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JD X500 First time deck removal

14 years ago

I wanted to remove the deck after the season to clean and lubricate it. According to the manual, it looks REAL EASY! I followed the instrauction to lower it to the lowest point. Removed the mower drive belt. Placed the 4 mini wheels sideways. Unhooked the front portion of the deck. So far this all took 10 minutes. I figured, wow this is not bad at all. Then came the rear J-BOLTS. You are supposed to simply pull them out and over. I attempted to pull them. Nothing doing. Too tight. I finally loosened the bolt (to the j-bolt) and removed the small springs. At this point I thought, OK now they have to come out. NO WAY! They were tight beyond beleif. Three hours later with some hammering, I finally got them out. Putting the deck back was easy but it seemed the j-bolts had a type of lip in the front (probably for safety), and I has to play with the deck lift mechanism to get the j-bolts in.

My question is this: why was it so difficult? What did I do wrong? Is it normal to have to remove the bolt from the j-bolt to get them off?

Any detailed description of what happened here would be appreciated.

Thanks, Aristotle Zoulas

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Comments (7)

User
14 years ago
The "J" bolts are difficult if the weight of the deck is hanging on them.

Try this...

Make sure the lift pedal is released and allowing the deck to go all the way down. You may have to back off the cutting height knob

That should take the weight off the "J" bolts and they should pull easily by hand.
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wheely_boy
14 years ago
Lift the deck up to the transport position. Adjust the cutting height to 0.0 inches. Lower the deck to the cutting position. You should be good to go.
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I don't think, according to what I have read, that there is such a thing as a trouble free garden tractor, and the more electronics that is put on one the more apt it is to have problems. Even the best (and JD is one of the best) have problems. I bought a used GT225, and I got it from a guy who had moved to a condo and just didn't need it any more. It had less than 50 hours on it, and it looked as good as a new one. I went to his house and drove it, liked it, made an offer, and he took it. I went home borrowed a trailer from my neighbor and went back to get it, and it wouldn't start. The starter turned over, but it just wouldn'd start. I told him to get it running and I'd be back to get it. He finally had to take it to the dealer and the ignition module had to be replaced, and if I remember it cost him around $100. Since then I had to replace the seat safety switch once (no cost as the dealer gave me one). But I love my tractor. Every time I get on it to mow it makes me smile, and I've never been sorry one day I bought it. That's the experience John Deere wants you to to have, and that's why they have the 30 day, be happy, or bring it back. Who else does that?
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davidandkasie
14 years ago
you turn the guage wheels sideways FIRST. then lower the deck all the way. once the deck is down, pull back on the deck lift pedal and LOCK IT IN PLACE. many folks overlook this part. if you look right next to teh pedal you will see 2 lines with a sticker saying to "lock pedal here before changing attachments" or something like that. i can pull, scrape, and reinstall my deck in under 5 minutes on my X500.

i find it easier to remove the rear Jhooks then the front hangers, seems to put less pressure on tehm that way.
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zoulas
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks, I will give it a try.
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metal
14 years ago
You will kick yourself when you see how easy it is when everything is done correctly. I fought mine the first time too, then realized I forgot to set the height to 0" before lowering the deck, that made all the difference in the world.
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rustyj14
14 years ago
Could there be a groove worn in the hook part of the J-hooks, that keep them from sliding out, when no pressure on them?
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engine_tech
14 years ago
Although Deere has done some doozies in the past, in general, if something seems too hard on a Deere you are doing it incorrectly. The first time always takes the longest, but if you follow the steps mentioned here it should take you no time.

I think that not all X500's had the rotateable gauge wheels, so keep that in mind. I think there was one year without them. Regardless, it's an easy job, especially on concrete.
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