to be bent. Keep in mind, The deck hangers are in most cases, Barely enough to hold the deck and any upward force applied to them will almost always bend them.
> 
> ...


Guys,
When I drove the tractor up onto the ramps, I suspect the deck briefly hung up on the ramp, based on the angle. I only drove the tractor far enough up the ramps to have access to the blades. I used the tailgate just to give me height. My focus however was on keeping the wheels on the ramps. My rear tires are about as wide as the wooden ramps.
I did manage to get the deck properly level. Here's what I did:
1. Got the side to side even
2. Pulled the retainer springs (cotter pins) out of the front links where the links meet the front of the mower deck and pulled the links out of the holes that go into the mower deck. (This caused the mower deck to drop in the front and made the rear of the deck raise up). Note: I figured, if there were any bent parts, I would get uneven measurements, so I took measurements on both sides of the front and rear. The front was about an inch and the rear was 4 1/2" as I recall, but even on each side.
3. I backed off the nuts where they connect the front links to the frame of the tractor and reconnected the front links with the mower deck without inserting the pins. This made the connection very loose.
4. Then I slowly began tightening the nuts on the front links taking measurements all around the deck as I went along.
5. Got the front measurements to be 1/4" lower than the rear deck measurements, making the deck level, according to the owners manual. Then re-inserted the pins.

My Craftsman tractor is from the late 90's, so it's fairly well built. I did not get a chance to test the mowing on the lawn however, due to the weather and I still have to put battery and brace back in. But, I am confident, I finally got the mower level.

For those with tractors that have the front links, here's what I learned. It's very analogous to a see saw or teeter totter. The front links, cause the front of the deck to raise or lower, depending on the tension (distance) between the front tractor frame and the front of the deck, as connected by the links. The greater the distance between the nut and the mower deck the lower the front will be and the higher the back of the deck will be. You also have to adjust the nuts in unison for the right and left sides, to keep things even.
Thanks for all the thoughts and comments guys. John


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## ftorleans1 (Jul 12, 2009)

Hey John, That sounds excellent!!! So pleased to hear nothing was bent...... It's good to see folks who actually pull out the owners manual and do the job correctly....
I have a 1996 Craftsman Garden Tractor, Manual gear box which came with a 46" deck. Back in August, I found a 2003, 48" deck which had just one half of an hour of use on it from Craigslist for $100.00. Even with it being 11 years old, Approx. 92% of the paint was still on the belt pulley grooves. Zero rust on the deck... What a find! 

Best part of all, The heavier duty mounting hardware was still attached to the deck. I simply unbolted my original hangers and installed the heavier duty hangers and proceeded with the same procedure you went through to level out everything.

I purchased the tractor from craigslist back in July for $200.00 due to the person moving out of town and because the carb was gummed up from sitting for the past 4 years. $300.00 plus some carb. cleaner along with my labor and presto, A very nice running and excellent cutting machine.......


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## bigcut (Jul 13, 2014)

Flor,
That is quite a find....I would think those are rare...I don't have room in my garage to keep anything beyond vehicles, bikes, etc. If I did, I'd look for opportunities like you found.
As a result of a lack of space, I have to keep the tractor covered on the patio. With winter, it makes it impossible to do anything, too cold or rainy, snowy, etc.
In the summer, I'm afraid to take anything apart, because if I don't fix it in a hurry, my grass will go unmowed. And if I have to order parts, I have to wait for delivery.

I must admit, getting the deck level, and reading over the owners manual (50 times) has given me renewed confidence in my abilities. So, the bruises, cuts, and dirt under the fingernails, has just about cleared up. Time for another challenge.
John.....keep you blades sharp !!


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## Halifax (Oct 8, 2009)

John, did you recheck your blade install? I managed to install one blade on top of the star incorrectly and noticed the uneven cut. I removed the blade and installed correctly, all is well. You might be fine, but worth the check. Aubrey


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## bigcut (Jul 13, 2014)

Halifax,
Thanks, I'll be sure to double check that.
John


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