3 point mower question

[JFB]

Given the members here seem to have a vast, practical knowledge of every thing, I hope yall don't mind a tractor/mower question.

I just purcase a Frontier GM1072 to replace my well worn Johndeere 261 finnish mower. the cutting hieght adjustment for the old JD was to pull the castor wheel's spindle pin, pull caster wheel off, restack spacers and put back on. the new Frontier caster wheel spindles have a compressed spring with a 1/2" bolt. besides the obvious of now needed a 3/4" wrench to change height, it took a hammer wrench to loosen the bolt to change spacers.

Now the question, Why the compressed spring bolt? is compressing the spring some sort of anti vibrating loose thing? and if so, should those bolts be hammered back down or will wrench shug be good enough?

 

[gmartinnc]

Best I remember the RM372 Woods I used to have was like that. If it's the same design, all the spring did was to keep the slack out of everything when the mower was up, so than when you lowered it back to the ground, there wasn't any damage to the spacers. A picture would help, I'm just going on the memory of something I sold quite a few years ago.

 

[JFB]

From your discription, that sounds like it. and from what I gather a Fronteir is a Woods painted green!

I though I could find a photo or decent diagram on the net and link to that, but no such luck.
I'll try to take photos tomorrow. Interseting while look for a close up photo, all the Frontier models I have found do not have the spring, but just a crossing pin in the spindle.

You are right, In comparison the spacers for Frontier are very thin and thus maybe the need to reduce any impact to them as you suggested

 

[Dave P.]

It's designed to eleminate the vertical "slop" out of the spindle stack.
Just reduces the axial "play" a bit so the wheel assm. doesn't
rattle over bumps. Not a lot of beef in that mounting arm.
Really no load on the bolt, just needs to be tight enough
not to shake loose as the deck rattles over the ground.
Dave

 

[Cracker-American]

I used to use a Woods finish mower regularly. I cannot remember how but I lost one of the springs and some of the spacers. I replaced it all with pieces of one inch schedule 80 pvc pipe. Worked fine. They are fine mowers and do a good cut especially on flat ground, sloped not so much.

 

[JFB]

The "play" you mention Dave, dawned on me also last night. for example the spindlle where it passes through the arm is painted and would rattle around if not for the spring loading (where the JD spindle is a ground harden and a snug slip through the arm)

Penny, I noticed the prefferance to flat ground just with my little bit of testing it out. when delivered I first ran it over a flat section that was pretty thick, even with the deck set on the bottom, it gave a good finnish. Latter I tried a slight sloped section and that is when I needed to raise the deck. the wall thickness of 1" sched 80 is thicker than the spacers! so I was thinking similair about cutting some