3160A Deck Removal

[Greg Armstrong]

I need to remove the 3160A from my 184 for some cleaning/ blade sharpening, etc. Never had it off as this is the first season I've owned it.

I had a relative suggest pulling the pins and "just drive over it in reverse"... has anyone done this? Seems like a really bad idea, though it would make life a lot easier. I'm not planning on doing it unless one of our resident gurus gives the nod and knows for certain there would be no damage to the deck. Thanks in advance!!

[outdoors4evr]

Please don't drive over your deck. The deck is strong enough, but doing this will beat it up. Here's the proper method.

Park tractor on cement or blacktop. Lower hydraulics and shut off tractor. Remove the belt from the PTO. Pull the lower pins on the deck and set it on the ground.
Start tractor and raise the hydraulics to get the lift bars out of the way. Shut off tractor and slide the deck out the side of the tractor.

If you want the lift bars out at the same time then you will need to jack up one back tire.
Park tractor on cement or blacktop. Lower hydraulics and shut off tractor. Remove the belt from the PTO. Pull the upper pins on the deck and set it on the ground. Pull the rear pins and set on ground. Jack up one back tire and slide the deck out the side of the tractor. Once removed, lower jack.

[Greg Armstrong]

Thanks for the instructions! I assumed it was something similar to this... shortcuts are nice except when they damage equipment or are unsafe. My mother-in-law's husband made the suggestion, and while I implicitly trust his advice on how to catch muskie, a tractor guy he is not.

Cement and blacktop are in short supply so I'll have to make due with dirt. I bet it will weigh half as much after I clean all of the grass off the underside!

[Eugene]

I have removed my 3260 mower from a 154 without jacking up one corner of the tractor. Takes a lot of jockeying around to get it out. Jacking up one corner of the tractor would make things simpler.

Two people to remove the deck makes for an easier, faster task.

[Larry B]

Instead of jacking up a rear tire I put a floor jack under the loop on the bottom of the front axle and lift the front end and slide the 3160A out. The loop on the axle make a nice spot for the cup on the floor jack.