Lawnflite 703 tractor mower questions

[Harry Bloomfield]

Yesterday, I gave it a good wash down with the pressure washer, particularly the cutting deck and the duct, leaving it for the rest of the day to dry. I then gave it a good soaking with WD40, to see if it helps resolve the cuttings duct from becoming choked - as per the suggestion posted earlier.

 

[Sirandy]

Hey Harry, hope you are still around on these forums! I have a 705 which by your description, has the same setup for raising/lowering the deck, and I am also having some problems getting the deck to work properly. Belts and blades are all ok, but that front U-bar setup is also adjusted all the way to its stops, and still the front doesnt lift as much as I like. I might try what you did and slacken it off a bit and try relocating the rear stays and see if I can get it to level better. Is yours still going strong?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Yep, still working and still with the same issues, though I might have solved it a little - earlier this week. I don't use it with the collector on the back, because it tends to jam the duct up with it's own cuttings, when ever the grass is too moist. Until this week, I have simply carried a stick, to poke the duct clear. ...

This week, I fashioned a U shaped a short replacement for the entire plastic duct, from stainless steel, so it discharged the grass back on the ground. The stainless steel was repurposed cooker hood duct, which was just the right width of U. My initial tests of the modification, suggest it's the right sort of idea, it just needs a deflector panel, or flap, added at the rear, to reduce the small amount of cuttings, still going out through the square hole at the very back.

 

[Sirandy]

Ah ok. I am using the grass catcher, and for now it seems to be working ok. What I cannot get right is the height of the deck. I have resorted to putting ONE side on the upper hole on the lifter bar and the other on the lower and then using the adjuster on the one side to try get it level. The front stay doesnt seem to offer enough forward movement to be able to lift it enough. Quite frustrating.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Ah ok. I am using the grass catcher, and for now it seems to be working ok. What I cannot get right is the height of the deck. I have resorted to putting ONE side on the upper hole on the lifter bar and the other on the lower and then using the adjuster on the one side to try get it level. The front stay doesnt seem to offer enough forward movement to be able to lift it enough. Quite frustrating.

The nearer to the front, the deck is pulled on the U-bar, the less the front edge of the deck will move up and down, when the height adjuster is moved at the rear end of the deck. I think you are suggesting you have set your deck up, tight up to the very front?

I agree, it is a very strange arrangement, tilting the deck - my previous tractor, suspended the deck on steel cables, one at each corner, located horizontally by guide brackets. The entire deck moved up and down perfectly level.

I can only use 4 or 5 when cutting - 5 is fully up, which I use when it hasn't been cut for a while, 4 is as low as it will go, without jamming the deck with cuttings, which has the deck almost resting on the deck wheels. If I lower it to 3 the deck wheels are taking the weight of the deck, and the deck just chokes up, unable to clear itself of cuttings. 2 and 1, I just cannot use at all, they serve no purpose.

 

[lostinthelight]

Often overlooked is tyre pressure, if low it can have bearing on cutting heights

 

[Sirandy]

Harry, we have the exact same situation. Top two settings are the only useable ones to mee too. It's almost like that front U bar is too short. I might try getting some new threads cut further down and then lop the excess off. It's a bit of work but I don't see any other way as the hinge arms cannot be adjusted any further than they already are. Front definitely needs lifting. A 4 point lift would be way better. Also, the scalp wheels are useless at the back, would have served a better purpose at the front, or even all 4 corners.
If set the tyre pressure correctly, and it won't make a difference if the deck isn't lifting level anyway.
With regards your clogging in the chute, make sure to time the blades so they are perpendicular to each other, if they're out of sync, then you will get 'surging' of the airflow to try clear getting the cuttings over the axle?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

With regards your clogging in the chute, make sure to time the blades so they are perpendicular to each other, if they're out of sync, then you will get 'surging' of the airflow to try clear getting the cuttings over the axle?

To be fair, even if they are set up in sync., they will gradually drift out of sync anyway in use, due to slippage in the belt drive.

 

[robinbanks]

I tend to use the side discharge chute on my Hayter; have you thought about fitting one, Harry?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I tend to use the side discharge chute on my Hayter; have you thought about fitting one, Harry?

The mower deck isn't designed to side discharge, or be adapted to do that.

 

[robinbanks]

I'm sure a person of your engineering Kaliber could overcome that..

 

[lostinthelight]

I'm sure a person of your engineering Kaliber could overcome that..

Counter rotating blades are designed for rear discharge so economic modification would be a non starter

 

[Burnerman]

With my Mountfield, the chute was in poor condition with rust. I've renewed it now, and given the inside a coat of Hammerite smooth - which has definitely helped with the clogging issue.
John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Grass growing season, so I am back to this issue....

In another forum, someone suggested making and adding a homemade curved discharge duct, in place of the cuttings collector. Basically two pieces of ply, cut in the shape of 1/4 of a circle, like a pie shape, 12" x 12" on the straight sides, with some sheet alloy tacked onto the curve. It hooks onto the outlet, simply directing the cuttings and airstream, down towards the ground, instead of blowing them straight out the back. Straight out the back, the slightest breeze blows them all over, including over you and in your face. The adaption works rather well, dropping the cutting in a neat row on the ground, behind you - I don't know why it should, but it does seem to reduce drastically the frequency of the deck becoming choked.

Looking again at that weird U shaped bar, upon which the deck is suspended/hinged, at the front. I wonder if some sort of spring, hooked onto the bar, between where it hooks onto the deck, and somewhere on the chassis, would help raise the front edge of the deck a little?