What's the leveling procedure on a 42SD?

[RED-Z06 2,220]

My 416 has taken to cutting poorly, new blades and the tips all line up i dont think the chassis/shell is tweaked.  Tire pressure is even.  Spindles all in great condition, ive got new rear deck wheels coming, one is a bit worn but...whats the leveling procedure?

[daveoman1966 3,745]

Firstly, is the deck mounted correctly...  If not, the deck will flop around in all directions.  

 

[pfrederi 17,681]

The only adjustable level is front to back.  You want the front about 1/8" lower than the back.  You will see a threaded 3/8 inch rod center rear.  Item 19 tighten or loosen 28 to adjust.

[RED-Z06 2,220]

4 minutes ago, daveoman1966 said:

Firstly, is the deck mounted correctly...  If not, the deck will flop around in all directions.  

 

Oh yes, fully engaged, pain in the butt to get it to all pop together sometimes.

[RED-Z06 2,220]

4 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

The only adjustable level is front to back.  You want the front about 1/8" lower than the back.  You will see a threaded 3/8 inch rod center rear.  Item 19 tighten or loosen 28 to adjust.

Ill check the front to rear, but it seems like its off left to right.  Maybe the rear wheel bar is twisted 

[squonk 41,040]

Make sure the deck is solid under where the height adjuster bolts on. Common crack rust out spot. The rear wheels won't be level if this happens

[oliver2-44 9,710]

Also look for cracks, bent areas around the spindle mount areas.  

The 42" deck I rebuilt a few years ago had a twist in the shell when disassembled and set on a flat surface. 

Mr rosebud and a front end loader bucket pressed it flat again. 

Check the attach-a-matic  forks and corresponding deck rods for worn areas. 

[wallfish 16,986]

After checking out All of the above, if there's still an issue you can try adjusting it some with the rear tire pressures for the side to side adjustment. Like if it's from worn rods and mounting points.  It's OK if the tire pressure for each isn't the same.

[kpinnc 11,934]

Nobody mentioned the deck wheels. They are the only thing that levels left to right. If one is worn or different from the other, the deck will not cut evenly.

 

A bent blade will cause problems as well. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by kpinnc

[RED-Z06 2,220]

Okay, its off 3/4 inch..lower on the right side, no cracking around the mounts or bars, but the shell flexes...

 

 

[RED-Z06 2,220]

1 minute ago, kpinnc said:

Nobody mentioned the deck wheels. They are the only thing that levels left to right. If one is worn or different from the other, the deck will not cut evenly.

 

A bent blade will cause problems as well. 

 

The wheels are low usage, one is a little loose and new ones are on their way but its off 3/4"

[Handy Don 12,170]

21 hours ago, RED-Z06 said:

The wheels are low usage, one is a little loose and new ones are on their way but its off 3/4"

My 42 had the cross shaft that supports the gage wheels torqued by over ½" at the axle bolt holes.

BTSOOM how it got that way as the rest of the deck was in great shape.

Big adjustable wrench with a "cheater" pipe and a heavy vise on a well-anchored bench plus a few grunts and groans and I was able to re-align it.

[RED-Z06 2,220]

2 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

My 42 had the cross shaft that supports the gage wheels torqued by over ½" at the axle bolt holes.

BTSOOM how it got that way as the rest of the deck was in great shape.

Big adjustable wrench with a "cheater" pipe and a heavy vise on a well-anchored bench plus a few grunts and groans and I was able to re-align it.

Im going to recheck when the new wheels arrive, if its off i may have to weld in a support across the discharge, underneath, to tie the front and back of the deck together, frankly thats how it should have been from new

Edited December 6, 2021 by RED-Z06

[Handy Don 12,170]

2 minutes ago, RED-Z06 said:

Im going to recheck when the new wheels arrive, if its off i may have to weld in a support across the discharge, underneath, to tie the front and back of the deck together, frankly thats how it should have been from new

Mine is an RD so the sides are enclosed and naturally stiffer. Haven't looked closely at an SD to judge.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Handy Don

[Handy Don 12,170]

11 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Mine is an RD so the sides are enclosed and naturally stiffer. Haven't looked closely at an SD to judge.

 

14 minutes ago, RED-Z06 said:

Im going to recheck when the new wheels arrive, if its off i may have to weld in a support across the discharge, underneath, to tie the front and back of the deck together, frankly thats how it should have been from new

 

I'll offer a general caution here about adding structure under the deck that could either obstruct the airflow or trap moisture/debris. If I wanted to stiffen a deck, I'd try to do it to the exterior. 

[RED-Z06 2,220]

51 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Mine is an RD so the sides are enclosed and naturally stiffer. Haven't looked closely at an SD to judge.

Wish i had a 36 or 42 RD...

[roadapples 6,983]

16 minutes ago, RED-Z06 said:

Wish i had a 36 or 42 RD...

There will be plenty at the Big show....

[RED-Z06 2,220]

3 minutes ago, roadapples said:

There will be plenty at the Big show....

Only an 36hr 2500 mile round trip🤣

[Handy Don 12,170]

3 hours ago, RED-Z06 said:

Only an 36hr 2500 mile round trip🤣

Yeah, that is a bit of a damper. 

There are a couple members from Florida, maybe you guys could work something out! (And yeah, I've been to Florida and I KNOW it's a big state )

[Southern_Secret 463]

I love my 42" RD but boy o boy does it make a mess 

[Lee1977 6,648]

On 12/5/2021 at 12:50 PM, RED-Z06 said:

The wheels are low usage, one is a little loose and new ones are on their way but its off 3/4"

The bar that hold the gage wheels can also get twisted causing the deck to be unlevel, or welded on wrong. I had that no my C-120 I bought new.

If the gage wheel are not worn out I have drilled them out and added oillite bushings. They are easy to drill out.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Lee1977

[RED-Z06 2,220]

New gauge wheels didn't fix it...slight improvement but only slight.

 

I pulled the adjustment sector off after finding both nuts were rusted away, once off i found that the deck was cracking around the mount holes.  I put in new bolts but the deck still flexed there...so i put the sector bracket where i wanted it (slid in to fully capture the handle) and broke out Ye Olde MiG welder...gave her a little zzzzzz zzzzz and now shes firmly attached with no fkexation there.

 

Grass will need a couple days to grow but it looks good as far as being level.