42" scalping

[goose 0]

:whistle:

I am the proud owner of a 310-08. It came equipped with a 42" SD deck. The problem I'm having is that I can't adjust the deck so that it doesn't scalp. Even with the gage wheels in the highest cutting position the blades are only about 2" off the floor and that's at the rear of the deck in the front they are about an inch lower. Is this and adjustment issue or a wear issue?

Goose

[refracman 167]

Goose

First park the tractor on level concrete then turn the blades so they go from front to back. with the blades in position measue down the front and the back the front shouild be about a 1/4 inch higher if not there is a rod that connects the gauge wheels to the lift frame of the deck on the back of the deck. tighten the nut until the measurments are correct. ALso if you go to the toro web site you can download a manual for setting up you deck. Hope this helps

And :WRS:

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Your wheels may be worn down. You may want to replace them, and even go a size or two bigger.

Then, once the new wheels are on the deck, adjust the front to back as described above.

[HankB 16]

(Old thread, but why start a new discussion when an old one will do. )

I'd like to increase the mowing height of my 42" recycler deck. (#78355) It looks like the easiest easy to do this is go to oversize gauge wheels. Any suggestions for a good source for these? I found some 7" gauge wheels for a Cub Cadet but nothing at 8".

Will the leveling adjustment accommodate a 2" diameter increase (1" increase in height?) At present the gauge wheels are 6" (almost) in diameter. It looks like there is sufficient clearance for the additional 2" diameter on the deck itself.

thanks,

hank

[HankB 16]

I found wheels at McMaster-Carr and they came in today. The ones I got were 8" x 1 3/4" offset with ball bearing hubs. (Their #2331T53)

I put them on and found that they fit the deck, but go beyond what the leveling mechanism can handle. With the leveling rod adjusted as far as the threads go, the front of the deck is about 1/2" lower than the back. With that adjustment, I cannot move the deck level adjustment to the highest setting. But at the next setting or two, I'm sure it is higher than with the original 6" wheels. I'm not 100% satisfied, but I did achieve the desired result.

The wheel looks like:

And the result with the deck looks like:

Other differences -

- The replacement wheels have ball bearing hubs. The Wheel Horse wheels had a steel bushing and grease zerk.

- The replacement wheels require a slightly shorter shoulder bolt. I put 3 flat washers on each to accommodate the difference. McMaster-Carr also had shoulder bolts but I saw no particular need to replace the ones I had. (McMaster-Carr has the correct size bolts for $3.22 each.)

Were I to do it again, I would probably choose the 7" wheel to provide better fit on the tractor.

-hank

[hbrooks49 12]

Interesting , I bought 7 inch offset hub wheels at TSC and found that they would need a lot of offset to avoid hitting the deck itself. Required offset was enough that it made me nervous about bending the uprights. Has anyone else done this ... it would be nice to know the distance between the support and the inside of the wheel.....

Thanks for any information you can provide ...

[can whlvr 993]

i tried years ago to put 7,s on and it didnt workout for me either

[hbrooks49 12]

Thanks for the response ..... I was hoping it wasn't just me.

[Don1977 604]

The deck needs adjucting it should only be slightly lower in the front. The wheels axles and rollers may also be worn out. I have change all three over over the last 35 years.

Also check the air pressure in your front tires. I have a 48" deck and it has never scalped. The last time I mowed it was cutting a little lower on one side but that front tire was low on air.

[Chevydave 25]

I went through the same thing.

I used the unit for 20 years before it started scalping, a 416-8 with a 42" side discharge.

You can get the new deck wheels from anyone who sells Toro parts.

With the new wheels I had to adjust the deck to almost the end of the adjustment rod to get it level or close to level.

It is now cutting higher than I even remember.

I think the deck might not have been leveled when I bought the unit new.

When I bought it there were tractors and attachments seperate, pick your tractor, pick your attachments.

[Chevydave 25]

you might also want to adjust the height the deck raises in the up position.

I think in the up position my deck wheels were still touching the ground.

The wheel then wears when going over concrete.

I made an adjustment now they are 2" off the ground in the up position.