MTD tractor cutting groves when turning????

[dperry77]

I have an older MTD lawn tractor. I just had it serviced and the deck was leveled, so the say. The problem I am having is when I turn, it cuts the grass uneven on one side of the deck. So anywhere I turn there are rounded cuts that are deeper. Looks real bad to me. What could be causing this? I tried raising the littele wheels all the way up, no help. There seems to be some play in the wheels on the deck. I wonder if I replace the wheels if that will help?
Need help.

 

[slowrev]

Gee I don't know without looking at it.
Try cranking the fromt wheels all the way on both directions and measure observe the deck height at the sides while doing so. I assume you will see a difference and then backtrack it to see what is causing the difference when turning.
Is your tire pressure even ?

Ben

 

[slowrev]

another thought. Actually the little wheels on the deck are supposed to prevent what you are experiencing.
On a level surface, set the deck height where you want it and then adjust both little wheels so that they contact the level surface.

Ben

 

[gordon21]

Let me take a guess here. Your discharge chute is on the right (doesn't matter if the mulch plate is on or not) and this happens only when you make LEFT turns. If this is the case, you need to do three things.

1-Lower the anti scalping wheels on the right side of the mower to a setting where they ride on the ground or just barely miss touching the ground.

2- SLOW DOWN!! Too high a speed will definitely cause this.

3- When doing very tight turns to the left (even at low speed) , lean a little to the left like you were on a motorcycle.

 

[Freds]

I just had my mower serviced and now it's doing exactly the same thing.
The dealer told me that whoever set up the deck had it all out of whack, including the anti-scalp wheels, which I set up myself according to the instructions--- 1/4 to 1/2" above the ground. When I got it back the wheels were at least 1" off the ground! I had to double check that I had the deck lowered.
Yesterday I set the wheels up so they were all about 1/4" above the ground and it's still not cutting even.

I think this new dealer, who did the 100 hr service, set up something wrong and as soon as he's back from vacation next week he's getting a call /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[dperry77]

The anti scald wheels do have some play in them. I gues they are kind of wobbly. I wonder if I replace them. I do have to slow down a bit, but I did try that yesterday and it did not help. I will go home and check the deck for level. Should both wheels be even?

 

[Qrazy]

This may sound silly, but have you checked the tire pressures in your tires?? My left rear tire loses air slowly, so it will often creep lower than the rest. I can tell when it's low because I get a smiliar uneven cut....Worth a check...

Good luck....