I recently took delivery of my new Joe Deere S170 for a big box store. I recently discovered that the silver deck linkage hooks are straight on the left side and extremely crooked on the right side. Not really sure why this is. The mower has 0.0 hours and I can't see the deck being this crooked even from a bump. Anyone else have this problem?
John Deere S170 Deck out of alignment??
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Is the deck really crooked? Is it going to cut level?
And how does the front deck hanger look?
And how does the front deck hanger look?
Judging by the photos, the lift linkage appears bent on the right side. Not the hook, but the linkage itself. Perhaps it’s just an illusion, but to me it looks bent.
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Hey man I think I might have figured this out a while back put the deck wheels with one higher than the other not sure which side I put higher than the other one but after that I used a carpenters level and adjusted the 5/8 I think bolts on the hangers till the level read level after that still cuts yard level with no vibration you can’t even tell it’s attached to it now
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Thanks everyone. I haven't leveled or even taken the deck off yet. I plan on doing that today. This is what the linkage looks like when the deck is in the upper most position. I noticed when I dropped the deck to a cutting position the crookedness wasn't as bad but very much still apparent. Looking at the linkage the bolts seem to be in the same height position on both sides. I'm not sure why adjusting only one would even out the deck. Nevertheless its a possibility and I will check today and report my findings back. Thsnk you.
I agree with @Paul Windisch it looks like the lift arm is bent. If that is true, you will be fighting it for the life of the machine. I would take it back and have them fix it or give you a new one, or your money back.
Ok so I took the deck off and had someone work the lift lever. What I saw was that when in the most upright position the right side lift arm was pushed left almost up against the frame of the tractor. When the lift lever was put into a lower position the right side lift arm rotated downward and slightly to the right. This made the silver deck hook straighter but still at an unnecessary angle. I'm not sure if this movement is due to the spring assist and needs time to break in. Either way it should be simple and both silver deck hooks should hang straight down. I'm going to check out how the other mowers look in the store and probably try to return this one since it is only 12 days old.
PS i tried to upload a video but it wouldn't work.
PS i tried to upload a video but it wouldn't work.
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At this point I'd visit another box store to find another S170 and take a look at the deck attachment.
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Something is wonky there. The way the adjustment block is at that angle, it’s going to wear fast Too. Have them replace it before you try and use it. No doubt how it got bent.
That thing is definitely bent. It should move in a single plane, not bent and shifting left and right. It had to be defective when it was assembled.
It certainly looks like the lift arm is bent. I say it is a manufacturing defect. I would see if I could find another one to look at it to see if it is the same way. The big box stores are generally pretty good about taking things back, so that might be the easiest thing.
It might be a good time to also decide if the S170 is the right choice for your needs. The 100 series does not get a lot of love here, but they can be a good machine for the right property/usage.
It might be a good time to also decide if the S170 is the right choice for your needs. The 100 series does not get a lot of love here, but they can be a good machine for the right property/usage.
Yeah no stores in my area have the S170 in stock until 4/15. I looked at a couple of S100s and S120s and they seemed to have several deck hooks that were slightly crooked. I was wondering if the assist spring on the deck lift might play a role in sliding this lift arm left and right. Anyways I'm going to contact Lowes to get this sent back and get a new one on 4/15.
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You'd have to compare to another model with a 48" deck (S140, S160, or S170). The 42" deck may not look exactly the same.
So I went into the other big box stores and looked at the other mowers. All of them seem to have atleast one crooked J hook but maybe not as crooked as the one I got. I looked at the mower with my dad which is a gift for him and we found that when the deck is set at 2 or 3 the crookedness isn't so bad. I think this is somehow a design flaw in these mowers that allows the lift arm to slide left and right. My dad decided it wasn't so bad and has decided to keep it. I don't expect perfection from an entry level mower but this still seems to erk me 🤷♂️
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