Mower deck 60" Fab Deck Cutting Uneven

[Yaj]

I've owned a GSX XT3 with a 60" fab deck for a year now and cannot get the deck to cut level. My lawn is uneven and there is a section where I have to cut across the hill, which is fairly steep. When I do this, the downhill side of the deck scalps my lawn. It also happens when I go over an uneven spot and the deck drops lower on one side or when turning sharply. Yes, the anti-scalp wheels are in the lowest position - that's the first thing I did when I bought the mower. I've tried leveling the deck countless times, but it makes no difference when cutting across the hill or on an uneven spot. I've contacted the dealer a couple of times, but all he tells me to do is to lower the anti-scalp wheels.
I used to mow my lawn with an 1863 with caster wheels on the mower deck and it cut perfectly even. I never had a single problem with that deck. The deck I have now is designed differently in that there are no caster wheels.
I've searched online for a solution to this problem but can find little to no advice or information. I read a post where someone added a caster wheel just behind the discharge chute to be able to cut across hills and I've read posts where people have added a block or truck bump stop to the deck lift.
Is this a problem that can be fixed or am I stuck with a deck that won't cut level on uneven ground?! Thanks!

 

[bertsmobile1]

You are between the proverbial rock & a hard place.
There is no way to make a suspended deck travel true to the ground on slopes , gravity can not be defeated.
That is why ground engaging ( following ) decks were invented.
Some of the bigger commercials that have the deck on pivot arms will do a better job at keeping the deck true to the mower if not the ground.
The Great Dane Chariot series for example ( discontinued ) .
Other than that you will need to change your mower or modify the deck so that the wheels touch the ground at the height that you mow at.
Top of hill scalping can not be overcome other than by going to a smaller deck.

On a different note mowing along the side of a slope is a bad idea and should be avoided if possible .
I replace quite a few engines that have sieves because the owner was mowing across a slope steep enough to have the oil pump pick up sucking more air than oil.

 

[Yaj]

Thanks for your reply bertsmobile1. I was afraid that's what someone was going to tell me. I will look into a possible modification, maybe adding caster wheels on each side of the deck perhaps.
As for mowing across a slope, I've heard before about that doing so can cause possible problems. I can't mow up as the slope "dead ends", unless I backed down but that would take a bunch of passes. The slope is only about 50 feet in length and I usually can mow it in 2 passes. Do you think that is still risky? The other alternative is to do the entire slope with a push mower. I already mow the top (steepest) section with my push mower.
Thanks again for your response. I appreciate it.

 

[cruzenmike]

That is one of the greatest disadvantages of the wide deck is that it does not handle changes in terrain as well as a deck that is smaller and size.

Also anti-scalp wheels become less effective the further away from the center of the mower you go. It is for this reason that a lot of 42-in mowers don't have four/five anti-scalp wheels. One thing that you might be able to do is to get some quarter inch bar stock and drill a couple of holes in it and use a couple of the top holes to secure that to the mounting holes on the deck and then relocate the antiscope wheel lower on the bar stock at the bottom. It would be a really simple fix and it would get your anti-scalp wheels closer to the ground. In theory if you're having these issues you should be cutting at the highest cut height anyway and the anti-scalp wheels should still be about a half an inch off of the ground if you adjust them properly.

The only thing you have to be careful of is that if you get to the bottom of the slope and your anti-scalp wheels on the downside are pressed up against the ground you do not want them to push the deck up into the frame causing any issues with your belts and pulleys.

 

[Yaj]

Thanks a lot cruzenmike. I was trying to think of a modification to the existing anti-scalp wheels to make them lower. The bar stock makes a lot of sense! I may give that a try! Lots to think about - I wish I knew all of this before I bought the deck!