Sound coming from 60" MMM deck on LX2610

HowardTractor

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LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
I have been using the 60" MMM (mid mount mower) deck on my LX2610 for the first time. When I first started using it, everything seemed fine, but I am afraid I may have pushed it a little too hard and now I am hearing a new sound intermittently coming from the deck when I engage the PTO. It is hard to describe the sound, something is sounding like it is running kind of rough.

I pushed the machine up as high as I could on the bucket to look underneath. I felt all three blades and there is no play in them. My guess is the sound is coming from somewhere on top of the deck. I was able to continue work and mow lawn consistently over the weekend. The sound didn't get worse.

Any idea what this might be? Should I be concerned and take the deck off and look under that top cover? I just am not familiar enough with it to know if there is a problem. I don't want to have loosened something that will eventually cause a worse problem.

Thoughts?
 
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je1279

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LX2610 w/ 60" MMM, LP 72" Snow Plow, EA Wicked 55" Grapple, and Woods 60" BB
Dec 6, 2020
723
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Upstate NY
Did you make sure that the gear case had oil and that all of the spindle and pto shaft zerks were greased?
 

HowardTractor

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LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
Did you make sure that the gear case had gear oil and that all of the spindle and pto shaft zerks were greased?
The deck was assembled and on the tractor when I bought it at the dealer. My hope is that they did the right things.
 

je1279

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LX2610 w/ 60" MMM, LP 72" Snow Plow, EA Wicked 55" Grapple, and Woods 60" BB
Dec 6, 2020
723
453
63
Upstate NY
While I always hope people do the right things, I have a bad habit of double checking to confirm. Trust but verify. I would remove the deck and confirm that all of the zerks have been greased first. Next, make sure the gearbox on the top of the deck has the correct amount of oil. If all of these check out, do you see anything else that could be causing the noise in question?
 
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dirtydeed

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I used to experience some intermittent noise from the top of my BX23 mower deck. In my case, it was just the belt tensioner/idler bouncing a bit (especially when first engaging the mower deck). As others have suggested, make sure it's greased well and carry on.
 
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johnjk

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B3200 w/loader, Woods RC5 brush hog, 4' box blade, tooth bar, B1700 MMM,
Apr 13, 2017
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West Mansfield, OH
As others stated, check that gear box for oil and grease all those fittings, not just the spindles, all the fittings on that deck, wheels, rollers, PTO shaft…Don’t forget the lift mechanism as well. I had a spindle bearing go out on my mmm last year and it started out sounding like I was flinging gravel. As the spindle heated up it started to seize and loaded the engine down. When cold it rotated freely. Had to look at the cutting pattern to help determine which spindle was the issue. I grease and check gearbox every 8 hrs. Personally I hit each spindle with a minimum of 10 pumps. Rather wipe grease off the floor than have to rebuild spindles. My mmm is over 20yrs old and runs great.
 
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lostboy

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lx2610
Jan 1, 2021
31
14
8
OK
I just bought a used LX2610 (35 hours) with a 60" MMM (RCK-60-30BB) and turf tires. I used the mower for about 30 minutes last week and didn't hear anything concerning, although I did hear some different sounds including what I thought was a knocking sound for a little bit. However, before I bought the tractor I called the dealer that had sold the tractor. They told me that the previous owner had complained about the mower making sounds but the kubota rep had checked it out and didn't hear anything out of the norm. I asked the previous owner about it and he seemed to think the sounds was worse when the mower set to low cutting height and it went down in dips in the yard and was a little too much for the u-joints. I was cutting the grass at a fairly high, so I might not have had the deck low enough to create the sound. What was your mowing height?
 
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HowardTractor

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LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
The manual says to use SAE 90 (API GL5) gear oil and Multipurpose EP2 grease (NLGI grade No.2). Does anyone have any recommendations on which brand to get? I will need to get a grease gun. Any recommendations? (Thanks).
 

HowardTractor

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Equipment
LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
I just bought a used LX2610 (35 hours) with a 60" MMM (RCK-60-30BB) and turf tires. I used the mower for about 30 minutes last week and didn't hear anything concerning, although I did hear some different sounds including what I thought was a knocking sound for a little bit. However, before I bought the tractor I called the dealer that had sold the tractor. They told me that the previous owner had complained about the mower making sounds but the kubota rep had checked it out and didn't hear anything out of the norm. I asked the previous owner about it and he seemed to think the sounds was worse when the mower set to low cutting height and it went down in dips in the yard and was a little too much for the u-joints. I was cutting the grass at a fairly high, so I might not have had the deck low enough to create the sound. What was your mowing height?
I would say the behavior I was seeing was similar. I was experimenting with different heights as I was learning to use the mower. I definitely started out with it way too low. As I have been getting a feel for thing, I seem to be keeping things around the 5 or 6 setting for a general level cutting. (I am not sure if that number actually provides a common height across machines or even on the same machine depending on how it is adjusted) But I still hear the noise intermittently at that height, but it seems worse when lower to the ground.
 

je1279

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LX2610 w/ 60" MMM, LP 72" Snow Plow, EA Wicked 55" Grapple, and Woods 60" BB
Dec 6, 2020
723
453
63
Upstate NY
Definitely get a grease gun. Brands of grease vary based on the individual. I myself am a fan of Lucas Red N Tacky. As for gear oil, any name brand SAE 90 will do.
 
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je1279

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Equipment
LX2610 w/ 60" MMM, LP 72" Snow Plow, EA Wicked 55" Grapple, and Woods 60" BB
Dec 6, 2020
723
453
63
Upstate NY
I would say the behavior I was seeing was similar. I was experimenting with different heights as I was learning to use the mower. I definitely started out with it way too low. As I have been getting a feel for thing, I seem to be keeping things around the 5 or 6 setting for a general level cutting. (I am not sure if that number actually provides a common height across machines or even on the same machine depending on how it is adjusted) But I still hear the noise intermittently at that height, but it seems worse when lower to the ground.
Just to confirm, you have the deck completely lowered to the ground when mowing correct? These decks rely on the gauge wheels for cutting height and should be used in the completely lowered position (between 4 and 5) so that the deck rolls along the ground. To adjust the cutting height, you would need to adjust the front and rear deck wheels as per the manual.
 
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HowardTractor

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Equipment
LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
Just to confirm, you have the deck completely lowered to the ground when mowing correct? These decks rely on the deck wheels for cutting height and should be used in the completely lowered position so that the deck rolls along the ground. To adjust the cutting height, you would need to adjust the front and rear deck wheels as per the manual.
The way I have it set up was that the wheels were just touching the ground when I had the hydraulic lift set to around 5. But then I would raise the level up if dealing with obstacles. Should the wheels be taking the full weight of the deck?
 

je1279

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Equipment
LX2610 w/ 60" MMM, LP 72" Snow Plow, EA Wicked 55" Grapple, and Woods 60" BB
Dec 6, 2020
723
453
63
Upstate NY
Yes, these decks are different from the suspended decks on riding mowers where the guide wheels only hit the ground to avoid scalping the grass. These are designed to be used on the ground, supporting the weight of the deck. Just make sure to set your desired cut height with the front and rear wheels first before lowering it to the ground.
 
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lostboy

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lx2610
Jan 1, 2021
31
14
8
OK
So I didn't get the mower manual and oddly enough there is a sticker missing from the top off the mower that I think tells how to adjust the mower height. Would one of you mind taking a picture of the adjustment sticker and posting so I can try some different heights? It seems to be pretty self explanatory, but I don't want to mess anything up.
 

HowardTractor

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Equipment
LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
So I didn't get the mower manual and oddly enough there is a sticker missing from the top off the mower that I think tells how to adjust the mower height. Would one of you mind taking a picture of the adjustment sticker and posting so I can try some different heights? It seems to be pretty self explanatory, but I don't want to mess anything up.
Kubota doesn't seem to be really great with providing access to manuals. For the price of these machines, the shop manuals should be free and accessible. I noticed Land Pride has really good access to manuals. Anyway here is the page from the manual that talks about height adjustment.
1618926948331.png
 
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lostboy

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Equipment
lx2610
Jan 1, 2021
31
14
8
OK
Thank you HowardTractor. I agree about the manuals. I called to order one and it was $100. Then they proceed to tell me I don't need it.

Jim
 

je1279

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LX2610 w/ 60" MMM, LP 72" Snow Plow, EA Wicked 55" Grapple, and Woods 60" BB
Dec 6, 2020
723
453
63
Upstate NY
I purchased my LX2610 over the winter so I don't have the deck on and haven't set the height yet. Looks like I might need a secret decoder ring to do so...
 
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HowardTractor

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LX2610, B2372, PFL1242, STB10, RCK60-30BB, RB1560, PD10, WC68, RCR1260
Feb 9, 2021
59
20
8
Pennsylvania
OK. I just pulled the deck off for the first time. Figure I would clean and grease as suggested. I was pretty easy to get off. It was not super joyful since I have a gravel drive which makes rolling the deck out from under the tractor difficult, but doable. After I disconnected the drive shaft the PTO is exposed. Is there supposed to be some type of protective sleeve or something that keeps dirt off?

Another mower deck related question... I was reading there is a mulch kit available for the deck? What does that do? I am assuming it helps to shred up the cut grass and leaves. Does anyone have this and is it worth it?
 

lostboy

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Equipment
lx2610
Jan 1, 2021
31
14
8
OK
Howard. Thanks for the manual page.
This weekend the drive belt broke on my wife's zero turn mower. So she let me mow the rest of the front yard with the lx2610. So I put the mower deck back on, disconnected the front end loader (quicktach), and set the mower to 2.5 " inches and went to work. I did not hear any weird sounds and the mower did a great job. She didn't complain anyway, she never liked the way the B2320 mowed. Under the trees I did raise the mower some with the 3 pt to keep the mower from digging in the dirt and avoid small limbs. The mower was bit of a pain to connect back up. I did finally figure out if you pull back the connector on the mower PTO it will stay back, so you can just lift it and push it on the tractor shaft.

I don't know about a protective cover for the PTO, I have got both of my tractors used and I haven't ever seen the cover for the mid PTO or the rear PTO. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Never have used a mulch kit.
 
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Matt Ellerbee

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MX6000
Jun 27, 2019
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I purchased my LX2610 over the winter so I don't have the deck on and haven't set the height yet. Looks like I might need a secret decoder ring to do so though.
We have 4 F mowers at work that use the same multiple hole shaft/collar adjustment. Not that hard once you are looking at it. It is a more set and forget system vs. what a zero turn would have.
 
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