Mower deck wheels

justjeepin86

justjeepin86

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
Winston-Salem, NC
Has anyone added wheels or rollers to their mowing deck to get a smoother yard? My old Ford lawn tractor mows like crap and scalps really bad. My new house has alot of steep uneven terrain and it looks alot worse than it did on my old property. Mine has rollers on the back, but not the front.
 
I tried putting some 4" casters I had on my ole Snapper... It didnt really help, they just dug in when they come to a hump. They were 4" tall and 2" wide.
 
I thought about doing it before, but never did.
 
The simplicity mower I bought used has a roller on the back of the deck, its a big long one about as long as the deck.
At the time i was like, WTF does that do... but I really love it, so much less bouncy bouncy and a more even cut.

Never seen them on the front though? I'd think that'd no be ideal b/c it's push the grass over flat right before the blade action....
 
My john deere has 1 on all 4 corners. Not made to run on them all the time, actually on flat ground you want to be able to get a finger between the wheel and the ground (easier to do this on a cement driveway). They do help the scalping issue, also don't mow lower than 3 inches.
 
Yeah, a lot of them I have seen have rollers on all 4 corners. The only problem i see in putting them on the front is the deck is fixed there to the front axle and articulates with it. I could see what Rob said happening and they dig. It has a little play though.
 
As you already know, if your mower deck isn't built to float on four deck casters then it's not going to work--your mower obviously is not. Buy a newer better designed mower or raise the cutting height. Or find a pattern to mow your yard that doesn't scalp.
 
Guess that was my problem, the front of my snapper is hinged (fixed) and the rear is suspended from two cables.
 
Mine has wheels on all four corners. The trick is the wheels are not flat like a regular wheel. It is like 5 inches on one side and tapers down to 3 inches on the other. So the only thing touching the ground is about a 1/4" wide section of the wheel
 
Like BrianM said, my JD has anti scalp wheels on each corner, + my 46" deck has a front & rear Wide roller. The front wheels are rounded to aid with turning, & the back wheels are flat, as they only follow. Manuel says to adjust the height so the wheels are 1/4" off the ground. They are only suppose to hit on uneven ground, Not carry the full weight of the deck. This IS a floating deck.
 
My rear wheels have to roll on the ground. That is how the deck works as it hangs on chains in the back. I am trying to come up with a way to let the front ride in slots. Then I could add the anti scalping wheels to the front and it would not bind if the wheel touched the ground. I will just have to figure it out. I can machine anything i need at work. I have to get it better or get a different mower. I can't stand it. Maybe a smaller deck with 2 blades for the uneven terrain.
 
Back
Top