deck not cutting right

IHCUB · May 10, 2007

when i cut my yard i noticed some strips of grass not getting cut ? i sharpened the blades and its still doing it ? now i here a noise that sound like it s comming from the pto pulley with the blades off. what to do

Fordlords · May 11, 2007

Could be the PTO clutch is defective, and slipping while it is engaged. It will then have even more clearance when disengaged, making a chattering noise. They are expensive, so if you are under warranty have a dealer check it out for you.
-Fordlords-

tawilson · May 11, 2007

Are the strips of grass near the ends of the blades, where they almost touch? One thing I was doing wrong was rounding off the ends of the blades when sharpening. Keep them square like from the factory.

micman32 · May 11, 2007

The same thing was happening to me. I had to replace the PTO. Was a very expensive to have replaced but it does great now.

Michael

Rhoderman · May 11, 2007

I had a similar issue with my 2042 when it was new.

Things that helped:

Level the deck at the height you would normally mow at.
Do it on a flat driveway, with a block of wood as a reference height.
Adjust side-to-side first.
Set the front about 1/8 to 1/4" lower than the rear.
Raise/Lower and check again.

Check the idler pulley arm for binding.
Mine would have the belt tight when in the full down position.
Raising it would make the deck belt loose.
I lubed the swing arm and it works a lot better now.

Change blades.
The mulching blades didn't seem to work, so my dealer gave me hi-lift blades.
The hi-lift blades moved a LOT of air, but seemed to blow the uncut grass out of the way.
I ended up with a set of low-lift blades that work like a champ, and are much quieter.

Sharpen the blades.
I use a vise and a portable grinder, being careful to not turn it blue.
Leave the ends square as mentioned above.
Balance them well for smooth operation.

Hope this helps,
Jim

IHCUB · May 11, 2007

i leveled the deck and im sure the blades are sharpened right my neighbor wich has the same blades sharpened them and he hasnt had any problems. i think im going to order some gators ?

IHCUB · May 13, 2007

i took it to my dealer yesterday. he said it seemed ok to him but he will have the mechanic look at it monday. and he said my blades probably had bad ends ? the tractor is just one year old ?

GreenQuality · May 16, 2007

I have fought this tooth and nail. then it dawned on me .I orderd a right lift arm with the jam and nut for the left side of my deck.so now I can really level my my mowing deck . two adjustment in front and two side to side. also for those who don't know about a little tool the sell at the john deere store. it makes this leving easy it yellow leveling lever which touchs the blade tip and give height in inches.

Dave01 · May 16, 2007

If strips are not getting cut its probably not related to leveling.

"now i here a noise that sound like it s comming from the pto pulley with the blades off."

Not sure what you mean here - did you run the pto with the blades off? If so, with no load on the PTO, it wouldn't be unusual to hear some chattering noise from the idlers or the belt flapping. Hopefully you don't have the PTO problem others have mentioned, your dealer should answer that question quickly.

More likely you have the wrong length blades or blades with bad/rounded ends. Since a set of blades is fairy cheap I'd try a new set, see if the problem is solved. When the dealer looks on his parts list and gets you the correct blades, see if they are the same as the ones on it now, that might answer your question.