Lifting Wheelhorse by front axel.. winch question

[FLtractor 69]

Morning, 

 

I have an 856. Currently working on replacing fuel line, so completely drained of fuel. I want to check the deck spindles to see what shape and to know what else I need to make deck mow.. previous seller said need new spindles, gauge wheels… given the only fluid currently in tractor is engine oil and transmission… would it be safe to lift the tractor upwards with a winch by the front axel, enough to get a look under the deck?  Would doing this potentially break or disrupt something mechanical with tractor or drain fluids where they shouldnt be? What is the recommended way to lift the tractor to do this? Would prefer to not have to remove deck if at all possible. Thank you 

Edited yesterday at 08:34 AM by FLtractor

[ri702bill 10,493]

Best to NOT try to use a floor jack under the middle of the axle, as there is an angled grease zerk fitting there - very easy to snap it off. I use a lifting strap around the frame near the engine - the top of the strap goes to a come-along on an overhead beam in the garage...

Doing so it is then in the correct position to grease the axle pivot & spindles.....

[953 nut 62,869]

If you lift the tractor far enough to INSPECT the spindles you won't have accomplished very much. Remove the deck and remove the spindle shafts to see what condition they are in. This manual will show you all the parts and pieces and be a good guide.

 

[FLtractor 69]

3 hours ago, ri702bill said:

Best to NOT try to use a floor jack under the middle of the axle, as there is an angled grease zerk fitting there - very easy to snap it off. I use a lifting strap around the frame near the engine - the top of the strap goes to a come-along on an overhead beam in the garage...

Doing so it is then in the correct position to grease the axle pivot & spindles.....

Will keep the axel zerk in mind. Thank you

[FLtractor 69]

53 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

If you lift the tractor far enough to INSPECT the spindles you won't have accomplished very much. Remove the deck and remove the spindle shafts to see what condition they are in. This manual will show you all the parts and pieces and be a good guide.

 

Thank you. Is there a guide or video on deck removal and installation? 

[Ed Kennell 43,663]

5 hours ago, FLtractor said:

would it be safe to lift the tractor upwards with a winch by the front axel

No problem for the tractor, but my material handling training taught me to never put a body part under a suspended load.

[ri702bill 10,493]

4 minutes ago, FLtractor said:

Thank you. Is there a guide or video on deck removal and installation? 

The RM-326 explains that. If you have that exact deck, do remove it and flip it over to check if the large housing casting is cracked near the middle. Very common.

[FLtractor 69]

10 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

No problem for the tractor, but my material handling training taught me to never put a body part under a suspended load.

I would just be taking pictures from a safe distance.. yet wanted to see what underneath looks like without removing but I will have to remove deck anyway 

[FLtractor 69]

13 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

The RM-326 explains that. If you have that exact deck, do remove it and flip it over to check if the large housing casting is cracked near the middle. Very common.

Started reading it before, just more of a visual learner. If the large middle housing is in fact cracked, what options would i have then? Whole new deck? 

Edited 20 hours ago by FLtractor

[1054 Project 18]

Probably best to remove the deck if you want a good look. If you have a set of car ramps you can get a quick look.

[ri702bill 10,493]

8 minutes ago, FLtractor said:

Started reading it before, just more of a visual learner. If the large middle housing is in fact cracked, what options would i have then? Whole new deck? 

Options...

Replace just the housing - if you have to go that route, be careful to get the right one. There were 32" decks and 36" decks. Each has its own casting...

Furnace brazing the broken part. Generally not a backyard project. Cast iron requires pre-heating bot parts to prevent cracking after brazing as it cools... kind of a lost art.

 

You need to see if both spindles are bent too. Those are heat treated hard thru - they will bend a bit before they break. If bent, they must be replaced.

Bent spindles & a cracked housing are what happens when you hit a solid object while mowing with one of these...

 

Again - pictures are needed to better understand what you have there...

[WHX?? 53,181]

5 hours ago, FLtractor said:

Would prefer to not have to remove deck if at all possible.

Your reasoning behind that? 

When a new to comes in here that is the first thing that comes off for a few reasons.

 

Bit easier to service tractor..

Skools me on taking it on and off. Most if not all  decks were designed to be easily taken on and off. Procedure should be in the deck manual. 

Best way to inspect/service deck. 

[ri702bill 10,493]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

Best way to inspect/service deck. 

 That gives me a chance to look it over using the good eye!! 

Edited 18 hours ago by ri702bill

[Pullstart 68,428]

Another vote for pulling the deck.  Good way to inspect the frame at the transmission mount, or “f plate” as well.  

[ri702bill 10,493]

55 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

Another vote for pulling the deck.  Good way to inspect the frame at the transmission mount, or “f plate” as well.  

We all have to be kind to our "f" plates.. unless you want a 2-piece tractor.

[adsm08 3,821]

14 hours ago, FLtractor said:

Would prefer to not have to remove deck if at all possible.

 

You are going to cause yourself 5x the work trying to be lazy this way. I can have the decks off both of my WHs, which are identical to yours, in under a minute. That's from fully assembled, mowing tractor to deck standing up on its back for cleaning/inspection. You will waste at least 5 minutes trying to figure out where to place the jack.

 

To get the deck off you slip the belt off the deck pulley, pull the lift-link pin, pull the pin from the frame mounting bracket, turn the wheels to the right, and pull the deck out from the left. You may need to lean on the tractor a bit to make the link clear the frame. Installation is the reverse, it helps to place the front anti-scalp wheel on a piece of 2x4, this holds the deck at the correct height to get it latched back in its bracket.

 

Also, lets assume you get under it and get your inspection done with the deck on, and find all that work you were told it needs is actually needed. What then? You aren't doing those spindle bearings with the deck installed, the whole thing has to be torn down to bits and pieces.

[FLtractor 69]

9 hours ago, WHX?? said:

Your reasoning behind that? 

When a new to comes in here that is the first thing that comes off for a few reasons.

 

Bit easier to service tractor..

Skools me on taking it on and off. Most if not all  decks were designed to be easily taken on and off. Procedure should be in the deck manual. 

Best way to inspect/service deck. 

Good point.. I know that would be best, just afraid I’ll get unhooked and not be able to rehook it after.. not as that should currently be frustrating to me given it doesn’t now currently anyway.. have bad habit of procrastination.. so I would probably take it off and not end up putting it back on. Least I’d learn underside of tractor and deck are like 

[FLtractor 69]

6 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

 

You are going to cause yourself 5x the work trying to be lazy this way. I can have the decks off both of my WHs, which are identical to yours, in under a minute. That's from fully assembled, mowing tractor to deck standing up on its back for cleaning/inspection. You will waste at least 5 minutes trying to figure out where to place the jack.

 

To get the deck off you slip the belt off the deck pulley, pull the lift-link pin, pull the pin from the frame mounting bracket, turn the wheels to the right, and pull the deck out from the left. You may need to lean on the tractor a bit to make the link clear the frame. Installation is the reverse, it helps to place the front anti-scalp wheel on a piece of 2x4, this holds the deck at the correct height to get it latched back in its bracket.

 

Also, let’s assume you get under it and get your inspection done with the deck on, and find all that work you were told it needs is actually needed. What then? You aren't doing those spindle bearings with the deck installed, the whole thing has to be torn down to bits and pieces.

Fair points.. it’s the part inside my head that’s afraid I won’t put it back on or get it halfway off and stuck somehow. Just have too many projects I attempt to work on all at once I get overwhelmed. Need to start small . One at a time. Need to do as you and others said, thank you for the walkthrough. The anti scalp wheel is the longer black.. rubber? Wheel attached to deck front?

 

Edited 10 hours ago by FLtractor

[adsm08 3,821]

16 minutes ago, FLtractor said:

Fair points.. it’s the part inside my head that’s afraid I won’t put it back on or get it halfway off and stuck somehow. Just have too many projects I attempt to work on all at once I get overwhelmed. Need to start small . One at a time. Need to do as you and others said, thank you for the walkthrough. The anti scalp wheel is the longer black.. rubber? Wheel attached to deck front?

 

 

1) Ritalin.

 

2) Yes, anti-scalp wheel is the really wide/long one on the front. Not sure what the original material was, mine is hard, plastic-ey, possibly a petrified form of some other material.

[FLtractor 69]

11 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

 

1) Ritalin.

 

2) Yes, anti-scalp wheel is the really wide/long one on the front. Not sure what the original material was, mine is hard, plastic-ey, possibly a petrified form of some other material.

1. There is that to consider. 
2. yea the plastic rubbery wheel roller

Thank you again 

[c-series don 10,766]

Is that called an F plate because one might look under the tractor and say “The F in plate is cracked?”