42” deck not cutting good

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

Hi all. I’ve been trying to figure out why I’m getting those little lines in the middle of my cut, I have a 42” side discharge on a 96 314. Just on both sides of the center blade pretty much. It looks like it cuts even besides those high lines it leaves, I did just purchase new blades. I have also inspected the deck and there seems to be no damage/bending of anything. Has anyone else had this problem? 

[oliver2-44 9,695]

Did this start with the changing of the blades?

If so, are you blades possible on backwards?

[peter lena 8,583]

agree with oliver2-44, on possible backwards blades, also are you cutting at the highest setting ? looks like your discharge is so dense, (   from a low cut  )   that it cannot clear out itself  to a easier discharge flow. with the amount of grass that you have, you can find an uncut area and experiment with a setting that is easier to cut and no build up discharge, also watch your cutting speed , slowing it down makes for a more thorough cut and finer discharge, like low range , high gear , pete

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

I had the issue before installing new blades. Yesterday I cut my grass after a couple weeks, as it has been really hot so I didn’t want brown grass. I went rather slow and had the deck set on notch from the highest cut level. It’s a hydro so it was easier to change speed for the thick and thinner areas of my yard.

[tunahead72 2,411]

In addition to what these fine gentlemen have already suggested, try the highest notch on your adjustment lever and see if that makes a difference.  You may also be able to raise the deck to the "transport" position and mow there; that's not generally recommended because it can theoretically cause excessive wear to the mower deck hardware, but I've been doing it for decades with no ill effects that I know of yet.

 

Also, is that clover I'm seeing in your lawn?  My own personal experience is that clover takes more horsepower to cut well, slowing down and mowing higher seems to help.

 

[pfrederi 17,672]

Take the deck off flip it over and line up the blades end to end and see if the tips are the same heights (level with each other).  42" decks do not have the triangular reinforcing plate that 48's do.  Hence the deck shell can bend at a spindle mounting hole a bit meaning your blades are not aligned with each other.

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

My yard isn’t normally that thick and high. It cuts that way every time I mow no matter the height or what I’m cutting. I have a rear discharge deck I think I’m going to try 

[troutbum70 857]

I would check your blades and make sure the curved edge on the back of blades are pointed up towards deck, This creates a vacuum to lift the grass which is very necessary on the side where the grass laid down tires on left side of tractor. I no some others may disagree but I personally do not care for rear discharge, for me they always seem clump the grass into wind rows instead of spreading it evenly across lawn. 

[peter lena 8,583]

trying that r/d deck might be your answer, think about the dramatic flow difference, the width of the deck is your chute. i have preferred r/d decks  over s/d  for all my cutting. when you swap decks , also take the time to touch up the blades with a file, grease spindles and improve the chance of a gain on your problem. use the highest setting , make a change over what you have been doing. what do you have to loose ?  pete

[pfrederi 17,672]

10 hours ago, troutbum63 said:

I would check your blades and make sure the curved edge on the back of blades are pointed up towards deck, This creates a vacuum to lift the grass which is very necessary on the side where the grass laid down tires on left side of tractor. I no some others may disagree but I personally do not care for rear discharge, for me they always seem clump the grass into wind rows instead of spreading it evenly across lawn. 

 

 

  The RM-366 rear discharge on my Commando 8 leaves 2 trails of clippings.

[Guest 88vic]

Youll want to check the pitch of the cut, that would be front to back. The front of the deck needs to be 1/8 inch to no more than 1/4 inch lower than the rear. You check this with the middle blade at the tips, not the housing. I apologize if this isnt clear, let me know if you have any questions, Brady. 

[Darb1964 1,042]

Check your tire pressure,that can mess up your cut.your deck could be out of adjustment if you or someone else steps on it when getting on or off the tractor.

[little red riding horse 223]

interested to see how you put this right because my 48" sd leaves exactly the same , I think mine was ok up until I had the blades sharpened so im thinking maybe the blades are  upside down (cant believe I was that dumb) or I put them back on and they arent lined up... 

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

5 hours ago, WHEELHORSEFAN*16 said:

Youll want to check the pitch of the cut, that would be front to back. The front of the deck needs to be 1/8 inch to no more than 1/4 inch lower than the rear. You check this with the middle blade at the tips, not the housing. I apologize if this isnt clear, let me know if you have any questions, Brady. 

Could you explain a little more please? I just ran the rear discharge and it cuts even worse. The middle cuts lower than the sides and I even removed the washer under the blade. I noticed on my SD that there’s an adjustment rod on the rear where the level wheels are, would that be how I adjust it for the measurements you were asking I take? The brand new blades are fairly level with one another, no spacers under them either.

[Marv 919]

1 hour ago, H_ALLEMANG said:

Could you explain a little more please? I just ran the rear discharge and it cuts even worse. The middle cuts lower than the sides and I even removed the washer under the blade. I noticed on my SD that there’s an adjustment rod on the rear where the level wheels are, would that be how I adjust it for the measurements you were asking I take? The brand new blades are fairly level with one another, no spacers under them either.

That adjustment rod is used to adjust front to rear height. with unit on level area, hard surface preferred, set the height adjustment in center notch or higher. Adjust the rod so the blade tip (front end with blades pointing forward and aft) so the front is 1/8 to 1/4" lower than the rear. I have also done it by using a level on top of the deck housing, worked for me. That's because I am old and stiff.

Marv

 

[Marv 919]

Is it possible your engine is not running at full/max RPM?

Marv

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

1 hour ago, Marv said:

Is it possible your engine is not running at full/max RPM?

Marv

 Thanks Marv, I’ll measure it after work today. I’m 24 and just getting into these older lawn tractors. I got the mower from a friend saying it needed carb adjustments. I posted in here before asking for some help and I got a manual, then reset the carb to what the chart listed. I still had to tweak it some under a load but it’s better now. I have noticed that I think it’s getting starved of fuel, I’m thinking it’s because I placed the fuel filter under the flywheel. I’m going to relocate the filter to right under the fuel tank. When I mow on uneven ground it runs like hell so that’s why I’m relocating the filter today too.

[tunahead72 2,411]

4 hours ago, H_ALLEMANG said:

... When I mow on uneven ground it runs like hell so that’s why I’m relocating the filter today too...

 

"Uneven", as in bumpy?  And "runs like hell", meaning skipping/missing and feeling like it wants to die?  If so, that could be an issue with the seat switch.

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

40 minutes ago, tunahead72 said:

 

"Uneven", as in bumpy?  And "runs like hell", meaning skipping/missing and feeling like it wants to die?  If so, that could be an issue with the seat switch.

No, I have a slope in my yard by the road. I noticed yesterday it was starving for fuel when I mowed there. I have had the bowl off of the carb and everything was clean in there, I blew through it too with some air and carb cleaner. I was told it was rebuilt before but I’m thinking I may need to do that too if I can’t get it going nice and smooth always. 

[troutbum70 857]

Quite possibly on that slope you are inadvertently raising just enough for the seat switch disconnect causing it to sputter a bit. Been there done that.

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

1 hour ago, troutbum63 said:

Quite possibly on that slope you are inadvertently raising just enough for the seat switch disconnect causing it to sputter a bit. Been there done that.

Actually, the previous owner fixed up the switch so that it always senses an ass on the seat. I don’t have to worry about it. Haha

[troutbum70 857]

Most likely he by passed the switch by just connecting the wires together. Which means there is no safety switch on the seat, so if you should fall off or tip over the machine will continue to run.

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

52 minutes ago, troutbum63 said:

Most likely he by passed the switch by just connecting the wires together. Which means there is no safety switch on the seat, so if you should fall off or tip over the machine will continue to run.

Yep that’s it. It’s handy for any carb adjusting, tensioning the belt and whatnot. Not safe but caution is important.

[H_ALLEMANG 5]

*UPDATE* 

I finally had the time to mess with it again and I used the method that Marv suggested, I used a level on the deck. The adjustment rod was way down so I adjusted it up to level and now she cuts great!!