Thoughts on a 417-a running a 60" deck

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

Hey folks, what is the general consensus on the 417a running a 60" deck?  The tractor does have the 6" front wheels.  Seems like the 17hp twin kohler would handle it okay to me offhand.  It won't be field mowing or anything crazy, just a normal flat 2 acre yard.  A friend picked this up recently and it has a 42" deck and he may pick up a 60" if one pops up locally but we want to make sure we aren't missing anything that would cause it not to be a good match.  Thanks in advance! 

[lynnmor 7,302]

17 HP should be enough if conditions are good, the 60" deck throws the grass out well.  Expect it to steer hard without the gear reduction steering found on most 520's.  Getting enough cutting height might be difficult with the small front tires.

[Handy Don 12,167]

Power and height are not the only issues. Is there enough wheelbase on the 417 for the 60" deck to fit and still have room for the 6" front wheels to turn? And the 60 also requires a different mule, right?

[roadapples 6,983]

Yes different mule drive...

[JCM 9,130]

My personal opinion would be a 48'' Side Discharge deck with 8'' fronts that it came with when new would be perfect. Plenty of power.

[Ed Kennell 38,029]

I think the KT17 would be capable of turning a 60incher.    My 417 seems ever bit as strong as my 520.

 

The tire clearance may be the issue.      I'm not sure on the spring loaded mule drive.     Does anyone know exactly why it is used on the 520/60" deck combo?

[roadapples 6,983]

The pulleys are farther apart and at a different angle to allow for the extra length of the deck. Just sold one at the Big Show....

  Not sure why the spring

Edited July 9, 2021 by roadapples

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

Thanks all for the suggestions.  Still seems a bit confusing though.  So the 520H was the only tractor really made to run the 60" deck?  And it had a different mule drive so if you got the 60" deck you could only use that one and not interchange with a smaller deck size?  I'm just wanting to be sure I'm clear for future reference.  I thought maybe the mule drive belt could be a different length but never thought the mule drives would be different and it's the first time I've ever heard there are different mule drives for the decks in the wheel horse lines with the attachamatic system. 

 

I do have a correction from original post and the front tires are the 16x6.5-8, not the 6" wheels I thought it had.  Seems like the smaller wheel would give more clearance but maybe not if the offset is a little different.  So with the bigger front wheel/tire setup it should be fine if the right mule drive can be had as well?  Anyone know the mule drive part number for the 60" deck?

[Ed Kennell 38,029]

The 1988 and 1989 520s do not have the forward swept front axle.   I believe the forward swept axle was added to the 1990 and newer 520s so the front tires would clear the 60" deck.

This means a 417 or any tractor w/o the forward swept axle could not use a 60" deck.       Any series  300, 400, and 520 can use the 42 and 48" decks with a regular mule drive. 

  I am still not sure why the 60" decks came with the special  spring loaded mule drive.   Maybe to supply a more constant tension on the drive belt.    Maybe for the belt to clear the forward swept axle.

 

Maybe Garry can offer some advice. @gwest_ca

[Handy Don 12,167]

11 hours ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

Thanks all for the suggestions.  Still seems a bit confusing though.  So the 520H was the only tractor really made to run the 60" deck?  And it had a different mule drive so if you got the 60" deck you could only use that one and not interchange with a smaller deck size?  I'm just wanting to be sure I'm clear for future reference.  I thought maybe the mule drive belt could be a different length but never thought the mule drives would be different and it's the first time I've ever heard there are different mule drives for the decks in the wheel horse lines with the attachamatic system. 

 

I do have a correction from original post and the front tires are the 16x6.5-8, not the 6" wheels I thought it had.  Seems like the smaller wheel would give more clearance but maybe not if the offset is a little different.  So with the bigger front wheel/tire setup it should be fine if the right mule drive can be had as well?  Anyone know the mule drive part number for the 60" deck?

Reinforcing @Ed Kennell's comment: the "standard" mule works on all decks that are for the 300, 400, and 500 series except the 60" (not the 521 or 522, of course). I use a standard mule on a '95 520 with swept axle and a 42" deck from the 80's.

 

Also, the 6" vs 8" wheels reduce the radius of the tire by 1" -- so they lower the front by 1" and give 1" extra clearance between the front and back wheels.  The swept axles with 8" wheels do not lower the front and they move the wheels forward by a full 2" (plus the swept axle casting includes a clever little recess to preserve the needed clearance on the PTO-to-Mule belt path).

 

The 60" deck uses longer blades than the 48" so, of course, it had to be longer front-to-back as well as side to side. To leave room for the full steering range for the front wheels, WH added 2" of wheelbase using the swept axle. The additional size of the deck, and the geometry of its differently located center deck pulley under the tractor, caused it to need a different mule as well.

 

Like Ed, though, the exact purpose of the 60" mule's spring is not clear to me either. 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Handy Don

[c-series don 8,670]

Okay, I have a 416-A with factory 6” wheels because it came with one of those 37” side discharge kinda off set blade decks. I picked it up with under 200 hours on it. A few years later I found what was basically a NOS 60” deck at a dealer. I purchased it and it clipped right into the mid mount tach a matic . I have been using the standard mule drive since then as well. The only issue is that since I don’t have the forward swept front axle it rubs when I turn more then 90 % and that’s fine as my yard is mostly open.

Edited July 10, 2021 by c-series don

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

Thank you all and to the Don's for the last couple posts.  This gives me enough info for him to make the call if one ever pops up around our parts.