Before the start of each cutting season, you must level deck for the Toro 16-38 HXL lawn tractor. Leveling the deck ensures your grass looks nice and even after you cut each pass. According to the Toro manual, you must level the deck in two different ways. The first procedure is side to side leveling and the second procedure is front to back. Since the front sits lower than the back, this is called sloping instead of leveling.
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Things You'll Need
Tape measure
1-inch wrench
Side to Side Leveling
Step 1
Place the mower on level ground, disengage the mower blades via the PTO lever, place the mower in neutral and then set the parking brake. Turn off the mower and place it in neutral. To disable the mower, remove the spark plug wire from the spark plug.
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Step 2
Move the deck height adjustment lever into the position labeled "C."
Step 3
Rotate the blade manually so the ends of the blade face the right and left side of the mower deck. Take caution, as the blade is sharp and can cut you.
Step 4
Measure the distance between the ground and the bottom of the blade on the right side of the mower deck. Repeat the measurement on the left side of the mower deck and then determine the difference between the two. If the difference is greater than 3/16 inch, then you must adjust the deck.
Step 5
Locate the "L" shaped leveling bracket on the side of the mower deck. The leveling bracket has two hairpins and two washers connected to it. The lower hairpin has several holes. Remove the hairpin and washer and then rotate the bracket to the next hole. If you need to raise that side of the deck, move the bracket to the right. If you need to lower that side of the deck, move the bracket to the left. Reattach the hairpin and washer.
Step 6
Measure the deck again. Continue to make adjustments until the deck meets the required tolerance of 3/16 inch.
Front to Back Sloping
Step 1
Measure the distance between the ground and the bottom lip located on the front center of the mower deck. Measure the distance between the ground and the bottom lip located on the center rear of the mower. The front must measure 5/8 inch lower than the rear of the deck. If the front is outside of this measurement, you must complete a slope adjustment on the deck.
Step 2
Locate the rod that extends from the front adjusting block. This is the same "L" shaped bracket that you located when leveling the deck from side to side.
Step 3
Measure the length of the rod. If the rod does not measure 5/8 inch, remove the hairpin and washer from the rod. Rotate the rod until the rod measures 5/8 inch. Reconnect the washer and hairpin.
Step 4
Check the measurements of the deck again. If the front of the deck remains outside of the 5/8-inch tolerance, locate the 1-inch adjustment nuts on the pivot mount. Turn the nut clockwise to raise the front of the deck and counterclockwise to lower the front of the deck. Do this until the front of the deck measures 5/8 inch lower than the rear of the deck.