Was given a 1641, need advice please!

Sknapp351 · #1 04-19-2015, 05:55 PM

Hello everyone,

I posted in the introduce yourself thread, but to recap, I was given a 1641 by my wife's uncle that he had rolled. I am now trying to solve all the mechanical issues before I eventually try to make it pretty again. I have replaced the front left tire and tube, and will have to order a steering wheel online at some point, but my two larger issues currently are that the mower deck is severely un-level, and the alternator light comes on as soon as I engage the PTO.

The mower deck, when raised as far as it will go, reads between 6 and 7 on the height indicator and measures 5.25" from the bottom edge of the deck to the garage floor on the left side (measured from the far left edge). On the right side of the tractor, the deck measures 2.75" from the bottom of the deck to the floor(measured from just behind the rear wheel on the deck). With the deck lowered, it measures 3.75" on the left and 1.75" on the right from the same places.

I have noticed that the left side raises but the right side appears to slide inward and only raise when the left side pulls it up. Looking under the tractor, I cant seem to see anything obviously wrong.

Since I have never owned one of these, I don't know if I am missing something obvious. Anyone see anything? It does look like the deck may be shifted towards the right side of the tractor, but I don't know if this is normal. Here are the clearances between the rear of the deck and the rear tires on either side.

Thanks everyone for any assistance. Sadly, I am likely to have to break out the 1968 Snapper to mow in the next couple of days since a couple of good rains have forced my hand. My neighbors are starting to look at me funny with my shaggy grass...

Sam

Sknapp351 · #2 04-19-2015, 05:56 PM

Also, finally, the left front tire was very worn when I got the tractor and I noticed it looks like the camber is extreme. Does this look normal?

Sam

Sam Mac · #3 04-19-2015, 06:16 PM

Probably twisted the deck frame when it flipped. Where are you in VA? If your not to far from Galax and you want to drag it to my place I can give you a hand with it. I'm sure it's worth saving. Camber looks OK they tend to be a bit hard on front tires because of the axle design.

RR1862CC · #4 04-19-2015, 06:22 PM

It could be the lift sub-frame for the deck is tweaked which will take some work to straighten but not a big deal. You might have to pull the deck and set it on a level floor to make sure it is not teaked. I have a good steering wheel I will sell if I can get it off the parts mower. Do the belts run true when you engage the blades or do they want to climb the pulleys?

Sknapp351 · #5 04-19-2015, 11:03 PM

Thank you both for your replies.

Sam, I am in Halifax, VA. I'm about 130 miles from Galax. I don't have a trailer to pull the whole tractor over, but I might be able to fit the deck in the car. It seems from both of your replies the first thing to do will be to pull the deck to see if it lies flat. RR, from the best I can see, the belts don't seem to be riding up. To get the deck off, it looks like after I remove the belt, there are two pins on the rear of the deck, then it slides forward off the two prongs on the front. Does that sound right?

I'm sure I can find the procedure to get the belt off somewhere on the Internet. At least, I hope so because it isn't evident to me. I'll also take lots of pics so I can get it routed back correctly.

RR, I would definitely be interested in the steering wheel. My first attempt at mowing led to me pinching my hand repeatedly in the broken wheel.

Thanks,
Sam

RR1862CC · #6 04-19-2015, 11:28 PM

Look in the technical library for your manual. I am a little backed up but I will try to get the wheel off one day this week. It looks like it rolled to the left so look at the lift frame for any fresh scrape marks where it was rubbing. This will give you an idea of the area to look at.

bugeye · #7 04-20-2015, 09:31 AM

The support arms need to be parallel. To remove the mower deck, just release the spring loaded pins at the rear of the deck. The deck will slide foreword releasing belt tension. No need to remove the belt first. I have a different mower deck. I find it easiest to jack up the front of the tractor using an automotive floor jack and a block of wood for clearance to allow the deck to slide out the side.

Removing the deck support frame and placing on a flat surface may show if any of the deck support points are misaligned. Post more pictures, we're here to help.

RR1862CC · #8 04-20-2015, 09:10 PM

Got the steering wheel off. Check your inbox.

Sknapp351 · #9 04-21-2015, 12:33 AM

RR, message sent.

Thanks again everyone! I hope to get to pull that deck this week sometime. I'm helping with some graphics work for a motion picture that's being filmed here locally, I'm digitally restoring some newspapers from the mid 1860s. Also, it's my wife's birthday this week, so the schedule is crazy. I'll post more pics here as soon as I have them.

Bugeye, thanks for the tip. That makes it look pretty straightforward.

Sam

Sknapp351 · #10 04-28-2015, 08:55 PM

So, it is definitely the arm that connects the deck to the tractor. It is noticeably uneven, but I also don't know what it is supposed to look like to begin with. My buddy is a machinist and is stopping by to see if he has any bending advice. I also work at a higher ed center with a well equipped manufacturing program and one of those guys said to bring it in tomorrow if we don't get something figured out tonight.