OP
megotatractor
Veteran Member
Originally Posted by hosspuller View Post
One more item to check. Along with your blade height, check your blade level and straightness. If a spindle mount or blade is bent, the cut will never be level. With two or more blades, every blade has to spin in the same plane as the others. Use a straight edge, with all blades in a line. The tips should measure the same distance from the level.
WE HAVE A WINNER! I had forgotten that a couple years ago the a$$hole in the field next door had thrown a bunch of softball sized rocks in the fenceline and I tried to mow them. I replaced the blades assuming that one was bent, never being satisfied with the cut since the rock-mowing incident. Today I had some time to take the deck out and carefully measure everything. Sure enough- as I suspected the right hand side of the deck was cutting wierd- the right hand blade was not mowing on the same plane as the other two. With the deck upright and the blade verticle- once I realized the problem- I could easily see that the chute side blade was , as they say, kittywompous. the blade measured a full quarter inch off, too low in front, too high in back!! I removed the belt guard and sheave and the four spindle nuts holding the spindle housing and tried rotating the spindle housing in different ways from where it was installed; 90, 180, 270 degrees, at 180 degree there was considerable wobble against the mower deck. I had to determine if the spindle housing or was it the deck itself that was bent? Since the blade remained off-plane no matter which way I turned the spindle mount it had to be the deck. A few good blows to the spindle mount hole with a BFH and the blade then measured pretty close. Slapped it back together and I now have the fareway cut I've been working for!!! I need to get some golf balls...
One more item to check. Along with your blade height, check your blade level and straightness. If a spindle mount or blade is bent, the cut will never be level. With two or more blades, every blade has to spin in the same plane as the others. Use a straight edge, with all blades in a line. The tips should measure the same distance from the level.
WE HAVE A WINNER! I had forgotten that a couple years ago the a$$hole in the field next door had thrown a bunch of softball sized rocks in the fenceline and I tried to mow them. I replaced the blades assuming that one was bent, never being satisfied with the cut since the rock-mowing incident. Today I had some time to take the deck out and carefully measure everything. Sure enough- as I suspected the right hand side of the deck was cutting wierd- the right hand blade was not mowing on the same plane as the other two. With the deck upright and the blade verticle- once I realized the problem- I could easily see that the chute side blade was , as they say, kittywompous. the blade measured a full quarter inch off, too low in front, too high in back!! I removed the belt guard and sheave and the four spindle nuts holding the spindle housing and tried rotating the spindle housing in different ways from where it was installed; 90, 180, 270 degrees, at 180 degree there was considerable wobble against the mower deck. I had to determine if the spindle housing or was it the deck itself that was bent? Since the blade remained off-plane no matter which way I turned the spindle mount it had to be the deck. A few good blows to the spindle mount hole with a BFH and the blade then measured pretty close. Slapped it back together and I now have the fareway cut I've been working for!!! I need to get some golf balls...