# Rear hitch heartburn and mower deck guards



## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

I don;t know about all L & G tractors, but my GX 335's rear hitch hole is a hole approximately 7/8" in diam. Thats fine if you want to utilize a trailer ball, but when I used a trailer ball on my previous tractors I usually always manaaged to utilize pull type equipment I have that was really too large for the tractor, so I decided I would only use the standard pin type hitch that just about all items are made with. Most of the pin type I found are 1/2" diam. So that leavces a lot of slop in the hole in the tractors hitch, which slops around a lot. I sort of like things to fit pretty decent. Another thing is the tongues would always scrub off any paint on the hitch as well. I made a stepped washer, sort of looks like a stove pipe hat. The smaller diameter of the stepped washer fits the 7/8" hole in the hitch, and the thickness of this step matches the thickness of the rear hitchs steel support. The larger diameter of this stepped washer is 2" in diam, and is 3/8" thick so the overall thickness of this stepped washer is right at 3/4". It has a 1/2" hole (reamed slightly oversize) in the middle for the hitch pins to go through. I place this stepped washer in the hole and the larger diam keeps it from falling through. The added thickness of the larger step raises up any tongue on equipment off the painted portion of the hitch assembly, and provides sufficient support, as well as reducing the up and down slack between the typical U shaped hitches on trailers etc. No more slopping of the pulled equipment when going from forward to reverse and the paint on the rear hitch is intact. 


My next item that I am looking to fix is the close fitting pulley and belt guards on the 54C decks. They just collect so much debri under them that is impossible to get out without having to remove them. Yea, its not a real big deal but a pain none the less. General grass cutting was not too much of a problem, but using it to pull a vac cart those areas really seemed to pack up pretty well in no time at all. Presently I am leaving them off when vacuming up debris etc. I happened to notice some oddball wear on the backside of the mower spindle drive belt, which came from debri getting packed under the guards. Thinking of making some higher standoff type nuts out of hex brass or delrin with a knurled area so that you can remove these guards without having to go get a socket and ratchet. ALso kicking around a few other ideas, but nothing is firm yet as to what I am going to eventually do. Anyone else have this problem? 

Oh, I received a box in the mail today. It was from John Deere. Opened it up and it happened to be a free cap and thanking me for purchase of a JD product. Best part is there was actually 2 caps in the box, but the letter stated "cap", so I assume it was a packaging error. JD must have been reading my mind as I had planned on buying a new cap on Monday. Now my German Shepherd and I have new JD caps to wear


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## johndeere (Sep 17, 2003)

Great ideas!!!!!!! Wow 2 new hats I would be happy just to get one for buying a LX277.Time will tell I guess maybe they do not do that with the lawn tractors however.I have heard people say they got a video with there tractors.But I did not get one of them either.How long did it take from when you purchased your Johndeere for the hat to show up in your mail?

I have also heard people say you get a Staniless steel cup for buying a Cub cadet but I did not get one.Made me so mad I bought a Johndeere just to get even with them LOL.


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## Bigdog (Sep 18, 2003)

I got a free hat from my JD dealer when I bought my LX 277 this June. Then got one in the mail from John Deere in August. We ordered our grandson's Christmas present (battery powered tractor with trailer) from the JD website and the shipping comfirmation invoice shows they are shipping another hat with that order.
Hang in there, you may get one yet!:hooray:

The video came with the tractor.


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## johndeere (Sep 17, 2003)

Thats good then hopefully I will get a hat then.In a few months.I did not get a hat from the dealer.Also I did not get a video with the tractor.Plus I think I was cheated a operators manual I have one for the tractor.But it does not mention the 48C deck in that manual.So my guess is there is a seperate one.I called the dealership to ask about this second manual.There supose to check into it and if it is suppose to have one sepeate from the tractor manual.Have one mailed to me from Johndeere.I wonder about that set up man they have.He probably lost my second manual and stoled my video.


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## KevinJD325 (Sep 21, 2003)

Not sure it will work on your deck or not, but here is what I did to make the the area around the pulleys easier to clean. Just cut a "V" upside down into the cover of the pulley in a convenient place. Make the "V" about 1" wide at the bottom. When your done cutting, or whatever, just use a blower to blow a little air in through the "V" to remove the grass, leaves and dirt from around and under the pulleys and belt. The deck I did this on was a JD 48C.


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