Finishing Mower UGLY Cut

jeffblumenberg · Jul 5, 2015

I just bought a used Kubota and a 72" finishing mower came with it. I used it today for the first time and the center blade is cutting about an 1" lower then the two side blades. Can anybody help me on why this would be. I lifted the mower up and each spindle and blade look to be in the same position.

4570Man · Jul 5, 2015

Dumb question, but is the middle blade on upside down?

zzvyb6 · Jul 5, 2015

Maybe the center blade is the only one actually being driven. Since its driven directly by the gearbox it always has power. The outer ones are belt driven from the center pulley. If the belt is broken or incorrectly wound, then they can be just coasting or just dragged along.

The rest of the Peanut gallery will want a photo of the underside of the deck. Meanwhile, see if all the blades turn together and in the same direction.

jeffblumenberg · Jul 5, 2015

I didi look under the deck while it was running and all the blades seemed to be running at full speed. I do not know if the center blade is upside down, I will check on that tomorrow.

bumperm · Jul 6, 2015

Can you measure (maybe lay a straight edge from one blade tip to another) to see if the blades are mounted all on the same plane (height). Is there a spacer that's installed wrong?

LD1 · Jul 6, 2015

Blade may be bent?

IF its cutting LOWER than the outers, its unlikely that it is upside down or missing a spacer. But the outer blades may be

Baby Grand · Jul 6, 2015

When the deck is lowered onto a flat surface, does it sit level?
It may be just a matter of adjusting the gage wheels and anti-scalp rollers so the whole thing rolls flat.

jlgurr · Jul 6, 2015

Once upon a time a blade on my STX was not all the way over the centering hub on the spindle. It still tightened up but was cutting lower than the other two blades by the same height as the hub. E Z fix. Worth a look see. Flip over the deck and lay a carpenters square across all three blades and check height. Turn blades by hand and match ends to check if same height.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

bigtiller · Jul 6, 2015

When measuring blade tip height, is the front of the deck about 1/4" lower than the back of the deck? If the front is a lot lower, like 2 or 3 inches, that could be the problem.

jeffblumenberg · Jul 6, 2015

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. I have to be on a road trip for the rest of the week and when I get back I will check things out based on your input. I'll let you know what I find.