leveling John Deere 210 mower deck

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I have a John Deere 210 and it has the model 38 deck with 3 gauge wheels. The gauge wheels are in bad shape and are worn down. I'm having problems getting the cutting height adjusted perfectly to 3 1/2 inches. I'm going to order new gauge wheels for the deck, but I read somewhere that the deck should NOT ride on the wheels. Is that true?

Also, what is the depth control knob and how does it affect the deck height? My manual barely even mentions the depth control knob, and I don't have a separate manual for the mower deck.

I couldn't find a youtube video on leveling the mower deck for these old tractors. Any help is much appreciated!
 
True, JD decks do not set on the wheels,on concrete they should be about a 1/4 off of the ground. You really need to check a manual for the right set up.
 
The gauge wheels need to be 1/2 inch above the ground when mowing. Adjust them setting on a hard surface. The gauge wheels keep the
mower deck from scalping if you are mowing on uneven ground or you run over a hole which causes the machine to lower on one side or the
other. The middle blade should be at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch lower at the front than the rear. So, place the middle blade pointing to the front of the
deck and measure the front and then the rear and adjust according. You adjust this by the hanger on the front between the wheels.
 
Thanks for confirming! Unfortunately the operator manual doesn't discuss anything about the mower deck.

I've been cutting with the deck raised almost all the way up. Is there something I should do with the depth control knob to adjust the height of the deck properly? I'm still confused about the purpose of this knob..
 
My old 110 has a decal next to the knob that explains the use, think you grab the lift lever and raise slightly, then adjust the knob, haven't mowed lawn with mine in years.
 
To add to what the others have replied-
On a driveway or other hard surface,set blade height with the lift lever, then turn knob, think
clockwise, until snug. It will then hold deck at that height, no matter how far forward you push the
lever. I might be wrong on which way to turn the knob, try it & see what happens.
Added benefit-
The same lift system also is used for the front snow blower & rear tiller. In a pinch it can hold the deck all the way up & use the front snow blower without removing the deck. However I would recommend removing the deck belt while blowing snow. lol. With the front & rear lift linkage installed, the same lever controls all 3 attachments. When removeing any attachment, the linkage can stay installed.
Several years back while moving from the big city to my lakeshore home I decided that the snow blower & tiller were too heavy to man handle onto trailer. To save on my back I locked the deck in up position, mounted the tiller, raised it with same lever & set the rear knob in up position, mounted the snow blower & also raised it with the same lever, drove the whole setup onto the trailer. Only took about 10 minutes, with no heavy lifting.
Willie
 

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