Why Left Hand Deck Discharge?
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If you are looking for an absolute reason, there really isn't one. Discharge direction is the result of chosen design for the tractor and that was left up to the individual manufacturers.Rockdog said:
An engine must do two things. It has to propel the tractor and secondarily, it must power attachments that rotate. Some manufacturers cross-mounted their engines and some put the crankshaft in line with the frame. There was no right or wrong way. Gravely had models with an Onan twin mounted behind the rear axle, as an example. The early Colt models did not have a PTO clutch, nor did the 1965 Case 130/180 models. Instead, they had mechanical leverage that tightened the drive belt for the deck.
PTO clutches did not appear until 1966. If you look at cars, trucks and tractors, their drive trains are all connected to the rear of the engine. When Colt came up with their design in 1962, they bolted the pump onto the back of the engine and it stayed there until 1989. That decision is what dictated which side the grass clippings exited the deck. When Ingersoll turned the engine 180 degrees in the frame in 1989, the discharge side also changed by 180 degrees.
I couldn't help but notice that you did not disclose where you live when you filled out your membership. When that bit of information is shown under your screen name all the time, it helps other members who may be inclined to try and help you with your problem. Many members end up with a spare deck or two and would be happy to sell you one of them but shipping is often a major stumbling block.
However, people do travel here and there and sometimes a meeting can take place at a half-way point. Showing where you live, allows a member to glance at your screen name box and instantly decide whether there is something they can do to help or not. And the above is not directed solely at you because I see many members fail to fill in that box when joining.
We aren't prying when we ask for that information. Whatever you put in those boxes stays with this site, permanently. No outsider has access to it and they never will.
You could also put a "Wanted to Buy" listing on the site bulletin board if you have not done so already. That area gets quite a bit of traffic but you have to tell people where you are. Don't be shy. Most of us don't bite. :sidelaugh:
Hydriv,
Oh I dont care if anyone knows where I live (think I've mentioned I live in Central Illinois on this site). I dont recall that part of the registration process and in fact I dont recall answering any questions at all. Let me know how to do it / where to go on the site and I'll complete that portion.
Just trying to weigh my options in case I dont find an actual Case deck and have to mount something else under it. Wondering what the difference would be in modifying a RH discharge deck into a mulching deck and turning around the tensioning system. Seems like it would be pretty straight forward.
Also, does anyone know realistically what the largest sized deck a 444 can handle?
Oh I dont care if anyone knows where I live (think I've mentioned I live in Central Illinois on this site). I dont recall that part of the registration process and in fact I dont recall answering any questions at all. Let me know how to do it / where to go on the site and I'll complete that portion.
Just trying to weigh my options in case I dont find an actual Case deck and have to mount something else under it. Wondering what the difference would be in modifying a RH discharge deck into a mulching deck and turning around the tensioning system. Seems like it would be pretty straight forward.
Also, does anyone know realistically what the largest sized deck a 444 can handle?
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3,600 Posts
If you click on your "User Control Panel" in the upper right part of the site there is a lot of information and customizing you can do to your profile.
*Edit*
I just added it for you, but you still might want to check it out. There is a lot of information to customize in there including accessing and using the picture gallery.
*Edit*
I just added it for you, but you still might want to check it out. There is a lot of information to customize in there including accessing and using the picture gallery.
In order to connect a 3 digit tractor to a 4 digit deck, you would have to make the drive belt cross over itself in an X pattern. That isn't feasible because the belt would rub against itself constantly, wear off the edges, roll over and flip off the pulleys.Rockdog said:
It is so much simpler to find a left discharge deck that to try and solve that problem.
Deck sizes.... 38", 44", 48" and 60"
38" is not designed for a 400 series. Too narrow. You cannot edge with it.
44" comes in left discharge and rear discharge. Either one are fine on a 400 series.
48" was the largest available deck until 1980.
60" became available as of 1980 model year but must be used on a long wheelbase (48") 444, 446 or 448 model. This is a timed deck. It uses 4 toothed timing pulleys and two toothed timing belts. Terrific deck but more expensive to repair than the other types. You must exercise care when using it. If you strike a solid object with a blade, you may break a $70.00 drive belt. Beware of the early decks that had some sort of composite timing pulleys that had the edges wear off the teeth and allowed the belts to get out of timing or slip off. New steel pulleys were over $100.00 each at one point but I believe that they came down to around $75.00 each.
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2,546 Posts
There are a lot of used decks floating around that will work for you. Unless you have a small yard and need to get into tight spots I'd recommend the 48" deck. Unless they are heavily rusted through most older decks can be brought back to life without too much difficulty--new bearings, belts and blades plus some paint.Rockdog said:
If you find yourself coming up towards southern Wisconsin I could probably match you up with one.
Hydriv - was thinking more in line with having to use a non-Case deck and using "LH Discharge" blades, modifiying the tensioner set up, and turning it into a muching type deck (basically just reversing the rotation on it).Although it would probably be alot easier to use a RH dicharge Case deck.
The guy I bought the tractor from told me it was a 48" wheelbase. I'm thinking 60" would be too much for a 14hp single but it sure would be nice.
There is a pull-behind 60+ inch finish mower for sale locally for under $600 and with 3 acres of lawn its starting to look like a good idea. Way less money than a used Ex-Mark but not very sellable nor any good if we moved to a smaller property. Not sure how much a 48" plus Case LH (or RH for that matter) discharge deck costs used but all said and done I'm sure it be quite a bit getting it up to snuff.
The guy I bought the tractor from told me it was a 48" wheelbase. I'm thinking 60" would be too much for a 14hp single but it sure would be nice.
There is a pull-behind 60+ inch finish mower for sale locally for under $600 and with 3 acres of lawn its starting to look like a good idea. Way less money than a used Ex-Mark but not very sellable nor any good if we moved to a smaller property. Not sure how much a 48" plus Case LH (or RH for that matter) discharge deck costs used but all said and done I'm sure it be quite a bit getting it up to snuff.
Let's start from the top.
A brand new Left Hand Discharge deck is now out of production apparently but some of the regional distributors may have one in stock or know of a dealer who still has one in his inventory. You can expect to pay $1600.00 or so for this item if it can be located. I throw that out there so you can put into perspective the following.
Decent 48" decks still show up on e-Bay and Craigslist. There are often creative ways to obtain those decks and then get them transported to where you live or close by. To me, that's what you should be focusing on.
Yes...it is possible to adapt another brand of deck to the Case Mule Harness but most of those decks are right discharge because they come from LT's with vertical shaft engines. Left Discharge decks are a rare item for any brand of tractor and to try to convert a RH discharge to a LH discharge is not easy. All of the baffles welded to the underside must be changed. The blades must be change also and you will likely encounter a huge problem with that issue alone. All of these manufacturers come up with their own blade designs so that people have to come to their dealers to buy the replacement blades. The aftermarket blade guys make the most popular blades but they won't have left discharge blades available for a right discharge deck.
If mulching is your concern, then save yourself a ton of time and aggravation. Buy a Case-made 48" deck for your tractor and order a set of Meg-Mo blades from Roy. I'm about to revive his thread on this forum because he just wrote me back saying that he had it all worked out now and can supply his blades for the 38, 44 and 48" left discharge decks. There are instances in life where trying to solve a problem by yourself makes good sense and then there are times when you are just pissing in the wind. It's my opinion that the latter fits this scenario but you are welcome to experiment at will. Shortly, the grass is going to start growing. You have to figure out if you are going to be ready to deal with that when it happens.
A brand new Left Hand Discharge deck is now out of production apparently but some of the regional distributors may have one in stock or know of a dealer who still has one in his inventory. You can expect to pay $1600.00 or so for this item if it can be located. I throw that out there so you can put into perspective the following.
Decent 48" decks still show up on e-Bay and Craigslist. There are often creative ways to obtain those decks and then get them transported to where you live or close by. To me, that's what you should be focusing on.
Yes...it is possible to adapt another brand of deck to the Case Mule Harness but most of those decks are right discharge because they come from LT's with vertical shaft engines. Left Discharge decks are a rare item for any brand of tractor and to try to convert a RH discharge to a LH discharge is not easy. All of the baffles welded to the underside must be changed. The blades must be change also and you will likely encounter a huge problem with that issue alone. All of these manufacturers come up with their own blade designs so that people have to come to their dealers to buy the replacement blades. The aftermarket blade guys make the most popular blades but they won't have left discharge blades available for a right discharge deck.
If mulching is your concern, then save yourself a ton of time and aggravation. Buy a Case-made 48" deck for your tractor and order a set of Meg-Mo blades from Roy. I'm about to revive his thread on this forum because he just wrote me back saying that he had it all worked out now and can supply his blades for the 38, 44 and 48" left discharge decks. There are instances in life where trying to solve a problem by yourself makes good sense and then there are times when you are just pissing in the wind. It's my opinion that the latter fits this scenario but you are welcome to experiment at will. Shortly, the grass is going to start growing. You have to figure out if you are going to be ready to deal with that when it happens.
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