Mower drifts to the left

jcworks

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You might check the dampeners if it has them most mowers do.
hlw49, I had looked and didn't see any (based on a video I saw). However, on this model I'm almost certain they are located other than what I saw on the video. So, yes I think it has them; they're about 10" long, black, about 3/4" diameter. Thanks.
 
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jcworks

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Also uneven tire pressures can affect tracking too.
And no matter what you do they never drive dead strait
The early ZTR's has double spring loaded controls so you could adjust R & F positions individually but it got dropped
While they might pass the drive strait lest on bitumen or concrete once you are on grass , particular rough or sloping grass all that goes out the window due to slip & side slip
bert, I'm beginning to come to that conclusion too, and maybe I'm being a bit too nitpicking. I live in a hilly area of rolling hills on my street. Nothing is flat. Some of it is "relatively" flat, but not all. On 1.6 acs there is a drop of (guess) 5 or 6 feet. I expect having to pull back some when mowing a ditch lengthwise, thats to be expected. So maybe yard slope is the same but lesser than a ditch. Thanks for your input.
 

StarTech

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Try driving a JD SST16 on a slope. You have to crab it just to cut in a straight line.
 

jcworks

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Try driving a JD SST16 on a slope. You have to crab it just to cut in a straight line.
Haha. I'll leave that to someone else. I once had a JD lawn tractor with one of those stamped decks. About the only good thing I could say about it was the Kohler engine. The deck was a bonafide mess.
 
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hlw49

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To set the tracking air up the tires to the proper level. Get on a flat level area like a drive way and set it where it runs straight. All ZTR mowers will drift down hill on a hill side. You have to compensate for that.
 

jcworks

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To set the tracking air up the tires to the proper level. Get on a flat level area like a drive way and set it where it runs straight. All ZTR mowers will drift down hill on a hill side. You have to compensate for that.
hlw49, thanks. Yes, I've aired both rear tires to 12 lbs. I found out something as simple as that affects tracking big time. Unfortunately, there's not more than about 20 feet or so of what is 'almost level' in my yard including the driveway which is all uphill and slightly slanted to one side. To get on a level spot I'd have to load it on the trailer and drive 20 miles. Since almost nothing in my 2 acre yard is completely level I'll likely just leave it alone unless it gets worse since its not turning to the left a lot, as I've seen in some videos online. Those were real bad. Thanks for your input.
 

packardv8

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To set the tracking air up the tires to the proper level. Get on a flat level area like a drive way and set it where it runs straight. All ZTR mowers will drift down hill on a hill side. You have to compensate for that.
Good luck with that! No amount of compensation will keep a 4235 from drifting (running full tilt) downhill when cutting on a hillside.

I like most of what the 4235 does; for instance, it's a mountain goat straight up a steep hill. Just don't ask it to do any work on any side slope.

FWIW, when I first bought my 4235, I complained about it running away sideways down hills to the professional who cut the churchyard next door. He said, "Ya gotta learn how; let me show you." He darned near destroyed my chain link fence and wasn't even as good on the Toro as I had learned to make do.

jack vines
 

7394

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You always slow down the faster side.. And a very minimal adjustment changes it a lot.. Before I changed anything I marked (Sharpie) the threaded rods & the nuts, so I had a bench mark to return to should I have needed to,,

My former Toro TC 4260 required a very minor adjust .


howtoadjustSS5060Steeringad.jpg
 

jcworks

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packardv8 and Lawn Addict, in the past I found the left back tire with only 6 lbs air while the right back tire had 12. I checked that after I had made two 1/4 turns on the adjustment rod, which helped. I'm going to air the left back up again the next time I mow and it will probably be OK. If its pulling to the opposite side some because of the adjustment I did I'll just reverse the adjustment I made. It was likely the tire that was the problem. Stupid of me, but you can't look at those back tires and tell one's lower than the other. I had a problem once before with this same tire losing pressure over time. So, if it starts losing air again after I air it up I'll take it to the tire shop. It might be something as simple as a valve stem. I hope its not the tire itself. Those things are pricey.
Thank you for your inputs. It helps a lot to be able to talk to people who know.
 
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