Cub Cadet Mower Deck Leveling & Sagging Fix!

[@Ghostrider19D]

Informative video, I do agree with the first comment about the importance of deck tilt. Originally my Cab had a 5/8" belt and not the ridiculous 1/2" the bean counters went to. I am in process of converting back to a 5/8" as it will suite my demanding yard space much better.

[@aguyinnc2865]

Got one of the LTX1046KW models. The best (and only!) good thing about this mower is the engine. It is one my Dad bought several years ago (I think 2012) and the deck on this thing has been one big headache. And I used to be a small engine/lawn equipment mechanic! The lift cables on this thing jump the plastic pulleys on the frame and drop the deck. I have to replace at least one deck blade spindle assembly every year. Mind you, it has cut a lot of grass during it's life, but so has my Craftsman FS5500 and my son's LA115 John Deere and they have had zero deck problems! Thanks for the video, I don't want to miss an opportunity to be able to use the big adjustment hammer on it lol!

[@MowerMike]

Glad to help. You should check out my cub cadet review videos if you really want a chuckle

[@nytia117]

This is just what I was looking for Mower Mike ! My Cub Cadet has been cutting putting greens in my yard since new and has only got worse. I like to fix my own tools and gear, so I’ll be in the barn tomorrow!

[@MowerMike]

Good luck! Cubs can be frustrating for sure. Remember to take your time those decks are heavy.

[@mikestanford6541]

Thanks Mike, I've been trying to level this same mower for years ...never thought of Leveling hinges but have noticed that the pins were getting harder to line up. So I'm betting that's my problem. The only difference was that my LT50 mower has 2 rods in the front PROBALY better for leveling the front deck.....THANKS AGAIN MIKE ...YOUR THE MAN !!!!

[@MowerMike]

You are welcome, I have fought cub cadet decks for years so decided to go deep in it

[@ciphercode2298]

Looks good! I had my deck off when I first bought it replacing the belts and cleaned the deck up on it and I had to bend one of the anti scalping wheels brackets back into place. The fella I bought it from had used it to mow a field he owned next to his furniture store for like 8 years. Once I got the deck back on it and tried it out the cut was horrible so I adjusted it to achieve a decent cut and didnt realize the deck sat so low until I went to load it on my trailer. ( I mow my daughter and sister's property). I've gotta take the deck back off and put new blades and spindles on it this spring anyway because tore one up last fall. I'll check all this stuff out and see if I cant gain some height back. I appreciate you taking the time to make this video. Hopefully I'll get into a john deere soon and pass this ltx1040 on to someone who less picky than I am,lol. John deere truly does have the deck thing figured out,lol.

[@MowerMike]

Yep glad you enjoyed it

[@ciphercode2298]

@@MowerMike I sat and binge watched your 38 videos on your john Deere's, lol. Good stuff,especially while its snowing and 25 degrees,lol.

[@MowerMike]

@@ciphercode2298 Glad to give ya some giggles. Welcome aboard

[@gregcashman479]

Great video! That's the exact model that I have. You just saved me four weeks down time & a repair bill! Thank you!

[@MowerMike]

Excellent, glad to help

[@caindobro]

Now this is a great video. No BS, just how to. THANK YOU!!

[@MowerMike]

Hey appreciate the comment. Glad it helped. Be careful most of my videos are full of my BS haha

[@rudedawg5087]

Thanks for the spot on video. This is a rant on Cub. Having to remove a rear wheel on my XT3 just to adjust the deck is ludicrous and don't even get me started on accessing the zerks to grease the steering box. I think the designers should have to go to everyone's house that bought one and level the decks and grease the steering boxes themselves then they would realize just how stupid they were.

[@MowerMike]

Lol check out my couple of videos on why Cub Cadets suck.

[@shawno9267]

Love my 2012 LTX1050. After taking deck off/on for over 10 yrs you become nascar fast at it.

[@MowerMike]

Nice, I am not to your level of deck expertise!

[@ctfan1486]

I have 2 XT1 enduro riders . They have 2 rods, basically long pierces off all thead on the rear of the deck for adjustment. One for each side. Pain in the butt!

[@MowerMike]

Never been on the XT, maybe in another 10 years

[@debrawelch6173]

Well I sure hope I can fix mine. No way can I take the deck off if I need to bend that bracket. Also crossing my fingers I can reach that bolt to raise it without removing the wheel. The less removing the better for me!! I will try 👍🏻. Thanks for the video.

[@MowerMike]

Good luck and be careful. Just remember to take your time.

[@russojap1864]

Great video! I've had my GTX 1054 since 2011 and can't remember even knowing about that adjustment nut on the left side.🤔🤦‍♂️ I think I may have a bent hanger bracket as show here too. Thank you.

[@MowerMike]

Glad to help, they are tricky decks.

[@6548ww]

I need to adjust my 54” deck to get it off the ground it’s only 1” off the ground in lever adjustment 4 I bought it used last week so got to do some tweaking on it

[@MowerMike]

Time to get on it

[@JFL829]

We can always count on a good ride or roll in from ya. Another cool video our friend. Sound went to mono but no worries here, we heard every word

[@MowerMike]

Glad ya enjoyed it, keep the eyes on the road!

[@JFL829]

@@MowerMike 🤣🤣 absolutely

[@FisherCatProductions]

To suggest that front deck tilt is unimportant shows a lack of knowledge of it's purpose. With the deck lower in the front, the grass is being cut once only--by the forward tip of the blade. Tipped to the rear, the blade cuts twice--once in the front, and again in the rear. This causes several problem. 1. To evenly disperse clippings and reduce clogging, the deck is designed to work by cutting up front and immediately moving the clippings into the airstream--not again from the rear. 2. The proper airflow itself is designed around the recommended tilt. 3. For both those reasons, without the forward tilt, you don't get a nice clean cut! And you clog your deck more easily. 4. By cutting twice you are wasting gas and increasing wear on your engine, belts, spindles, and pulleys. I understand the philosophy of "you do you", but don't misinform others that the forward tilt recommeded by their manufacturer is unimportant. This otherwise helpful video is viewed by a lot of folks who don't know why they should or should not "do whatever you want." Give them the facts and let them make and informed decision. Thanks for helping me understand the rack-and-pinion side leveling device and overall lift mechanism! My deck is cutting beautifully now (the worst was corrected when I re-set my front pitch!)

[@MowerMike]

Hmmm interesting note. As a pure amateur mechanic my hypothesis is you are wrong on your tilt idear. If it cuts once in the front and comes back around there wouldn’t be anything for it to cut on round 2. Also the front bar doesn’t do anything regarding tilt it is all on the back 2 adjusters. But I appreciate you watching and the banter!

[@richardc6932]

Manufacturer recommends a slight lower setting on the front adjustment. This can be from 1/8” to 3/8” lower than the back. When levelling the deck (blades) side to side it’s fairly easy using the left adjustment rod with the blades perpendicular to the mower. Rotate the right blade 90 degrees parallel to the top the mower and take your final adjustment. You can get a finer result than what is claimed here. My 3 year old Cub has a fabricated steel deck not a pressed one. Built like a tank ! 👍🇨🇦👨‍🦳

[@FisherCatProductions]

@@MowerMike I have no idea what "round 2" refers to. It's a simple concept. When your deck is higher in the front, it cuts the grass blades high at the front of the deck, and as you move forward it cuts those same grass blades a 2nd time to the lower height at the rear. For all the reasons I mentioned, that goes against the design of the deck for energy efficiency, clean cutting, and for ideal clipping removal at the airstream in the front of the deck. BTW, this is not MY "idear". Every deck manufacturer I know of specifies this adjustment. I'm also in the dark about the comment on the bar in the front. I don't think I even mentioned it, but It is for the front to rear pitch we are discussing. Ciao!

[@MowerMike]

@@FisherCatProductions By round 2 I meant the blade swinging around the second time. If your deck is level there should be no grass left to cut when it swings back. Thanks for all the corrections.

[@Tammy-y1z]

Will front tilt keep it from throwing clippings out front of deck into my face

[@Tammy-y1z]

How do you stop it from throwing the clippings out front of deck into my face.

[@MowerMike]

Not sure. All I can suggest is making sure the deck is level and have the side chute open

[@frankdwornnig8513]

I was given a LTX 1050.. it was rough, sat outside through a NE Ohio winter.. I have it running decent but the deck does not cut evenly. Thanks for this video. Also has a very weak reverse. Is that a belt thing or a hydro?

[@MowerMike]

No idea

[@shawno9267]

Hydro. My 1050 does the same thing.

[@DENNISINGRAM-y4k]

Hey Mike my Club cadet keep blowing the fuse I have replaced the key switch and the sen

[@MowerMike]

Hey there. It is shorting out somewhere. I will check and make sure your wires are good. The main one going from the positive terminal and then from the soliniod to the starter is where I would start.

[@ryanthomas2374]

what position is best for leveling? Low high or in the middle adjustment?

[@MowerMike]

Suggest putting some boards under the deck and lower it to where it just touches and level it from there.

[@ericlawson5615]

Ok so on mine the deck height cables keep coming off their pulleys and making it cut unevenly. I slip it back on the pulley (easier said than done) and it cuts fine until I hit a bump and boom, right back where I started. What's a good fix for this issue?

[@MowerMike]

Sounds like something is bent. I would pull the deck off and check out all the pullies and bearings

[@lisamcdannell6835]

Great video was mowing g to surprise hu by and of course it didn't mow right thank you so much lol😊

[@MowerMike]

Haha well done. Your husband is a lucky man to have a wife who fixes his mower! That is so funny that he sure didn’t care if it mowed all funky but you sure do.

[@fonziecrain7969]

I think my back two pulleys are not high enough. How do I fix it

[@MowerMike]

Bend them towards the clouds

[@v908]

I thought you were supposed to level the deck by measuring the blade tips from the ground, not from the deck itself. Is the deck alignment really good enough to measure from the deck itself instead of the blade tips?

[@MowerMike]

Your advice is much better than mine.

[@v908]

@@MowerMike I'm not suggesting that! I honestly don't know. Measuring from the blades is a pain in the arse, so if the deck is close enough (since the spindles are mounted to it?), that would be great. I haven't ever check blade alignment/level against the deck, so I don't know.

[@FisherCatProductions]

@@v908 You asked an intelligent question, and it deserves an intelligent answer. In 50 years as a Facilities Manager, I HAVE checked actual blade levels against the actual outside of the deck. I can assure you, especially with older, well used decks, that quite often the two measurements can be off A LOT!. Deck plates under spindle mounts get bent: the outside of the decks get bent or warped. Even on a new deck, there's no guarantee that the deck edges or wheel brackets that you measure from coincide with the same blade height from one corner to the other. Often, there are not even two points from front to back where you can measure the pitch of the deck itself (let alone the blades). But Mike doesn't really care about that because he erroneously chooses to ignore the importance of proper front pitch. If you want a good, clean cut, and you don't want to overwork your machine, you need to accurately measure the actual blade tip heights, AND you need to set the recommended front pitch. You can get a handy-dandy tool that slides under the deck and measure the blades side to side and front to back for under $10!

[@thumper0203]

What if the other side is sagging and it isn't possible to raise it?

[@MowerMike]

There should be two adjusters on the back hangers of the mower.

[@rondietz5079]

Why is it that no one talks about how rough it is to remove the deck on a Cub cadet ltx 1046 KW. ? Why don' t the manufactures make it easier to remove the deck so the customer can clean the underside of the deck and to be able to get at the blades for sharpening ?

[@MowerMike]

Is agree Deere decks are much easier to take off

[@scottp2462]

Personally I don’t find it difficult to remove. As a previous Husqvarna owner and now a LTX1042KW owner the Cub Cadet deck is easier to remove. Literally one or two bolts on the PTO belt guide to loosen, pull two pins on the rear of the deck, one on the front and slide the deck out the left side, one more pin to release the blade engagement cable. The deck is heavy and awkward but aren’t all decks?

[@LukeStephens-gw6fb]

THIS… It is a pain in the ass to do! I have this exact mower and find it much harder than any other mower I have had! Is it all cubs or just the KW?

[@roberthoward5015]

Sir I’m not saying that this way doesn’t work for you .. but deck pitch as in the front of the deck is lower than the back is also for air flow. The deck pulls the air up and the grass..!

[@MowerMike]

Wouldn’t you want the front to be higher and get this helicopter effect you speak of ???

[@musicmiss1358]

would you ever wax your chest hair?

[@MowerMike]

Very interesting question Music Miss. No, I would never wax my chest hair. But I did shave it in college one time. It came out very awkward, looked like a squirrel fur on my chest for 6 months till it grew back.

[@musicmiss1358]

@@MowerMike Do you have a lot of chest hair? When are you gonna do a topless video for all your lady viewers? We want to see it and I think you should wax it for a good cause

[@tavandy]

No link to the lifter cables?

[@MowerMike]

I added a link for ya in the video description, double check that is what ya need.

[@tavandy]

@@MowerMike Yer awesome!

[@jdprice3043]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP

[@MowerMike]

Sure thing

[@magicone9327]

Leveling a hang bracket means nothing unless the deck is level as it sits. Making things square to the main deck can be done without the need for an attempt of using a level.

[@timrussell1559]

My lt 1042 deck is driving me insane. It sags so badly on the left side that it literally drags the ground on the last 2 lowest settings. I've adjusted the left side as high as it will go but its still nowhere near enough to be considered even remotely level. I've inspected everything as best as i can on the deck and can find nothing that is bent, broken or excessively worn anywhere on the lift components. I wouldn't even care about any of this if it would cut grass reasonably well, but it doesn't. It is beyond frustrating to say the least!

[@MowerMike]

Pull you deck and watch the video, they just get bent up and cause it to sag. I can’t stand it either and is why I made this video. Good luck

[@timrussell1559]

@@MowerMike Thanks, i will pull it and have a look. As bad as this thing is sagging on the left side it would need to nearly be bent in half to cause all of this i would think. Very poorly engineered system, no more cubs ever again for me!

[@CRyan-iz3wr]

You might have to make a bracket that bolts to the existing wheel brackets so they are lower and ride on the ground, putting the blade at the correct height. It's a last resort

[@jesusbolivar9178]

Thank you for the video

[@MowerMike]

Glad it helped

[@colemant6845]

Excellent information about a SH%$! Engineered deck. I fight with my LTX1050 every year trying to get the damn thing close to level. You Helped. THANKS! BUT... a 15 Y.O. John Deere is MUCH more difficult to remove and re-mount.... MUCH HARDER. Both designs SUCK!

[@MowerMike]

Totally agree they both suck, great for KZbin content though haha

[@bradseymour1028]

What about side to side one higher another video of guys not showing everything

[@MowerMike]

I have no idea what you are saying here but I have faith you can do it

[@SteverRob]

Many thanks. I think an elephant stepped on the drinker’s side of the deck

[@MowerMike]

Haha right, how do these things get so out of wack!

[@SteverRob]

@@MowerMike beer-drinking relatives lol

[@MowerMike]

@@SteverRob haha so true. I let my father-in-law ride my mower once and he flipped it.

[@papaddeanbovee186]

Good stuff

[@billmalec]

Looks pretty easy actually

[@MowerMike]

Get on it!

[@billmalec]

@@MowerMike I have the 2554. Has never needed adjustment. 😉

[@me1assassin]

Could be worse. You could have the wonderful 'timed' deck. Oh yea, thats a real joy.

[@MowerMike]

Never heard of that contraption

[@me1assassin]

@@MowerMike - Lucky you. 😁, Cub should have had to give everyone their money back for that disaster. I inherited one with 10 hours on it. It now has appx 20 hrs on it and no deck, only use it for pulling a yard cart occasionally. 14 years old now.

[@djk8393]

Go Stros!

[@MowerMike]

Nice have a fellow H-town viewer.

[@schl8675]

You are showing the wrong way to do it, the front adjustment is for setting height, the more you tighten it the higher the deck will go. The rear adjustment is for side to side adjustment, the side without the adjuster is fixed in place, and the left side adjuster levels the deck side to side, meaning if you lower the rear adjustment the left side the left will cut lower, if you raise the rear adjustment the right will cut lower. In short you set height from the front side FIRST and side to side with the rear, the fixed right rear just acts as a pivot. ALLWAYS START WITH THE FRONT. Also on the wider decks their are two front adjusters to fine tune left to right on the front. Picture it like a sagging hammock if you just pull it from one end the entire hammock will raise, so pull from the front to set height and adjust left to right with the rear.

[@MowerMike]

I like doing it backwards, rear first. But to each their own. Thanks for all the detail

[@kenkan6837]

Here's another hint: Turn on your mic and read the owner's manual!

[@MowerMike]

Right, I don’t know why they let anyone post videos on KZbin!