General lawn mowing with 54” deck

[jpilk99]

Thanks all!!!! Blades are mounted correctly, sharp and have plenty of meat on them. Tire pressure is good. I do believe the deck is not hanging correctly/level so I gotta figure that out. The adjustable hangers at the back are set the same. Also need to confirm the “rake”. I think it’s supposed to be a half inch lower at front of deck than rear?

 

[Gem99ultra]

Thanks all!!!! Blades are mounted correctly, sharp and have plenty of meat on them. Tire pressure is good. I do believe the deck is not hanging correctly/level so I gotta figure that out. The adjustable hangers at the back are set the same. Also need to confirm the “rake”. I think it’s supposed to be a half inch lower at front of deck than rear?

I don't think the rake is going to be your problem. The lack of blade overlap is what I think.

 

[RandyT]

To me it looks like the left blade spindle is not setting level with the deck. There is a blade tip misalignment between center and left blade.

 

[kozal01]

Thanks all!!!! Blades are mounted correctly, sharp and have plenty of meat on them. Tire pressure is good. I do believe the deck is not hanging correctly/level so I gotta figure that out. The adjustable hangers at the back are set the same. Also need to confirm the “rake”. I think it’s supposed to be a half inch lower at front of deck than rear?

1/2” is too much, my Exmark manual says 1/8”-1/4” depending on mowing conditions. If you’re mowing short regularly you want less rake because the middle blade sits ahead of the two outer blades so they can overlap without hitting so too much rake forward or back can be much more noticeable when cutting low. Rotate the blades so they are parallel with the mower and measure from the ground to the blade tips. This will give you the most accurate measurement of deck pitch and level.

 

[jeepcoma]

I’ll go with a bent blade.

 

[KS KIOTI]

I’ll see your bent blade and raise you a loose spindle or bearings.

 

[wrenchit]

Get ready to laugh, but in the last 20 years of owning a few nice riding mowers with 54” 3-blade decks, I hadn’t ever noticed the distinct “line” left between blades (see pics). Why am I just seeing this now?

Obviously the blades can’t overlap, they’d hit each other. Is the deck height so low that I’m only noticing the slight height difference between blade rows? I’m right where I usually have it at 2”.

Only way (it seems) to get a nice even uniform cut is to go up n back over the same cut areas but try and line up so I mow down the raised up stripes…. Again, never had to do that before.

Thanks for any suggestions/answers.

Jay

Worn Air lifts will cause this predominantly. They also will throw slight clumps if you cut early in the morning before the dew has dried off. The air lift acts like a fan in a vacuum, lifting the grass up while also carrying it over to the next blade to be blown out from under the deck.
Tire pressure has no issue with this, only when one cut meets the next ( very noticeable at night with headlights showing a saw tooth pattern), if you mow in a circle.
1/4" to 3/8" between front and back of deck is the proper rake.
Also, a deck packed with grass underneath or bent baffles can cause the air flow to be disoriented.
Going too fast with heavy, thick grass can leave lines between the blades.
Every mower I work on gets high lift blades unless the customer specifies that they want mulchers or otherwise.
Just some things to check.

 

[jdmeth]

Make sure the tires have the proper inflation pressure. If one has less then the one on the other side the deck will be lower on that side.

 

[350c]

Thanks all!!!! Blades are mounted correctly, sharp and have plenty of meat on them. Tire pressure is good. I do believe the deck is not hanging correctly/level so I gotta figure that out. The adjustable hangers at the back are set the same. Also need to confirm the “rake”. I think it’s supposed to be a half inch lower at front of deck than rear?

The difference I've seen recommended is 1/8" to 1/4" higher in rear than front.

 

[Fetch_21]

Get ready to laugh, but in the last 20 years of owning a few nice riding mowers with 54” 3-blade decks, I hadn’t ever noticed the distinct “line” left between blades (see pics). Why am I just seeing this now?

Obviously the blades can’t overlap, they’d hit each other. Is the deck height so low that I’m only noticing the slight height difference between blade rows? I’m right where I usually have it at 2”.

Only way (it seems) to get a nice even uniform cut is to go up n back over the same cut areas but try and line up so I mow down the raised up stripes…. Again, never had to do that before.

Thanks for any suggestions/answers.

Jay

I had this a while back on a 6' finish mower - more noticeable on turns. Scratched my head for a while - even changed blades...confirmed part #s, etc. Long story short, the blades were too short. Right part #, but they were too short. When I ordered some new non-lifting ones from Amazon, I noticed they were a bit longer...worked like a charm. Would be worth checking.