2018 low hour X738 54" deck extremely loud

[jpmurf]

Just bought a 2018 low hour X738 (<46hrs) . Finished mowing today. The 54" deck with a mulch kit is extremely loud, normal ear plugs are not enough.
So;
1 is the mulch blades/ kit causing the noise? If so ,too bad the system seems to be working OK
2 Do I need special hearing protection to filter out the annoying noise , that regular ear plugs are not
3 Do I need to lower the rpms of the whole rig , that helps with the noise but the cut and efficiency seems to be compromised

 

[tomplum]

Would you think that you may have loud spindle or idler pulley bearings? people that really like to keep their decks clean, introduce water where it doesn't belong. And you know what follows water... These decks move a fair amount of grass and air, but are not normally irritating.

 

[jpmurf]

I guess I could remove the deck , inspect everything , but its so new......

 

[tomplum]

That's the name of the game. Remove the belt so that you can check things individually. Including the gear box oil. A pic will be helpful should there be some down time for reassembly.

 

[jpmurf]

I believe I found the problem. The rear weight bracket was empty, without weights, that allowed it to rattle and at high engine speeds vibrate. I took it off and a after short ride it seemed to be less noisy. Time will tell.

 

[jpmurf]

Without the bracket , its still loud,even with ear plugs. I need to find better hearing protection, to make it more enjoyable. Or run it at lower rpms, but with thick grass and the mulch kit it will bog.

 

[beenthere]

Something not right, should not have a loud noise.
But can't tell from here. (or hear).

 

[ruffdog]

Quality ear plugs with quality ear muffs should do the trick. We just use ear plugs inserted correctly to mow with our x744. At first, my wife didn't know that the plug goes fully into the ear canal and she still doesn't get them as deep as I do.

 

[ruffdog]

Oh by the way, check to see if the blades have clearance between them so they are not hitting each other.

 

[jpmurf]

Oh by the way, check to see if the blades have clearance between them so they are not hitting each other.

yea I should probably pull the mower and inspect it......

 

[ruffdog]

When you remove the deck, grease the zerk on the rear u-joint on the shaft going from the engine to the transaxle.

 

[jpmurf]

I removed the deck, nothing wrong almost new, greased zerks, cleaned clippings, no real difference in noise. It must be a thing with all hydraulic tractors/ mowers. Looking for better hearing protection for comfort and less stress. Or quieter mowing?

 

[beenthere]

I removed the deck, nothing wrong almost new, greased zerks, cleaned clippings, no real difference in noise. It must be a thing with all hydraulic tractors/ mowers. Looking for better hearing protection for comfort and less stress. Or quieter mowing?

Simply not true.. of all hydraulic tractors/mowers. Hope you find the problem.

 

[ruffdog]

I removed the deck, nothing wrong almost new, greased zerks, cleaned clippings, no real difference in noise. It must be a thing with all hydraulic tractors/ mowers. Looking for better hearing protection for comfort and less stress. Or quieter mowing?

With the deck off, did you crawl under the tractor and grease the one zerk that most people miss? The neighbor's x700 never was greased there either and is getting a new shaft now. See post #11 for location.

 

[jpmurf]

didn't know about that one, just greased the ones on the deck. Get it later

 

[the old grind]

If the blades have been sharpened since new check them to be sure they were balanced properly, as well as not bent.

I've had a deck-spindle bearing go out at <200 hrs (HD blade, big rock) and it caused more noise than vibration. Didn't feel noticeably different but I sure could hear it.

 

[jpmurf]

deck was like new, the spindles and gearbox spun nicely , the noise is just something I need to mitigate with better ear plugs . I did run the tractor not maxed out but still in the green range and it seemed more tolerable .

 

[bigtiller]

Check those deck-spindle bearings again.
I used to trade Deere mowers your size every spring for a new one. Mine usually had 40 to 60 hours on them.
One fall day I mowed something hard and everything came to a sudden stop.
That mower deck made a bunch of noise after that.
The blade had a small notch in it but a file fixed that.
Greasing the spindle didn't quiet it down any and there was no noticeable difference when spinning it by hand.
A few more hours of mowing for the year and it would be traded for a new one so I never did find out what the problem was, but I bet it was the spindle and/or bearing.

 

[jpmurf]

Mowed for about three hours today and I rescind the statement of the deck and mowing is too loud, just an adjustment to a larger machine I guess. The larger tractor is more comfortable and with the wider deck more efficient . One thing ,the mulching kit does load up the machine quite a bit in tall grass. But I don't need to run a bagger .