48"/54" Cyclops mower
 

For you guys that have these mowers.

When you have the deck down to cutting height, do you have the deck wheels:

Supporting the weight of the deck and establishing cutting height

Almost doing the above

Do you have the wheels set just to prevent scalping and have them set at a height where they just contact the ground on the high spots?

I know what the setup manual says, just wondering what everyone does and why.

Mike on the 1641 I had the wheels only kept the deck from scalping. Most of the time they were in the air. The 60" Haban on the Supers is a different story it rides on the wheels.

Yep the 54's that I use are in the air and used just for keeping it from scalping.

I can't quote the set up manual for the 48"-54" mowers verbatim but when I read it, it seems it recommends using the deck wheels to "maintain" cutting height, once it's established by the implement stop. That indicates to me the manual directs the operator to run the wheels on the ground most times while supporting the weight of the deck over any unevenness.

I see countless decks that have the wheels worn out, axles broken/bent and the support arms wobbley, bent and broken. All because the owners appear to be following what the setup manual says.

Wheels are $15-$20. Axles $8?. The thing the axles screws into and then breaks off in $18. The extension arms, almost $40.

It costs a fortune to rebuild one of these decks that has been run on the ground!

I run a 54in deck using the deck wheels for cutting height. It cuts great that way. I have found that a little common sense prevents 90% of the problems people have with breaking and/or premature failure of the wheels and axels. The decks weigh a lot so care should be taken on rough terrain.

Is that the same as the old Haban deck? I noticed they have heavier duty looking wheels. I guess that is why.:bigthink:

Not the same deck and yes, the Haben deck looks like it's made to run on the ground but I don't know what the setup instructions say on how to adjust height.