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You only need a hair of a gap. Just enough that you can wiggle or spin that bar. And remember that spring is pulling on it, so pull the horizontal bar out with your hand to see the real gap while you're adjusting the nuts. That screwed me all up for a long time until I realized what was happening.
Also make sure you have done the nudge maneuver with the front arm loosened out first to make sure the rear draft arms are fully seated, before setting that little hair of a gap on the front draft arms.
Once you have the front draft arms with that little hair of a gap and even on both sides, the next step is adjusting the turnbuckles on the back. As you've noticed, you will have to bring those turnbuckles down a bit to compensate for whatever hair you're about to let out of the front draft arms.
This picture is notch 4 (highest) on the deck height knob. 3-7/8 front, 4-1/8 back. As perfectly level as ever and the 1/4" front rake also about perfect. I struggled with cut quality until I actually spent the time to set all this as described. Combined with the gauge wheels being as close to the ground as possible, which is all the way down since I cut high, my cut quality is absolutely beautiful now. It used to look like a hack job.
Also make sure you have done the nudge maneuver with the front arm loosened out first to make sure the rear draft arms are fully seated, before setting that little hair of a gap on the front draft arms.
Once you have the front draft arms with that little hair of a gap and even on both sides, the next step is adjusting the turnbuckles on the back. As you've noticed, you will have to bring those turnbuckles down a bit to compensate for whatever hair you're about to let out of the front draft arms.
This picture is notch 4 (highest) on the deck height knob. 3-7/8 front, 4-1/8 back. As perfectly level as ever and the 1/4" front rake also about perfect. I struggled with cut quality until I actually spent the time to set all this as described. Combined with the gauge wheels being as close to the ground as possible, which is all the way down since I cut high, my cut quality is absolutely beautiful now. It used to look like a hack job.