MAINTENANCE
Adjusting the Mower Deck
Leveling Deck
Adjust the deck while the mower is on a level
surface. Make sure the tires are inflated to
the correct pressure. See Tire Pressures in
Maintenance section. If tires are under or over
inflated, the deck cannot be correctly adjusted.
Faulty mower deck adjustments will cause an
uneven mowing result.
Four slots control the height and pitch of the
mower deck. Adjust the deck slightly higher in the
rear.
NOTE: To insure precision in the leveling
procedure, the mower deck drive belt must be
installed before leveling the deck.
1. Wear heavy gloves. Turn each outer blade tip
to align with the deck side to side.
2. Measure from the floor surface up to the
bottom of the blade tip on the discharge side
of the mower deck. Record this measurement.
Move to the opposite side; check that
measurement is the same. If adjustment
is required, loosen the locknut on the top
of the rear links and adjust until both side
to side measurements are equal. Retain
measurement.
3. Turn both outer blades to align with the deck
front-to-rear. Reposition the front mounting
bolts up or down until the rear blade tips are
positioned 1/8" to 3/8" higher in the rear than
the front blade tips.
4. Confirm measurements once again. The
blade tip height must be equal side-to-side. In
the rear, blade tips must be 1/8" to 3/8" higher
than the front measurement. In the front,
blade tips must be equal from side-to-side.
NOTE: This will place the mower deck in a
standard measurement position. Depending on
the type of grass being mowed or environmental
conditions, more adjustments can be necessary
to get the desired cut.
ZT-3100 Powertrain
Regular external maintenance of the ZT-3100
Powertrain™ should include the following:
1. Check oil level in expansion tanks. When
the engine is cold, the tanks should be at the
FULL COLD level.
2. Examine the vehicle drive belt, idler pulley(s),
and idler spring(s). Insure that no belt slippage
can occur. Slippage can cause low input
speed to the transmission.
3. Examine the transmission cooling fan
for broken or bent blades. Remove any
obstructions such as grass clippings, leaves
or dirt.
4. Examine the park brake and vehicle linkage to
make sure they work correctly.
5. Examine the vehicle control linkage to the
directional control arm on the transaxle.
Also, make sure the control arm is correctly
fastened to the trunnion arm of the transaxle.
6. Examine the bypass mechanism on the
transaxle and unit linkage to make sure it
rotates and releases fully.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION Any servicing
dealer attempting a warranty repair must have
prior approval before conducting maintenance
of a Hydro-Gear® product, unless the servicing
dealer is a current Authorized Hydro-Gear
Service Center.
27