yes, i have this deck on my lt180. it is a great deck, i have the wash port also installed.

I have been using that deck for six years and am glad I own it. I never bag. There is no discharge so I can cut on both sides of the deck. It has grease zerks on the spindles. I did break a timing belt on one of my wifes tough plants so be careful what you run over. The blades are not straight but have a curve and I use a dremel tool to sharpen them which works nice. Also the blades need to be reinstalled the same way they are taken off (left right up down) they do not cut good if mixed up. Great deck.

I love my Freedom 42, on an LT160. I second the comment about being a little careful what you hit with the blades, as the timing belt is somewhat fragile and around $60. I have a spare on the shelf now, on the assumption that it will break again. Last time was when it tried to grind down a huge root that was just too high to clear. I have gone around the whole yard and removed all exposed roots and any other things that looked as if they were high enough to hit with a blade. This was a good thing to do in any case, but the broken belt was the added incentive for me. You will find that the deck has about no lift at all, and not much good on leaves because of that. However, it looks as if you will be in the same spot as me, with a side discharge deck for leaves and bagging. I think it is a perfect combination, just change decks for spring clean-up and fall clean-up, and mulch the rest of the year.

Remember that mulching is best when the grass is fairly dry, although the freedom deck is more forgiving for moisture thatn the convertible decks are. Also, it is better in a straaight line than while turning, so lay out your mowing pattern accordingly. Finally, the comment about putting blades on exactly right is very real. when I got my mower (used), the blades were almost new and installed by a JD dealer. However, they were on backwards and upside down so they were trying to cut with the square back edge. It was not at all obvious (except for the poor cut) until I took some time with the manual's pictures and got it sorted out, and very easy to get wrong even for the dealer.

Great deck. I've been using it about 6 years. If you do mow moist grass, the deck will build up over time so you will need to scrape. The deck gives a beautiful cut and my experience is that the slower you take it, the better look to the cut. I've broken the timing belt once in 7 years due to age. It will handle small twigs but anything bigger may put the timing belt at risk. Keep the blades sharp and you'll get a very nice cut.

I also have this 42" deck on my JD LT180. It's a great deck and it does a very nice even cut! I installed a pair of gator blades in place of the high lift JD blades and they improved an already great cut to a fantastic one! Plus the price for the gator blades beat the high lift blades by almost $10.00 each!! The clippings are almost non existent! Great mower with deck & blades!! Good Luck!!

Regards,

Dukernc

Dukernc, are you sure your deck says "Freedom 42" on it and not one of the other labels such as "42C Convertible"? Or, any sign of a discharge opening along the side or rear of the deck housing (Freedom is completely smooth and closed on all sides)? The reason I ask is that I am not aware of any maker of a high lift blade for the Freedom deck, or in fact, of any source of a blade that will fit that deck other than the expensive JD stock "kit" of two unique blades that are not even interchangeable. I would love to get just a little more lift when using my Freedom, since the stock blades are virtually flat with no upward curve at all to create lift.

Hey mbs198,
Sorry didn't mean to have mislead you! Yes, I have the 42C convertible deck with the mulch attachment, not the freedom deck. I also have the side discharge closed off so there are no clippings shooting out the side. With the gator blades installed it gives a fantastic even cut with almost no clippings. Hope this helps to clarify things.

Regards,

Dukernc