2005 GT2544 Cut Problems

[aaabelha]

I have been experiencing cut problems and it is driving me CRAZY.

The tractor leaves uncut stips of grass roughly 1/3 of the way in from both ends of the deck. It also appears to stop cutting when I turn! I have done the following things already but the problem continues.

*deck is perfectly level
*blades are well sharpened with no pits or burrs and properly installed
*I am cutting no more than a 3rd of grass at deck position #5. I like to keep it long during the summer to prevent it from burning (usually cut approx 3 to 4 times every two weeks)
*I make sure my ground speed is practically a "crawl"
*The underside of the deck is clean
*pto belt is fine and deck belt is fine
*Tractor is always run full throttle

I am mulching right now, but I have the problem when bagging too.

Any one have any idea what the problem might be? I DO get a very slight squeal when engaging the PTO. Do you think that might be a sign of a problem somewhere?

 

[OldMachinist]

If you could give us a little more info please.
When did it start doing this?
How wide are the uncut strips of grass?
Did you recently have the blades sharpened?
You say the deck belt is fine but does the idler move freely?
Do you grease the blade spindles regular?

 

[aaabelha]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

If you could give us a little more info please.

When did it start doing this?
*It has been like this since the beginning of the cutting season. I admitedly ignored it for a while.

How wide are the uncut strips of grass?
* They are approximately an inch wide (each row)

Did you recently have the blades sharpened?
*Sharpened a few weeks ago with the hope that it would fix the problem but no luck.

You say the deck belt is fine but does the idler move freely?
* Yes. It spins easily (with the belt off of course).

Do you grease the blade spindles regular?
* Yes. I usually hit the zerks every 2nd or 3rd cut.

 

[OldMachinist]

The only thing I can think of is your blades are little short. I say this because I've seen this happen to a guy who had his blades sharpened and the person who did it ground a little off the end of the blades each time because they were rounded off from wear. I don't know if you sharpen your own blades or if you have someone else do it. If you have someone else do it maybe they gave you the wrong blades or they ground them like above. So next time you have your deck off spin the blades around and see if they almost touch each other as they should. The spindles are offset in a triangle so there is a little bit of overlap in the cut. Hope this helps.

 

[EuropaChris]

I've got the same tractor as you.

I notice a few things regarding cut.

1) If I cut on setting 5 and the grass is fairly tall, the front middle roller will roll the grass down but it won't pop up fast enough to be cut, so it leaves a little 'mohawk' of grass down the middle.

2) If the grass is fairly long (and dry) the front tires will mash the grass down and again, it won't spring back fast enough to be cut. Leave it a little while and it pops up and looks stupid.

I don't mulch or bag. This could also be part of the problem as you are affecting the suction of the blades and airflow under the deck with the bagger or the mulch plug. This will not suck up the grass as well.

I notice that I get quite a bit better cut on setting 4. Again, I think it's due to the grass having more of a 'stand up personality' when it's shorter, so it gets a better cut. But, I like setting 5 for the summer as it really helps the grass stay healthy through the summer dryness and heat here in Northern Illinois.

Chris

 

[JTKub]

*deck is perfectly level

Level is good, but are you running slightly nose down? If not you need to.
Like Chris says, lots of it depends on your specific application, type of grass, depth of cut, etc.. I've only got ~50hrs on my 2544, but the cut is awesome on my 1.5acres of mostly weeds with some grass mixed in. I cut at setting 3. The blades look like new still. I have yet to touch them. I have to say that 44" makes them weeds look nice. I've even been complimented by the neighbors!

Joel

 

[MrWiggles2]

Always make sure you have no grass buildup under the deck.

The problem here is (IMO) cutting on level 5 allows too much air to be sucked in from the sides of the deck. Now, if your grass was 7 inches tall you'd see a better cut as you'd get a better seal. You're probably just cutting an inch or so and the deck is sucking air in. Same thing happened to me on my 42". I stopped using the mulch plug and started cutting lower to level 4.

I'd also recommend losing the mulch plug. Better to use the Cub mulching blades and discharge if possible. Keep the deflector on and down or just a small stick under it to proper it up so you don't get windrows. Then the deck will suck air in from the top down the way its designed, not from the sides or from the huge opening of the deflector chute as some cut with it all the way up. One not safe and two, it pulls in more air then comes out and disrupts the airflow under the deck, giving you a lousy cut.

 

[micman32]

I have a GT 2518 with a 44" deck. It is the same as the 2544. Try cutting at setting 4. I usually cut at 3 but that's a personal preference. I haven't had great results with the mulch plug, maybe becaue i like a lower cut. I usually bag or discharge. Hope you solve your problem. These machines are great!

 

[Yetii]

Could your belt tensioning device be loose or malfunctioning? When it sees a load the belt slips rather that cuts properly?

 

[95fxdl]

I also have the 2544 and cut on the 3 setting. No problems other than the idler pulley deflecting occasionally allowing the belt to come off of it thereby not turning the middle blade. The machine has 40 hrs.

I also am experiencing the machine not coming to a full stop when I release the pedal. Someone posted a fix elsewhere on this site and I intend to try that.

Other than that, I like the machine. It is the first hydro trans I've owned and the first with foot pedals

Dennis

 

[aaabelha]

Thanks to everyone that responded.

I do have the deck slightly lower up front than the rear.

I prefer not to discharge because I have way too large a yard and would have to go around to rake it all. I like to mulch to return the nutrients to the soil. I bag only in early spring, late fall (leaves) and just before fertilizing.

I will try to cut on 4 next time but I am disappointed that using level 5 or 6 would inherently be considered a setting to NOT use. Why have it then? 5 or 6 prevents it from scorching in the hot months. I don't have an irrigation system and the yard is too big to be dragging around a sprinkler on a hose during the drought months.

All the experts say to leave the lawn longer in summer. I used to be able to do this with my old Husqvarna YT-145 and I never had these rows. It had what I thought was an inferior 2 blade 42 inch deck. It mulched just fine with high cutting in summer and never left any strips uncut. If it wasn't for a tranny failure last year, I'd still be mulching along with that thing.

I will try position 4 later this week. I'll let you all know how well it works out!

I luv my Cub. It's like a bulldog! I recently used it to pull a full dump cart full of rose stone (9 tons total) and it never skipped a beat. But I am dissapointed in the cut. Should I have gone with a Simplicity for it's stellar rep for cut quality? I guess I'll never know. I hope it works out as I do really like my Cub for it's beef!

 

[aaabelha]

Well once again this forum proves it worth!

Cut (mulched) on position 4 today and it made a huge difference. I had no evidence of uncut rows. I'm NOW wondering, since I really want to leave the grass higher in summer to protect from drought if I will have to bag it instead? I am going to BAG next cut at position 5 again to see if I get the rows. It is a PITA to pull the deck again and switch the outermost blade to the hi-lift one but it will have to be done so I can test this all the way through.

Thanks to everyone for their input, especially MRWilgges2 as his insight proved to be correct!

 

[EuropaChris]

Well once again this forum proves it worth!

Cut (mulched) on position 4 today and it made a huge difference. I had no evidence of uncut rows. I'm NOW wondering, since I really want to leave the grass higher in summer to protect from drought if I will have to bag it instead? I am going to BAG next cut at position 5 again to see if I get the rows. It is a PITA to pull the deck again and switch the outermost blade to the hi-lift one but it will have to be done so I can test this all the way through.

Thanks to everyone for their input, especially MRWilgges2 as his insight proved to be correct!

Why must you bag or mulch? I run on position 5 most of the time, and 4 in the spring/fall. Our yard is quite thick due to all the fertilizer, but yet unless I REALLY let it go a long time, I don't have really any grass buildup that would necessitate raking (unless I was REALLY **** about it).

I would prefer to mulch, but I find (like you) that it hinders the operation of every mower I've used it on, unless the grass is very dry or very thin (like the heat/dryness of mid summer).

I also wonder if that one high lift blade is screwing up the airflow under the deck and causing the problem that the three regular blades don't have????


Chris

 

[aaabelha]

That single hi-lift blade only goes on when bagging (at the chute end). I use the original 3 mulch blades when mulching.

My thoughts are that if I bag in summer (on 5) I might be able to avoid the rows I was getting when mulching on 5. I'm thinking I might get better airflow. My grass way really thick in the spring when I was bagging so I am thinking I will try again now that it is summer (grass has thinned) to see what happens

I bag in spring to clean up and before fertilizing, laying grub preventer down, etc. I also bag in fall and for leaf pickup.

I am a firm believer in the health benefits of mulching. I don't worry about thatch as I run my dethatcher once each year.

There is no way I would ever side discharge. It leaves a mess of clippings everywhere and my yard is too big to ever consider raking. I tried it a few times with my old Husqvarna and my yard looked like **** with the clippings turning brown all over the place..........not to mention that my wife would really be wild about tracking the clippings into the house. I don't feel like vacuuming the house for days on end after mowing. Plus I bought a tractor to cut down on my time devoted to yard work and breaking out the rake would just add to it.

 

[ducati996]

aaabelha,

I assume you have a 44" deck on your 2500 series machine correct? I pretty sure the deck shells are very similar on the 3000 series, so the cut should be the same. I find my 44" giving an excellent cut and by keeping the mulch plug off, dispersing the clippings very effectively. The conditions included the worst wet, moist fertized lawn. You sometimes have to cut a little high, and hit it again if the grass height gets away from you. The only time I use the mulch plug is for the fall leaves - and its the best at that!!! it makes those leaves disapear with no problem....its a great vacuum deck and the works the best without the mulch plug...

 

[EuropaChris]

There is no way I would ever side discharge. It leaves a mess of clippings everywhere and my yard is too big to ever consider raking. I tried it a few times with my old Husqvarna and my yard looked like **** with the clippings turning brown all over the place..........not to mention that my wife would really be wild about tracking the clippings into the house. I don't feel like vacuuming the house for days on end after mowing. Plus I bought a tractor to cut down on my time devoted to yard work and breaking out the rake would just add to it.

Agreed! We have dogs and they do sometimes track some grass into the house when it's wet out. Nothing a quick Swiffer or vacuum can't fix.

However, I've NEVER had an issue with dead grass turning brown on the yard after mowing. The 44" deck disperses the clippings so well, they just go away after a day or so. Only if I let it go too long does it have a problem.

With careful planning on how I cut, blowing grass all over isn't a problem, either. Just run enough laps with the grass blowing inside before turning around to blow the grass to the outside of the cut fixes that issue. I find mulching makes a worse mess as you are blowing and/or tracking all that mushy green goo all over the place. I had more problems tracking in that grass pate' vs. a full size clipping.

That said, I would actually prefer to bag, as I prefer that super neat look that it gives. But, it's much better for the yard to either leave the clippings or mulch, and I don't want the hassle of disposing of an acres worth of clippings twice a week.

Keep up the experiments and let us know. I'm sure you'll nail it down to where you like it. I love the way my 2544 cuts.

Chris