Deck Leveling, Adjusting the Blade Slope

Maintenance

Adjustments

Note: Disengage PTO, shut off engine, wait for all moving parts to stop, engage parking brake, and remove key before servicing, cleaning, or making any adjustments to the unit.

CAUTION

Raising the mower deck for service or maintenance relying solely on mechanical or hydraulic jacks could be dangerous. The mechanical or hydraulic jacks may not be enough support or may malfunction allowing the unit to fall, which could cause injury.

Do Not rely solely on mechanical or hydraulic jacks for support. Use adequate jack stands or equivalent support.

Deck Leveling

1.Position the mower on a flat surface.

2.Stop engine, wait for all moving parts to stop, and remove key. Engage parking brake.

3.Check the tire pressure in the drive tires. Proper inflation pressure for tires is 13 psi (90 kPa). Adjust if necessary.

4.Position the transport lock in the latching position.

5.Carefully rotate the blades from side to side.

6.Measure between the outside cutting edges and the flat surface (Figure 23). If both measurements are not within 3/16 inch (5 mm), an adjustment is required; continue with this procedure.

8.Set the height-of-cut lever to the 3 inch (76 mm) position. Place two “B” thick blocks (see Block Height and Rake Table) under the rear edge of the cutting deck skirt; one on each side of the cutting deck. Place two “A” thick blocks under each side of the front edge of the deck, but not under the anti-scalp roller brackets.

Block Height and Rake Table

Deck	Front Block	Rear Block	Rake “R”
Size	Height “A”	Height “B”

48 &	2.54 inches	2.58 inches	1/16–5/16 inch
52	(6.5 cm)	(6.6 cm)	(1.6–7.9 mm)

9.Carefully rotate the blades side to side (Figure 23).

10.Loosen the leveling adjust locking nuts (item 1 Figure 24) on all four corners so that the deck is sitting securely on all four blocks. Make sure that the slack is removed from the deck hangers and the deck lift foot lever is pushed back against the stop, then tighten the four leveling adjust locking nuts.

Figure 24

1.	Leveling adjust locking	3.	Deck hanger
	nuts
2.	Deck lift arm	4.	Chain

Figure 23

1. Blades side to side

2. Measure here

7.Set anti-scalp rollers to top holes or remove completely for this adjustment.

11.Recheck that blocks fit just snugly under the deck skirt. Make sure all attachment bolts are tight

12.Continue leveling the deck by checking the front-to-rear blade slope; refer to Adjusting the

Blade Slope.

13.Recheck blades for levelness and repeat deck leveling procedure if necessary.

Adjusting the Blade Slope

1.Check the front-to-rear blade level any time you install the mower. If the front blade tip is not “R” (see Block Height and Rake Table in Deck