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Center Blade on my ZT1 50inch

#1

C

couchmusician

The outer blades are difficult to rotate manually as opposed to the center blade that can be spun very easily manually. Is this normal?


#2

Mower King

Mower King

couchmusician said:
The outer blades are difficult to rotate manually as opposed to the center blade that can be spun very easily manually. Is this normal?
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Yes....some mowers do that, some spindle pulleys have more belt going further around them than others.


#3

C

couchmusician

Thanks, that makes sense.My reason for inquiring is because when mowing thru tall heavy grass the center blade does not cut as clean as the outer blades which requires a second pass thru the same area. Thoughts anyone?


#4

Mower King

Mower King

couchmusician said:
Thanks, that makes sense.My reason for inquiring is because when mowing thru tall heavy grass the center blade does not cut as clean as the outer blades which requires a second pass thru the same area. Thoughts anyone?
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The 5 things that make a good cut: 1st - sharp blades, 2nd - bottom of deck not packed full of grass, 3rd - level deck, 4th - engine RPM is to spec, 5th - not cutting too much/tall of grass at one time!

You did state "mowing thru tall heavy grass"......ding,ding,ding.....we have a winner, you answered your own question!


#5

C

couchmusician

Your interpretation of tall/heavy grass is probably different than mine.Besides, the outer blades handle it quiet well, so the gentleman who responded first had the most logical explanation. I'm going with that. I'm going to explore for a way to increase the friction on that particular pulley, such as a tape that has a coarse surface. Just a thought. I really like this mower and have been trying to contact "cub cadet" by phone and email but to no avail. Numerous phone calls and I finally found an email contact address [3 weeks ago] and sent my inquiry but have heard nothing. Has anyone else had this contacting issue?


#6

Mower King

Mower King

couchmusician said:
Your interpretation of tall/heavy grass is probably different than mine.Besides, the outer blades handle it quiet well, so the gentleman who responded first had the most logical explanation. I'm going with that. I'm going to explore for a way to increase the friction on that particular pulley, such as a tape that has a coarse surface. Just a thought. I really like this mower and have been trying to contact "cub cadet" by phone and email but to no avail. Numerous phone calls and I finally found an email contact address [3 weeks ago] and sent my inquiry but have heard nothing. Has anyone else had this contacting issue?
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If you do ALL 5 things I posted in my last post, you'll be mowing better than before.....you can't be focused on just one thing!


#7

C

couchmusician

mower king said:
If you do ALL 5 things I posted in my last post, you'll be mowing better than before.....you can't be focused on just one thing!
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#8

C

couchmusician

All 5 things are in order. This is a brand new mower, only 12 hours. Purchased last month. I remove the mower after each job and thoroughly clean the underside.


#9

Mower King

Mower King

couchmusician said:
All 5 things are in order. This is a brand new mower, only 12 hours. Purchased last month. I remove the mower after each job and thoroughly clean the underside.
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I wouldn't remove the deck to clean the bottom of the deck but, you can do it that way. Have you checked your rpm's?


#10

C

couchmusician

Removing the deck is quick and easy. The manual says to run engine at maximum RPM's and thats how its been operated each time. And this mower has no tachometer.


#11

StarTech

StarTech

First the you shouldn't easily turn the center spindle with the belt engaged as this mower has a full engagement of the deck at all times. If you can something is out of whack. I do realize there is less belt contact with the center spindle pulley but there still be considerable resistance. It may that the center pulley is loose on the spindle, not torqued to spec.

Another thing to try is slowing a little when moving through heavy giving the mower time to cut the grass. Got to give it time to cut and clear the deck.

Just pickup with one these mower so I really have got try it out on my own lawn but this what suspect as many mowers have problems with extra tall grass, even some the big commercial mowers. Even with it low hours I still had the ilder arm and one of the idler pulleys.


#12

Mower King

Mower King

couchmusician said:
Removing the deck is quick and easy. The manual says to run engine at maximum RPM's and thats how its been operated each time. And this mower has no tachometer.
Click to expand...
We are a Cub Cadet dealer, among other brands also, and most all the Cub Cadets that we uncrate, the rpm's are well below of the recommend spec, which is 3600 rpm. The engine rpm dictates how fast the blades spin, as long as everything else is correct, belt, belt tension,pulleys,spindles,etc.
Engine rpm makes a HUGE difference and, just because your at WOT, doesn't mean your at 3600 rpm.


#13

C

couchmusician

Thanks for all the input fellas. One thing I forgot to mention was this. On the very first mowing job I had, just slightly over an acre and a mix of weeds [not excessive] and grass, I was almost thru and all of a sudden the forward motion stopped. Long story short, the long spring that is visible under the seat came loose. Finally figured out where to attach it on the frame.The rear end was attached. I read a post last evening about the same thing from another poster. Is this a common occurance? I verified my connection by stopping at a dealer and raising the seat and taking a peak. What about blade quality. I was reading a post about blades and the Oregon brand kept popping up. Any thoughts on that. By the way, I always carry a battery powered grinder for on site use if necessary.


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