whoever designed the deck raise/lower/adjust on these is a MORON! but anyways, I took the mower deck off to see why it was cutting so poorly no matter how I adjusted it and found that one of the spindles was cracked at two of the three mount points! So I had a spare and installed it and while it was off, I scraped clean and painted the underside of the deck with some industrial Rustoleum that I had lying around. I also cleaned and painted the battery tray too as it was a rusty mess.
Next up was figuring out why the brake system felt like it wasn't doing what it should. Turns out the return spring on the caliper was missing. I decided to remove the control arm for the brake system as my lawn is completely flat and try it this way and see the difference. After it was put back together there is no difference. The clutch/brake pedal disengages the belt from the engine and the mower stops within a few feet anyways. Good riddance.
After cleaning up the underside of the tractor as best as I could and tightening a nut for the steering arm that was barely on (wow, what a difference!) I put the deck back on with the help of my neighbor and mowed the back yard. Results are awesome. Mower performance is more even and the clippings fly out the discharge chute no doubt because of the newly painted underside. I am happy.
Next up was figuring out why the brake system felt like it wasn't doing what it should. Turns out the return spring on the caliper was missing. I decided to remove the control arm for the brake system as my lawn is completely flat and try it this way and see the difference. After it was put back together there is no difference. The clutch/brake pedal disengages the belt from the engine and the mower stops within a few feet anyways. Good riddance.
After cleaning up the underside of the tractor as best as I could and tightening a nut for the steering arm that was barely on (wow, what a difference!) I put the deck back on with the help of my neighbor and mowed the back yard. Results are awesome. Mower performance is more even and the clippings fly out the discharge chute no doubt because of the newly painted underside. I am happy.
