Getting blades on mower to cut even

[bakerg]

My mother has a GT2000 Craftsman 20hp with 42" mower. She had hit something a few years back and broke the casting on the left spindle.:ashamed: Replace everything but have not been able to get the mower to cut even ever since.:confused2: I think the deck may be bent but is there a easy way to level out the blades? Any suggestion would be appreciated.:thumbsup:

 

[poncho62]

I would take the deck off, flip it over and put a large straight edge across the blades to see how straight they really are......You should also be able to see if the deck is bent or not......If you cant straighten it, you may be able to shim the spindle a bit.

 

[BKBrown]

If it hit something hard enough to break a spindle casting - something is probably bent. If you can find the bend by measuring blade height it might be simple to use the blade itself (or an old blade) as a lever to fix the bend. Probably not too heavy a metal in those decks. and like poncho said, it may be easier or necessary to shim the spindle to get the blade level. Good Luck and let us know what you find !

 

[bakerg]

I would take the deck off, flip it over and put a large straight edge across the blades to see how straight they really are......You should also be able to see if the deck is bent or not......If you cant straighten it, you may be able to shim the spindle a bit.

Great idea:thumbsup:, I have a 4 foot level that I can use and maybe just shim the blades up untill they match.:biggrin:

 

[bakerg]

Well I got around to work on deck today.:thumbsup: Took mower off and flip it over, put a straight edge on blades. Out about a 1/16" not enough to try to adjust so I just sharpened blades and put mower back on. I then mowed a section of grass to see which side was causing the problem and adjusted the right side off mower down to even the mower out. Seem to been ok but will chack it againwhen it stops raining.:frown: Thanks for your suggestions:biggrin: