Mowing without the height adjuster.

Tractorrr · May 15, 2014

Is it ok to use the MMM for mowing without the mowing height adjustment on? I think I could lower the MMM down and eyeball the height or even get off and measure from the ground to the blade to know exactly what height I was cutting at.

I have had trouble with the MMM height adjustment ever since I bought the tractor used. The mower would drop to the ground if I lowered it down to where it rests on the height adjustment cam so I eventually learned to raise the MMM up just off where it would contact to prevent this.

I have ordered new parts for the mowing height adjustment because I am not able to tighten or loosen the nut which is up the center of the cam. I think this is probably the problem that the nut is just not tight enough giving the cam too much play. For example I can rock the height adjustment dial back and forth a little bit. Wish I was better at getting that nut moved but I think it would take a deepwell nut/bolt extractor as the nut is now stripped and not even sure the nut/bolt extractor would fit up between the cam. Kind of disappointed with the design of this part of the MMM. Maybe when the new parts come I will be able to get it working properly though.

I may need to cut the yard while the new parts are coming. Will it be hard on the hydraulics to cut without the height adjustment assembly? Basically the MMM would be suspended. I guess I have pretty much been doing this anyways though since I was bringing the height up off the cam to prevent it from dropping.

Tractorrr · May 15, 2014

This is for b2920 by the way. Here is a picture of the culprit. Hopefully Kubota does a better job in the future with the design of this.

Tractorrr · May 16, 2014

Anybody have some insight into this? Is the purpose of the stepped Cam to be for height adjustment alone or is it also supposed to help support the weight of the deck as well?

Mowbizz · May 18, 2014

I guess, like you said, go ahead and mow if you need to...if anything manifests itself along the way you will probably notice it...just my opinion as I am not familiar with the part and what it's full function is.

Tractorrr · May 18, 2014

Hey thanks! I actually did get out and mow today without the height adjustment on and it did just fine. I lowered the deck all the way down and raised it back up so the deck wheels were up off the ground. I also measured the blades with a tape measure to see what height they were at. It seems fairly easy to eyeball the height and know approximately what you are cutting at using this method.
After I brought the deck up I closed off the 3 pt. speed lowering adjustment so that I was not able to lower the mower down with the 3 pt lever. I'm not sure if that actually helps but the deck seemed to remain at a constant height without any 3 pt. creep downward that I have heard/read about.
Seems the height adjustment cam and assembly are not real critical for mowing.

bellweather · May 19, 2014

Keep in mind that the gauge wheels are not designed to support the weight of the deck, doing so will cause them to get hot and melt.

Tractorrr · May 19, 2014

bellweather said:
Keep in mind that the gauge wheels are not designed to support the weight of the deck, doing so will cause them to get hot and melt.

Yeah the wheels were up off the ground so that's not a problem but thanks. Also I think if I did put the gauge wheels down that far they would cause ruts when turning as the wheels do not pivot.

The problem is that the stepped cam just doesn't support the weight of the deck very well and it tends to turn down to lower height adjustments or drop the deck down completely when you hit some uneven ground.

I'm getting the new parts though and will try to get it adjusted right. If even after installing the new parts this continues I'll lower it down to the cam and then raise it back up off of it to take the pressure off of it and prevent the deck from dropping down.