16
LEVELING THE DECK AND SETTING THE
COUNTERBALANCE SPRING TENSION
1. Set all tire pressures to the correct specifications.
2. Rest machine on a level slab of concrete.
3. Depress the deck lift pedal to raise the deck to the
full lift height position and move the height adjust
pin to the 4.5” position.
4. Take all the force off the two deck lift springs by
loosening the nut at the front of each spring.
5. Place a level on the deck, from front to rear. If the
level is too short to reach all the way from front to
rear, lay a straight edge on the deck first, then
place the level on the straight edge.
6. Lay a .12” spacer beneath the front level. this will
automatically set the rear of the deck higher than
the front.
7. Adjust the nuts at the rear trunnion forward to
raise the rear of the deck (Shown below) until the
level’s bubble is centered. Repeat for the other side.
8. Check to verify the deck is leveled side-to-side. To
do this, lay a 2” x 4” x 30” piece of wood under
each side of the deck and lower the deck to rest
freely on the top of these boards. Inspect the (4)
lift chains to see if tension is on each of them. If
any of the chains appear slack, loosen the cam
bushing bolt just enough to allow the cam bushing
to be turned to remove the slack from the chain.
Tighten the cam bushing bolt to 76 ft.lbs.
9. Raise the deck up to the transport position and
lock in place.
10. Remove the 2” x 4”s from under the deck.
11. Tighten each of the counterbalance spring nuts
until springs are to the following lengths.
44” Deck - Spring length of 16.5”
52” Deck - Spring length of 16.0”
The springs may be tightened or loosened from
this point according to personal preference.
DECK BELT ADJUSTMENT
Belt adjustment should be checked every (50) hours
of operation to get maximum life and cutting perfor-
mance. Belt tension is adjusted by increasing or
decreasing the length of the spring on the movable
idler by adjusting the eye bolt length (Shown below).
For correct belt tension, adjust the spring length to 6-
7/8” for the 44” deck and 7-1/2” for the 52” deck.
DECK BELT REPLACEMENT
(NOTE: Use only genuine Bush Hog
replacement parts)
1. Remove the R.H. and L.H. deck shield assemblies
(Fig. ).
2. Relieve the spring tension by loosening the two
5/16” hex nuts on the spring adjustment eye bolt.
3. Remove the old belt.
4. Install the new belt being sure the belt is properly
routed and positioned in all sheave grooves.
5. Adjust tension on the belt by adjusting the length
of the spring on the idler (See Deck Belt
Adjustment section).
6. Replace the deck shield assemblies.
Deck
Lift Pedal
Height
Adjustment Pin
Deck Lift Spring
Adjustment Nut
Deck
Upper
Chain Fastener
WARNING
TO AVOID SERIOUS BURN INJURIES:
● ALLOW ENGINE, OIL AND HYDRAULIC FLU-
IDS TO COOL BEFORE SERVICING TRANSMIS-
SION OR ENGINE SYSTEM
CAUTION
TO AVOID CLEANING SOLVENT FIRES:
● AVOID USING FLAMMABLE SOLVENTS.
● AVOID AREAS WITH IGNITION SOURCES
WHEN USING FLAMMABLE SOLVENTS.
Deck
Shield
DECK BELT DIAGRAM
Eye Bolt Adjustment
Spring Loaded Idler
Spring Length
44” Deck - 6-7/8”, 52” Deck - 7-1/2”
Rear Trunnion
Level on
Mower Deck
.12” Spacer
At Front End
