3 point hitch MMM uneven when raised.

Uncle Alan's Yard

New member

Equipment
BX2200
Jul 2, 2023
14
2
3
Atlanta Georgia
Ok when I have the deck raise up all the way, it's uneven. When it's lowered at my cutting height,, I have it close to cutting height but not as bad. I've adjusted the bar with the 2 nuts in the rear by the right tire and it still does it. As you can I have the lower mower links all the way up as well. I'm guessing since it's a older BX2200 it's just a quick of a older machine? When I do lift it up, the right starts to go up first then the left starts to raise. The 3pt parts don't seem to be bent or out of wack or anything


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Russell King

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Lifetime Member

Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Jun 17, 2012
5,347
1,407
113
Austin, Texas
When the mower is uneven, are the three point arms level? Can you adjust them and level the deck?
 

Uncle Alan's Yard

New member

Equipment
BX2200
Jul 2, 2023
14
2
3
Atlanta Georgia
When the mower is uneven, are the three point arms level? Can you adjust them and level the deck?


I would have have to take the deck off and look that way. Where the deck attached to the lower links, I have them raised all the way up but adjusted enough to where the mower is close to level when it's down. I'm only by around 1/8 or so. But it seems more like close to a inch when raised.

I have adjusted the rod with 2nuts in the rear by the right rear tire and can adjust it all the way up to where it touches the stop on the right side, but I know the manual says leave some clearance. It does raise the left up little bit not much. My understanding is adjusting that rod with the two nuts does both sides.
 

cthomas

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Equipment
LX2610 HSDC
Jan 1, 2017
865
579
93
La Farge Wi
Have you tried adjusting the long screws in the pictures(where it attaches)? Does this deck ride on the ground or is it suspended?
 

Uncle Alan's Yard

New member

Equipment
BX2200
Jul 2, 2023
14
2
3
Atlanta Georgia
Have you tried adjusting the long screws in the pictures(where it attaches)? Does this deck ride on the ground or is it suspended?
Yes, I have them up all the way but adjust so that the deck is close to even when deck is lowered to cutting height. Deck does not ride on ground. The anti scalp wheels are of the ground by about a quarter inch. (Deck wheels are froze in that position and that's another issue I'm working on to to free them up. 20 years they never been moved and petty much self welded together.
 

cthomas

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Equipment
LX2610 HSDC
Jan 1, 2017
865
579
93
La Farge Wi
Okay I am out as my deck rides on the ground, so I do not know without a lot of pictures.
 

PaulL

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Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,425
1,350
113
NZ
The BX is a suspended deck, as is the B2601.

I haven't had a BX for a while, but the areas to look at are:
  1. The 3ph actually lifts it, so if the 3ph arms are raising unevenly then that could cause what you note. That can be simply adjustment on the arms (if they're out of level), or could be something broken. If I recall correctly the single lift mechanism lifts both, so it's not like there are two separate rams and one could be leaking - so it'd have to be something bent or the 3ph arms adjusted so one is lower.
  2. The mower arms themselves can be bent where they connect to the 3ph mechanism. This could result in one side lifting sooner than the other, because it's bent in some way

From your pictures, it doesn't look particularly uneven. It might be the angle, but it looks like the gap between the frame and the lift arms is about the same. But one is a bit further away - so are they actually the same, or is one a half inch and the other an inch gap?

If the level-ness of it changes as you lift, it sort of suggests that something is bent somewhere, causing it to have a smaller arc of travel or something. Does it smoothly change level, or does it come most of the way up evenly then one side stops and the other keeps moving? If the former then I'd suspect bent, if the latter then I'd suspect the 3ph arms are out of adjustment, so one reaches the top of it's range of motion before the other.
 

Uncle Alan's Yard

New member

Equipment
BX2200
Jul 2, 2023
14
2
3
Atlanta Georgia
The BX is a suspended deck, as is the B2601.

I haven't had a BX for a while, but the areas to look at are:
  1. The 3ph actually lifts it, so if the 3ph arms are raising unevenly then that could cause what you note. That can be simply adjustment on the arms (if they're out of level), or could be something broken. If I recall correctly the single lift mechanism lifts both, so it's not like there are two separate rams and one could be leaking - so it'd have to be something bent or the 3ph arms adjusted so one is lower.
  2. The mower arms themselves can be bent where they connect to the 3ph mechanism. This could result in one side lifting sooner than the other, because it's bent in some way

From your pictures, it doesn't look particularly uneven. It might be the angle, but it looks like the gap between the frame and the lift arms is about the same. But one is a bit further away - so are they actually the same, or is one a half inch and the other an inch gap?

If the level-ness of it changes as you lift, it sort of suggests that something is bent somewhere, causing it to have a smaller arc of travel or something. Does it smoothly change level, or does it come most of the way up evenly then one side stops and the other keeps moving? If the former then I'd suspect bent, if the latter then I'd suspect the 3ph arms are out of adjustment, so one reaches the top of it's range of motion before the other.


I will measure the gap between the frame and lift arms. I measure everything but that lol. Thanks for pointing that out for me to check........ for the last part of your post...... when I start to lift the deck, the right side starts to lift first, than the left side follows like a second or two. I will look more closely to see if any of the 3ph lift arms are bent but I haven't notice yet. I have the tire pressure sit all even around. I don't plan on it right now, but I could take the deck off and see if it's bent or warped. I'm going to try and mow with it how I have it set then re adjust as needed.

Your right on the adjustment in the rear it set it for both sides.

I would have preferred a 54in deck over a 60 but I'll take what I can get. In my landscape experience I've never liked anything more then 48in. I've ran 60in on zero turns and alway had to watch scalping as well.

Also by chance I wonder if the newer 54 decks will fit the older BX2200. I would be willing to trade for a 54 in lol
 

PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,425
1,350
113
NZ
I had a 54 on my BX, I have a 60 on my B2601. It's not that different, and it mows a bit faster (wider).

If one side lifts before the other, then that would say to me that there's slack in the arm on one side - it means that when the deck is all the way down one of the arms is taking all the weight, and the other is loose. I seem to recall a bolt that you could adjust to make it tight - I think it was on the end of the arm near where the arm attaches to the deck, but it's been a long time and my BX was newer than yours.

I think I'd be looking at why one side is tight and one loose when at the bottom - i.e. where is the play/slack in the system that means the lift arms are moving up but one side of the deck isn't. Then work out how to remove that play from the system.