Blades RZT S Cuts Poorly

[RZT S Mike]

My 42" RZT S leaves a line of uncut grass on every pass. I have changed the blades because I bent one. I don't think I bent the deck or a spindle, the blades line up good underneath. The line of uncut grass is about 3" wide. Cub Cadet has been no help.
The mower cut good when I bought it. Maybe I did not pay enough attention until I changed the blades. Anybody have the same problem?

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

These are some common reasons:

• The blade tips are worn.
• Your overlapping may be insufficient: The tires push down grass during each pass. If you line up your tires with tire marks from the previous pass, the grass does not get a chance to stand back up during either pass. Overlap more than the width of your tires on subsequent passes. This will allow the blades to draw up the trampled grass from each previous pass and should produce a nicer looking cut.
• Right hand turns: Twin-blade mower decks are designed with the discharge on the right side. The left blade is positioned slightly forward and in front of the right blade. During left turns this cutting overlap is maintained. This provides cutting overlap when traveling in a straight line. The tractor operator should therefore make mostly left-hand turns when cutting grass.
• Improper cutting deck adjustment: This can produce a vacuum imbalance that, under certain circumstances, causes airflow to push outwards from the front of the cutting deck. Consult your tractor Operator's Manual for specific Deck Leveling and Deck Engagement adjustments pertaining to your specific model tractor.

(Uncut Strip - Riding Mower)

 

[Rivets]

With that wide of uncut grass, are you sure that you got the correct blades when you replaced them. Please post the model and serial numbers for you unit and also the new blade part numbers. Have seen this problem, caused by wrong blades, sprung deck and improper instalation, but never a strip that wide. If you still have the old blades, also post the numbers on them.

 

[RZT S Mike]

Good input guys. I will get the required info and pay better attention to where the strip of uncut grass is in relation to the mower.
The comment was made about the vacuum of the deck, my mower (42" with 2 blades) blows the grass out the front left and left side of the deck which blows it into the mulch bed (it deck is a right discharge). I have the deck as high as it will go because our lawn treatment company recommends a 4" high cut for a healthy weed free lawn. The condition of the grass is fantastic.

 

[1894]

Any updates Mike ?
One of the reasons I did not want to go back to a front end heavy lawn tractor is because the front tires would flatten the grass if it was too tall or damp. 4" sounds like it may also be too high for getting a good enough vacuum to make mulching work well.

 

[RZT S Mike]

As far as the poor cutting goes, I completely overlapped the wheel path this week Apparently the previous response was correct, the tire pushes down the grass and it does not have enough tire to pop back up before the next pass. The full overlap makes more tracks in the yard but at least there is no Mohawk strip every 4 feet.
Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

As far as the poor cutting goes, I completely overlapped the wheel path this week Apparently the previous response was correct, the tire pushes down the grass and it does not have enough tire to pop back up before the next pass. The full overlap makes more tracks in the yard but at least there is no Mohawk strip every 4 feet.
Thanks for the help everyone.

I'm glad you figured it out! :smile: