REV,
"Deck lock up kit" . In your opinion, would you buy it again or engineer something yourself? The tie wraps work but the whole thing flops around alot. I need something better I think.
snyderman
I'm not much of an engineer, and don't have the expertise to "build" something like this myself, although I have seen postings on the forum where others have "suggested" they would fabricate something themselves, although I've also never actually seen an example where someone has done it. I'd rather just buy the proper stuff from JD.
To answer your question, yes, I would buy the kit again. My original thought was that I was going to leave the deck and the loader on the tractor, so I could use either one without having to switch them out. I thought it would be a good idea to be able to "lock" the deck up while using the loader, to make sure it was out of the way as much as possible. As I said before, I also thought this kit would have been some kind of thing where you could activate a mechanical type lock, while sitting on the tractor. My dealer had actually never installed the kit before, so he really didn't know exactly how it worked.
I sort of ordered the thing "Blind" so to speak, and found out after the fact that it's just this bracket and chain thing. Basically it holds up the mower arms up, independently from the 3PTH arms. This allows the 3PTH to travel up and down but the mower arms remain "chained" up. It does seem to hold everything reasonably secure, with nothing flopping around.
I sure wouldn't want to go the route of removing the deck arms and crawling around under the tractor every fall and reinstalling them again in the spring. That sounds like a real PITA to me. It's worth the $175 to me not to have to do that.
As I said, my original thought was I wanted to lock up the deck with the loader still attached, however, I now realize, that I also need this lock up thing in order to have 3PTH control of my ballast box which I have ready if I need it for additional winter use traction. Hadn't even thought about that aspect. I really didn't understand how the mechanical mower lift worked using the 3PTH, and never even thought about the mower lift arms dangling down under the tractor, moving up and down with the 3PTH. I was strictly interested in locking up the deck. (never dawned on me that the deck arms would still be flopping around under there...some tractor guy I am).
I'm sure it wouldn't be all that difficult for someone with metal fabricating skills, and the equipment required to put something similar together, but that's certainly not me, so if I had to pay someone to put something together, I would probably have ended up very close to what I had to pay for the real deal from JD. Initially, I was kinda bummed out at the price for the kit, but in retrospect I would call it kinda pricey, but not outrageous, weighing all the alternatives.
I'm still not thrilled with the thing, because I was looking for something that could be operated from the seat of the tractor, something like the 2320 set up with the adj/lock up knob. Overall, it just seems to me it was something JD concocted to do the job after realizing they had forgot to design a lock up function into the thing in the first place. Sort of a "Mickey Mouse" deal, but thats it I guess.
REV
. I miss her already. Can't wait to get her back with the new blower :drool: . BTW what does everyone else use to hold up the MMM brackets when the mower is off the tractor? I have been using tie wraps but it looks dumb.
