Craftsman Riding Mower Deck Installation

Craftsman riding mower deck installation - A solid mower deck is a key part of the Craftsman mower. It holds the cutting blades and helps to avoid quick access to the unsafe, sharp blades as a safety shield. When riding over hilly terrain and hitting large objects, damage to mower decks will happen. There are times when you buy or look at the Craftsman Mower being sold that doesn't have a deck installed. So in this article, we will discuss how to install a deck on a craftsman mower.

How to Install Craftsman Mower Deck

Pull your craftsman riding lawnmower onto a level, solid surface for proper deck connection and operation. Lay a scrap piece of plywood on a gravel driveway or grass if you don't have a solid working surface, such as a paved driveway or garage.
Press the brake/clutch pedal down as far as possible. Pull up the park brake lever to set and hold the brake/clutch pedal into position. The park brake lever is located on the bottom left side of the operator panel just below the steering wheel. Slide the riding lawnmower motion control lever, located on the right-side rear fender, into the neutral position.
Slide the attachment clutch lever downward to the disengaged position to stop the pulleys that power the cutting deck blade pulleys. The attachment clutch lever is located on the right side operator's panel directly beside the steering wheel.
Grip the spring-loaded attachment lift lever tightly and slide the attachment lever to the lowest position. The attachment lift lever is located on the riding lawnmower left rear fender.
Slide the cutting deck centered under the tractor with the mower deck suspension arms pointing towards the front of the tractor.
Align the hole in the mower deck suspension arms with the suspension arm mounting pin on each side of the tractor chassis. Slide the mower deck suspension arm on the pin. Slide the suspension arm retainer spring through the suspension arm pin to fasten the mower deck suspension arm securely to the tractor chassis.
Lift each side of the rear mower deck slightly by hand. Slip the left and right rear lift links over the rear lift link pins. Place a flat washer onto each lift link pin. Slide a retainer spring through the hole in the lift link pin to secure the rear lift links to the mower cutting deck.
Push the front mower cutting deck link rods through the front tractor frame suspension bracket, working from the left front side of the tractor to the front right side. Push the L-shaped link rod ends through the holes in the front mower cutting deck brackets. Slide a flat washer over each link rod end. Insert a retainer spring through the holes in the link rods to secure the front of the mower cutting deck to the tractor chassis.
Insert the end of the clutch cable spring through the hole in the mower cutting deck idler pulley arm with needle-nosed pliers. The idler pulley arm is located on the top right side of the mower cutting deck.
Push the clutch cable housing guide downwards into the mower cutting deck bracket, located on top of the mower cutting deck, directly in front of the idler pulley arm. Place the clutch cable housing guide collar onto the housing guide. Slide the retainer spring onto the clutch cable housing guide to secure the collar and housing guide to the cutting deck bracket.
Guide the mower deck drive belt onto the riding lawnmower engine pulley, and into the right and left side belt keepers. The left and right side belt keepers are located directly behind the engine pulley, in front of the cutting deck.
Adjust the attachment lift lever to the highest position. Drive the riding lawnmower around your yard while engaging and disengaging the cutting deck blades to check for proper mower deck operation.

That's how to install the deck on Craftsman Mower. Now you can cut grass safely without fear of injury or accidents.