Uneven cut - One blade lower (slanted)

[cgambino1018 27]

Sirs,

When I cut my lawn its seems like 1 blade is lower or slanted and it cuts lower (see attached pic).  I just purchased new blades but not luck fixing the issue.  How do I determine which blade is the issue and then how do I fix it?

 

 

Thanks in advance for all your help

Chris

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,481]

Take the deck off, turn upside down and check the distance between each blade and the housing.  

[Jerry77 1,218]

Even with a floating deck, tire pressure is vital - keep the tires up to snuff....

[AMC RULES 37,146]

Check the mounting points...

could be an issue there too. 

[SylvanLakeWH 27,532]

Are all your deck wheels in good shape - both in the front and the back of the deck? I had one front one go out and while it was still "on" the deck, it dragged lower than the others, causing a similar issue...

 

Just a thought...

[doc724 925]

Lots of good info here.  However, if you really want to get to root cause, start by leveling the deck, the way the manual tells you.  On a level surface, like your garage floorr, set the deck at mid height and lower it down with the lift lever so that the rear wheels sit on the floor and the lift lever is loose (meaning no tension on it).  Now measure from the end of each blade tip to the garage floor.  Remember, there are 6 blade tips to check and you have to check both ends to rule out a bent blade.  Check blades in the north-south position and east-west position.  There should be  a bit of a difference in north-south by 1/8 inch, but no difference east west.  It is impossible to actually get under there to measure the dimension, so make a set of GO/NO GO gauge blocks out of 2x3's.  Each block should be 1/8 inch longer than the previous one.  Start at 1 7/8 and go up to 2 1/2 so you will make 6 blocks total.  After you make them, mark the actual dimension on them (seems obvious but you will be surprised how often this step is missed).  now you can slide the blocks under the deck (while you lie on the ground).  The block will either slide between the blade and the floor (a GO) or not (a NO GO).  Your are not looking for perfect accuracy- you will be accurate withing 1/8 inch which is not noticeable on the grass.   With the marks in your pix, something is off 1/2 to one inch.  Most everyone has covered the sources of error, but to summarize, bent blades, bent deck shell, twisted rear wheel support, which happens when you back into an immovable object, and low tire pressure on one side are my top picks.

[Tankman 3,520]

Remove the two outer blades or the deck belt.

 

"Honey, I'll finish painting your kitchen as soon as I'm done mowing." 

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by Tankman

[cgambino1018 27]

All, Thanks Thank you all for your suggestions.  I dug into the deck this weekend and found what I think is the problem.  The pulley that goes to the mower is slanted toward the front of the mower (I assume this is self inflicted by either a) over tightening the belt or bb) cutting deep grass that slows the blades down in turn making the belt slip and putting upward pressure on middle pulley (one connected to the mower).

 

Years ago i put a support plate on the middle pulley because the deck was weak in that area (see pic).  also the middle pulley is well worn (see pic).  now the question is what to do. 

a) hammer deck down a bit on the back of the pulley near the pressure spring

bb) use washers under the deck to level the blade

c) purchase a used deck

d) hire a lawn service company

 

All suggestions are appreciated.   

 

[AMC RULES 37,146]

   Answer A.

      The old BFH should do the trick.  

[Jerry77 1,218]

If the front edge is bent down, wouldn't it be better to raise it back up ? ( i.e.  hammer from the bottom side )  

[doc724 925]

Hammering will not work.  It only locally deforms the metal under the hammer head.  You have to over deflect the metal over a larger area in the opposite direction in order to get the effect you need.  I responded to a similar post sometime in the last 2-3 weeks in this forum with detail instructions on how to get the metal back where it belongs.  Do a search and you will find it.  Once you have it back where it belongs, I recommend welding a plate over the now straightened part.  Yes, the bent metal is self inflicted by over tightening the PTO belt. 

I found it for you.  It was under "straightening a deck", posted on May 24

 

take the deck completely apart so you only have the shell.  Now there are lots of holes in the deck and most will take a 3/8 inch threaded rod.  Get a good study workbench with a top that will not deflect and drill one or two holes in it to line up with suitable holes in the deck.  Depending on which way the deck is warped (and you will readily be able to see it when the deck is completely dismantled) you will either put the deck on the bench with the open side down or up.  If the open side is up, you will have to support the deck up off the work bench with something so the deck shell can deflect.  Short pieces of a 2x4 or 2x6 work great.  If the open side is down, you may choose to support the deck with stacked 2x6 so only the area in need gets deformed.  You certainly could try the welded plate idea you suggest, but putting torque on it to twist the deck may be difficult.  My experience is that axial force works, is easy and with all the holes to chose from it should not be a problem.  Drilling an additional hole in the spot you need will not be a problem.  i  have done it a couple of time and I just leave the hole there.  if it really bothers you, but a bolt in it afterwards.

 

 

[tommyg 154]

I experienced a similar problem on my C125. I removed the deck and put a straight edge across the three blades. Turned out that one of the spindles must have come in contact with something hard at some point and it deflected the entire deck. So on that particular blade, it was cutting a half inch lower than the others. I was able to muscle it back into position, rechecked with the straight edge and the problem went away. If you find, with a straight edge, that one blade is lower than the others on both sides of the blade an equal amount, you might consider trying a washer or two under the others as a spacer. Just a thought.

[cgambino1018 27]

 

Guys, I think I got it pretty good.. I used washers on the middle spindle.  See attached pic.

Next I have to figure out how to get the entire deck higher.  Its on the highest selection but its leaving only about 1in of grass.  Any help on how to raise the entire decks level is appreciated.

Chris

[lynnmor 7,560]

Inflate tires to spec.  Level deck front to rear so that the front is just 1/8" lower than the rear.  A deck leveling gauge is a big help.  Adjust the transport height so that the deck lifts properly.  Retest.

[MalMac 1,332]

If its a 42" side discharge, your deck is sprung. They can be brought back but it has been my experience that it will eventually go right back. 42" side discharge are the weakest decks Wheel Horse/Toro ever made. There are all kinds of fixes and a lot are mention on here. In the end in my opinion your fighting a loosing battle.  

[cgambino1018 27]

All,

First thank you for all the suggestions.

Update:  inflated tires to 13PSI, notices the lift handle was sneaking away from the u frame holding it.  Hit that a few times with the hammer and it now seems to be staying.  the grass is still very short (1 - 2 inches).  when I  had a 37in deck (and different wheel horse 3-12) It would leave the grass 3 or 4 inches.  I  am thinking i am missing something big here.    Could the plastic wheels be worn too much?  See pics.

Thanks

Chris

 

[lynnmor 7,560]

The front rollers are for anti-scalp only.  The rear tires are worn but that would account for only about 1/4"

 

i can't tell from the photo, is the shaft that ties the rear wheels together not being held down to near the deck by the black clamps?

 

That collector hanging on one side would tend to tilt the deck quite a bit.