Instead of the wood blocks, I found caps to spray paint cans 2" tall, and they work well. I also measure at the blade ends, turned to front, rear, and outside of the mower deck. Actually, the blade height is what I want to know.
That’s pretty clever. You’re right about the deck housing being lower than the blade height. I factor in that difference when cutting the blocks and totally didn’t mention it at all in the video. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the video, on your adjustment knob did you notice that you all ready have a deck leveling gage built into your knob. You pull it out and you supposed to use that. And it tells you were to take measurement of the deck.
Thank you for the videos. I don’t have a manual, so you have been very helpful. Also, I found a gauge under the seat & a tool. I don’t know how to use the tool though. Your method will do the trick! Thank you so much.
I go over the tool in this video here if you’re interested. If it was under the seat, I’m guessing you have an X350? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZkmzBqQxzkI.htmlsi=WMC8-DaahnWxJaVO
The Correct Factory Deck Level Tool, Is Actually in THE CENTER of the height control Knob, Yes that's right, take A Screwdriver, And Pop it right out, and The control knob will show you the pattern to adjust the 3 points on the deck, it will also tell you to set it on 2 1/2" for the X320, which is Exactly what the plastic tool gauge in the Center of the height control knob is, there's no need for making Blocks. 1st, Check your Air Pressure in ALL 4 TIRES before any adjusting, then With the deck Unlocked and hanging, adjust the side to side in the rear 1st, then front to back, there's only 1 Spot in the Front, then repeat, a couple times is PLENTY. Allow approximately a 1/4" gap between the Scalp wheels and the floor as the FINAL adjustment, the front of the deck should be about 1/4" lower than the rear, And the holes in the Scalp Wheel legs Will NOT Be The Same as the rear, Both Front legs and Both Rear Legs WILL be the same. Make Sure Your Deck Will Lock In the travel position after you're done leveling, If the Deck will NOT Lock in the TRAVEL POSITION when you're done, back off the 2 rear nuts A Turn or 2, Until it WILL Lock, it will still be level !!! It's not so bad after figuring it out, it's just a mower, it won't be perfect, especially if your deck and Scalp Arms, has taken a few hits.1 other note to add, I cut down a 3/8 drive 17mm deep well socket for adjusting the rear arms, I also had to cut off a few threads on the rear hangers as well, it was well worth it, instead of using a wrench.
Great Video, However, the Manual for my X350 states that you need to move the Mower cutting height knob to the center position after checking tire pressure. I can't see how the rider would be level with the double bagger side chute and components attached. Any advise?
What about the scalping wheels? Once the deck is level, where should the wheels be when the deck is fully lowered? Should there be more holes visible on the pin in the back then the front for that pitch? Thank you! Love your videos
Hey Jon thanks for the feedback. I adjust my wheels at the very end and I generally like to be able to slide my fingers under them with just a little bit of play. I find that the adjustments of the wheels aren’t exact enough to account for the slight pitch forward of the deck so I use the same general measurement all the way around. It’s a trial and error thing though and you might want to play with it yourself to see what works best for you. Thanks for watching!
The only way to get a true set up is to use that John Deere gauge. I have used mine for years and I find that it has held up well. Use it to measure the blade tips, not the deck edge. At the front the blades should be between 1/8 to 1/4 inch lower than the measurement of the blades at the rear of the tractor. Measuring side to side, the blades should be within 1/8 inch of each other.
You are 1,000% right. My method is more of a “quick and dirty” hack that gets me close enough for what I need, but I’ve been thinking about making another video about the “correct way” like you described. Sorry if the title was misleading. Thanks for watching!
@@DH-mf2lv you are doing it to the letter of the manual my guy, wouldn’t change anything! Still a foot of snow on the ground in Minnesota so it’ll be a bit for more lawn tractor content. You might like my LED headlamp bulb conversion video. You can check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dF4CDsI8Y08.html
Thanks for the video. I have rewound this several times. I’m not sure about the rear adjustment. Do I loosen the nuts on the bar and then dial it down with the tool that is under the seat? My memory is terrible and was just trying to get something in text. Thanks
Couple of questions. If your blocks are set for 2 inch, will that be about 2.5 cut seeing the blades are a little higher than the deck edge?? And My John Deere dealer said the deck should be at a slight tilt towards the front? I guess his theory is the front does the cutting and the rear will recut the cut grass so it blows better.. What ya think???????? I’m not sure I’m buying into his theory……
You nailed it Rick. My video is more of a quick way to get a level deck and you are absolutely correct that the height of the cut will be slightly longer because the blades sit up inside the deck. Pitch of the deck is important too, you’re two for two! Pick the back up off the blocks slightly and that will give you that forward lean. But ultimately, it’s your lawn so do what works for you. Thanks for watching.
Those are the anti scalp wheels and they are designed to be adjusted just above the ground. They shouldn’t be making contact at all times, rather they prevent the deck from scalping the grass when going over uneven terrain.
Really useful.one thing I noticed on my 534 is that the centre bar is actually offset, which might explain why even after levelling, my deck falls down on the bagger side, even without the bagger on. Does yours do this?
I level my lawnmower by side to side by measuring blade tips then turn blades pointing front to rear an measuring tips again best way to be accurate vs measurements of deck surfaces Decks are not stamped equally. blades measure are exact i own seven different brands of lawnmowers dont use deck measure blade to ground
That method works too. I can’t speak to all the different types of mowers but for the John Deere X500’s my method is outlined in the owner’s manual. I have a newer video that walks through page by page of the manual because so many people were telling me I was wrong for measuring off the deck. You can check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZkmzBqQxzkI.html
It should be darn close Fred. Look for the stamping in the deck. I go over it briefly in the video but every measurement point has a number stamped into the steel deck, 1-3. They are hard to see unless you are looking for them.
You want the deck in the lowered position so that what you are measuring is truly the cut height. Anti scalp wheels should be adjusted so they are not in constant contact with the ground.
@@suburbanacreage I tried the method prescribed in the video and unfortunately my mower is still cutting a step in my lawn. I made sure the tires were filled to the correct psi, not sure what's going on. I guess it's time to take it in. Thanks for your help.
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. Are you running a bagger? The power flow bagger adds a lot of weight to one side of the deck so leveling needs to be done with the bagger on the mower. Anti scalp wheels can make a huge difference too. Update me when you find a solution.
@@suburbanacreage Ill let you know what fixes it. I will add that I want to cut the grass at 3.5" which causes a decrease in vacuum from the deck and can cause an uneven cut according to some internet sources. Thanks again.
l was having probs with the belt comming off constandly,,, l shimmed the left real pully up with washe s two of them and what happen was the belt was riding more in the middle of the pully,,,befor the top edge was catching the belt and comming off,,,seems to be working better,,,wheter l miss replacning them not sure as l both this tractor used,,,,time for a cocktail
So true on the air pressure. I use a metal yard stick. I adjust the deck on a level surface and get the housing deck around 3 to 3½" all the way around with the mower sitting on 4". Note, any blade twist will cause a scalping stripe. Make sure the blades are not bent. I adjust my idler wheels so I can't cut less than 3". Prevents scalping going over knolls. When new, you may have to adjust the level several times. After it's settled in, it seldom needs adjusting unless you hit something.
Not really though. Lawn tractors are solid axle so no suspension travel. It would take a lot more weight to flex the tire side walls enough to throw off the cut. Hey I just uploaded a new video I think you’ll like: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dm4PtyyuLbU.html
I have an X350 and have spent the better part of this year TRYING to level my deck with the Deere official leveling tools with NO luck. THIS method worked for me. Its brilliance is its simplicity. Moving the plastic JD tool around was just not doing it for me. The 3 wood blocks cut to 2.5" depth worked like a charm. It also made it go a bit faster as i was not having to share the JD tool with all 3 measuring points. THANK YOU for posting this video and method!
SUCCESS!!! Way to get it handled and glad it worked out for you. It’s my favorite method for a reason; cheap, fast, and EASY! Thanks for the comment, you’ve made my day.
What is the point of those 4 small wheels on the deck? Are they supposed to be touching the ground or be in the air, doing nothing? Why are the back ones facing the wrong way?
I just got my John Deere back from the dealer/maintenance/dept and the first time I ran it, it scalped my grass right to the top of the roots. Couldn’t believe it. It was in the shop because it had a problem with the fuel system. No reason to adjust it. Til now. It seems like service has gotten worse everywhere and more expensive at the same time. And a lot slower. On a happier note it’s almost spring. 😅
Oh that’s a total bummer and really weird. I’m guessing they must have taken the deck off for easier access to something and the level was off when they got everything back together and nobody thought to check it. I hope my video helps you, thanks for watching.
@@suburbanacreage yeah already fixed. Used a 2x4 for two inch measurements and figured it out with the directions which were on the placard on the deck. It’s the weekend, I’m retired as of 2021 right after hitting 60. Worked on airplanes since I joined the navy and got out. Funny enough the company I worked for last did work on p8 planes: Navy. So it was full circle I suppose. Thank you for the video. Good luck with everything. Bill
Hell yeah Bill! Congrats on retirement and thank you for your service. You’re living the dream we all work for. Hopefully you stick around the channel and continue to check out my content. Can’t wait to get back into lawn stuff but Minnesota just got 8 more inches of snow last night. Snow blowing in a T shirt today, haha.
@@suburbanacreage The retirement is tricky. My wife pulled the bait and switch on me. We’re raising an 8, 11 and 2 year old. The 2 year old is absolutely adorable: girl. The 2 boys are less than adorable. I’ve been known to watch football on RU-vid. Mostly early in this century. Until Andrew luck retired. Thanks for the good words and wishes.
That yellow gage is meant to reach under to the blade tips, hence the long reach. The blades are actually higher up into the deck not the same as the bottom of the deck edge.
Why don’t you use the leveling tool in the center of your deck height adjustment knob? I use it on on X300. Your deck leveling position is at 2.5” on the height decal.
Looking back, I didn’t explain things very well. I use the 2x4s instead of the leveling tool because I find it easier to have a block in place at all the leveling points rather than moving one tool around, back and forth to the different points to re check. The method I’m using is the same as you’re talking about, with a slight modification that I find easier. I didn’t explain it super well and I actually have a new video coming out this week to clear things up. Thanks for watching John.
Hopefully it helped you out a bit. I have a deck maintenance video coming up for spring and my deck removal video comes out tomorrow. Working on getting more content up.
Have you double checked tire pressures? Even if you have a slow leak, it’ll make a huge difference! So if you get it dialed, mow the lawn, then the mower sits until next weekend it might lose a couple PSI in one of the tires to the point it’ll make a big difference. I have a few videos on removing wheels and changing tires if you need help. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zryVzvfE57s.html
You are correct on the gauge measuring the blade tip however if the deck isn’t bent, the blades aren’t twisted, and the spindles are straight, getting a quick measurement off the deck using blocks of wood gets me pretty darn close. Thanks for watching!
@@suburbanacreage It's when John Deere began stamping these deck shells from one piece of steel did measuring blade tips become necessary. When they "built" mower decks they were more accurate. Almost every commercial deck on a zero steer is fabricated not stamped. The amount of force it takes to form steel were there's not a hint of the process is staggering but not able to be done down to measurements in the 1/16" level. Call JD and tell them what you're promoting. By the way#1 there are no marks on the deck shell to measure anything. #2 you don't level deck front to back, only side to side. You raise deck to height you plan on mowing at then adjust draft hoop so blade tip when forward is 1/16" to 1/8" lower. If blade is level it leaves a circular pattern and works mower engine twice as hard as entire blade is in the grass versus using only the end as designed. I cut grass professionally for about 5min. It became more about the patterns left than showing up on schedule. If you want a finished cut to look absolutely flat in late afternoon sun it will never be achieved using blocks on the edge of any mower deck
