Deck Question
 

I have been looking over this site for a month or so and have a question I am sure someone knows the answer. I have a 149 cub, the deck it came with hasn't been used for several years, off the top of my head, I think the number on the deck (not sure if it was the model number or serial number) is 483 U 1111. I have all the parts to the deck (as far as I can tell), however, when I look at all the decks I have found pics of they have rear guide/ height adjustment wheels, mine has none. There is the front center mounted roller, which is bolted to what appears to be a triangular cast iron peice, and the out side on all 4 corners have what I would call skids, kind of like loops of flat metal to keep the corners of the deck from digging into the ground. I can not see any place on the deck that appears to have had rear guide/ height adjustment wheels on it, is this normal? I assume the deck is about a 48" cut maybe what the 48 in the number stands for? It has a center blade, and 2 outer blades and is heavy as he**! Thanks for looking and helping out!

I think the guide wheels were able to be added later in the field or added when the tractor and deck was purchased new.

You would have to weld the brackets onto the deck. The hoops act as deck guides to keep it from digging into the ground on off camber sections of the yard.

I do think you can still purchase the brackets and wheels. If not from Cub Cadet then some after market people are making them. I know I have seen them but can't remember where.

All of my decks have had the hoops, except for the newer style 44a and 44c decks that had the rear guide wheels.

Oh yeah, I forgot, I have a complete 125 tractor (blown motor) that has a smaller deck on it that looks pretty much the same, but it has the rear wheels....is the difference in the decks have something to do with the 125 been a manual lift deck and the 149 being a hydrallic lift deck? I know that above the right foot rest of the 149 there is a deck height adjust cam, does the decks on the hydros just float above the ground and no need of having the rear wheels?

HHHHMMMMM...maybe I answered my own question...

Thanks DX3...you must have been sitting there waiting on me to finish typing out my question! Any clue what the numbers on the deck mean? Thanks, you will probably have this answered faster than I can type it out...LOL

The deck adjustment should be used with or without wheels and there was no difference to my knowledge with whether it had hydraulic or manual lift. If it has the wheels, you would adjust the height of your deck on a flat area. Then you would lower the wheels to the lowest setting just up off of the ground. They should only contact the ground if needed to keep the deck at the proper level. The deck should not ride on the wheels.

Okay....I am getting it, basically the wheels only touch the ground in uneven spots in the yard to keep it from gouging out the sod. I don't know what numbers are on the 125 deck, was wondering if it would fit the 149, I don't have a large yard, and the smaller deck would actually make it easier to mow with.

If the deck on the 125 uses a quick attach sub frame then you should be able to use the deck on the 149 with the 149's subframe.

It is a quick attach deck, I figured it would just by looking at it, if all this stuff wasn't so heavy, I could have just test fitted it on the 149. With the weight of the decks, figured it was easier to type than to swap decks back and forth...lol...thanks again.

There should be square holes on your 48" deck in similar locations to where wheel brackets bolt onto the deck of your 125.

The 125 deck will fit your 149, however you may need a different drive belt. Unless the deck on your 125 is the same as the one on your 149.

In either event, the wheels and brackets from the deck on your 125 may fit the 48" deck on your 149, I'm not sure without going out to check, and it's raining cats and dogs here so I'm not leaving the house. Last I heard, we're supposed to get as much as two inches of rain here tonight, I might have to take the arc to work tomorrow.

And yes, the first two digits in the deck serial number are the deck size (cutting width).

FWIW, I probably have the wheel brackets you are looking for, if you're interested, probably don't have any good wheels though.

Yesterday I pulled the deck off the 125, measuring it's mounting points, I believe it will fit the 149, it looks as if the same belt would run either deck. The 125 deck as it is, is really not serviceable, the peices under the deck that direct the flow of clippings are rusted beyond belief. They look as if the bolt to the deck and with a little effort, I think they could fabricated from scratch. Right now, I don't have the time to mess with it so I will probably use the 48" deck, overall it is in much better shape than the 125 deck. It appears the 125 deck wheels will bolt onto the 149 deck, I think I will try the deck out as it is without wheels, if the need arises, I can put them on at a later date. Thanks for the input!