Mower deck Mower not cutting level!

[brihend45]

Hey everyone, I have a turf tiger. When I'm mowing it won't cut level at all and leaves really awesome groves in the lawn. The deck is completely level when I measure in the center as recommended. When I meassure the front of the deck ground to Bottom of deck it is a 1/2" difference. Is my deck bent or is there a way to solve this??

Thanks

 

[bertsmobile1]

Check tyre pressure and stand mower on a hard flat surface .
Turn mower blades left right and check that they are both the same height at the centre rotate the blades so you have checked each end against each end.
If one is different you have a bent blade or spindle.
Now with the blade still left right measure the blade height from the ground at each end, should be the same if not asjust the deck height,
Raise & lower the deck a few times then check again.
Next turn the blades front back and check each blades height, should be 1/4" to 1" difference ( 1/2 " ideal ) front to back.
If they are slightly different heights then take an average.
If they are more than 1/4 different and spindles/ blades are not bent or deck is not split or bent you will have to shim one of the spindle housings

 

[brihend45]

I did check the tire pressure, and have always measured on a hard surface. I have not measured the blade distance itself. I will give that a whirl and see what I come up with! Thank you for the ideas!

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Build yourself a gauge that makes sense and forget all those mind boggling numbers you be trying to remember. Change styrofoam strips as often as necessary for R to L and front to rear measurements. After all those indicator strips are only pieces of your drink cup.

 

[KTMery]

Build yourself a gauge that makes sense and forget all those mind boggling numbers you be trying to remember. Change styrofoam strips as often as necessary for R to L and front to rear measurements. After all those indicator strips are only pieces of your drink cup.

Another simple and effective suggestion. Gonna borrow this one too.
Great forum!

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Another simple and effective suggestion. Gonna borrow this one too.
Great forum!

Hey KT, keep it being I have several.:laughing:

There is one other positive about these. It will tell you the condition of the blade edge. As you can see mine are dull. If used with a very sharp edge, use a feather light touch or the blade just cuts the strip and doesn't leave a very good indication. NOTE: you see one indication ( upper ) is darker than the other ( lower ). I always mark the first with a pencil for reference. That was a side to side measure and the deck needs to be moved approximately half of that difference. But you knew that.:thumbsup:

If we would build the ramps to our storage sheds of concrete and make them perfectly flat as possible that would be an excellent place to level our decks.

 

[Mad Mackie]

To correctly adjust a Scag deck there are several initial mandatory items that need to be addressed. Correct tires and tire pressure, a flat and level surface on which to make the adjustments, clean or new blades with no bends, correctly installed.
Attached are some pics of blade height measuring tools. The yellow plastic tool is sold by John Deere dealers and is a pain to use. The other tool is homemade and I use it always.
Scag decks are chain hung and the forward lifts are a fixed position with the exception of the side to side leveling adjustment on the left front of newer Scag decks.
The rods that connect from the front to the rear lift levers raise or lower the rear portion of the deck. Set the deck height in the middle of the range, drop the deck down.
With the blades in the forward/aft position, level the deck side to side first, then front to rear with the rod adjustments, leaving the blades 1/8" to 1/4" lower forward. As the blades turn, the forward advancing edge of the blade is what cuts the grass.
Measure the blade height and reset the height adjustment to match the actual blade height. Make sure the deck will raise up and lock. If when you raise the deck and it hits the up stops before it locks up, then you need to redo the adjustments.
Mad Mackie in CT:smile::biggrin::laughing:

 

[KTMery]

To correctly adjust a Scag deck there are several initial mandatory items that need to be addressed. Correct tires and tire pressure, a flat and level surface on which to make the adjustments, clean or new blades with no bends, correctly installed.
Attached are some pics of blade height measuring tools. The yellow plastic tool is sold by John Deere dealers and is a pain to use. The other tool is homemade and I use it always.
Scag decks are chain hung and the forward lifts are a fixed position with the exception of the side to side leveling adjustment on the left front of newer Scag decks.
The rods that connect from the front to the rear lift levers raise or lower the rear portion of the deck. Set the deck height in the middle of the range, drop the deck down.
With the blades in the forward/aft position, level the deck side to side first, then front to rear with the rod adjustments, leaving the blades 1/8" to 1/4" lower forward. As the blades turn, the forward advancing edge of the blade is what cuts the grass.
Measure the blade height and reset the height adjustment to match the actual blade height. Make sure the deck will raise up and lock. If when you raise the deck and it hits the up stops before it locks up, then you need to redo the adjustments.
Mad Mackie in CT:smile::biggrin::laughing:

Geez Mackie! You take all the fun outa it! Now all I gotta do is follow directions...

(That's tongue-in-cheek!)

Gonna take my iPad out to the shed for confirmation of my current deck settings/setup on the "New To Me" mower.

Thanks guys!