SD Blades Level

[MParr]

All I do is use Gator-style blades, have I been doing something wrong these past 2 years?

I’ve used them too. I only use them in the fall for leaves and for the first spring mow. During the growing season, I use standard lift or high lift blades. They do a better job of possessing the clippings and don’t pack the deck like Gator style blades.

 

[Chipg1956]

Did you try driving a little bit slower?

 

[grumpyunk]

I can get the "Ha-ha you missed me!" in two ways. Turning sharply and maintaining the same speed, I think the overlap normally occuring when mowing straight ahead does not occur as much, so some is left. The blades are staggered fore and aft so they can be 'closer together' when mowing straight ahead, thus overlap. The second way is to keep the same speed when mowing 'tough' patches where the weeds(it's all weeds) grow better due to cow patties of decades past. Slowing down ground speed makes the cut work better.
A large part of the cutting is done by the edge at the tip of the blade. GIven the blade spins multiple times as it advances, it will naturally have the tip, one end or the other, being present for the 'arc' the blade covers by rotating and by advancing forward. Each rotation will be some fraction of an inch 'forward', and the tip will get most use.
If you advance too far, the blades will not have much chance to cut as the grass/weeds will have been whacked a bit by the tip, and bend. Too fast, and the grass can not spring back(too long==too slow) to get cut by the blade, it is sort of 'wiped over' and remains long.
The third thing is using a 'sand blade' as some call it. They are a stiff blade that will not deform(except big things). I bought blades for my AYP Craftsman branded 42" over 10 years ago. They are THICK like the single blade of a Toro 33". They have held their edge to the point where I have yet to sharpen them. I think I got them from PSEP.BIZ - Pat's Smalll Engine Place ?
Any way, here's a page of blades:

AYP Blades | Replacement Lawnmower Blades | PSEP.biz

PSEP.biz offers AYP blades that are from 21 to 30 inches in length. Purchase your lawnmower replacement blades and other small engine parts today!

psep.biz

Sand blades are a way down the page. Some of the 'different' blades are made of thinner material, FWIW.
I would order a pair in a minute, and perhaps should before they are no longer offered.
tom

 

[Always Learning]

If you're even close to level with good blades it's not a cutting issue. That 'highway grass' is bahia grass. It's got a thick stalk. Your wheels mash it flat and it stays that way as the blades pass over. By the time you do your next pass they've popped back up. A quick second pass, like you say, putting the uncut grass out of the wheel path gives you a uniform lawn. If you have sprinklers and are willing to water it, bermuda will eventually choke out the bahia. Water is the SC solution to a decent lawn.

 

[Always Learning]

If you're even close to level with good blades it's not a cutting issue. That 'highway grass' is bahia grass. It's got a thick stalk. Your wheels mash it flat and it stays that way as the blades pass over. By the time you do your next pass they've popped back up. A quick second pass, like you say, putting the uncut grass out of the wheel path gives you a uniform lawn. If you have sprinklers and are willing to water it, bermuda will eventually choke out the bahia. Water is the SC solution to a decent lawn.

I haven't seen it done but I wonder if one of the detaching blades with the tyne that goes down to the ground would make the bahia pop back up to be cut so you wouldn't need to go back over it.

 

[Cajun power]

for what it's worth:
a. not all blades made are actually the same length. Even OEM blades can be off as much as 1/16 - 1/3 inch. It happens. ALWAYS measure the blades...all of them. out of a hundred, some will not be correctly sized, even if sold as an equivalent or even OEM from the same mower manufacturer. You tend to see this is "batches"...blades sold as a set. if there is a dimensional error, all of them will usually be too short.
b. multi blade mower must have a slight overlap...this ensures there is complete cut swath from one blade to the other, leaving nothing standing.
c. some mower designs are poor and the overhand is just not adequate. Cub cadet is famous for this /s There is not enough overhang in the blade swath design...this design flaw reveals itself when turning the mower. straight lines...okay..but when turning, the overhand design flaw reveals it's ugly design.
d. too much or too little downward pitch in the leading edge (forward side) of the deck can cause irregular cutting issues. I pitch all my mowers for a clean smooth cut no more than a 1/3 inch dip front to back. Leveling the deck is important also. make sure you are on a flat even surface when doing this measurement. Sometimes the front deck grass wheels get worn on one side or both, or are loose, or missing. You must have these wheels to prevent scalping and irregular cuts.
e. mowing too fast contributes to irregular cutting...slow down and see if this improves the cut
f. blades need to be sharp...not knife sharp, but reasonably sharp. sharpen the blades on a regular basis. sometimes blades are warped or broken...heat and beat to straighten warped blades...replace broken blades. Most of the cut is done out at end of the blade...but the inner side (closest to spindle bolt), should also be sharp, because this helps to discharge the grass, and cut it into small pieces.
g. mulching blades and the discharge plug is notorious for clumping. consider mowing with standard blades with medium lift.
h. grass that is too high, needs to be cut at a higher height. only the top commercial mowers with the best design and power can go through the very thick tall stuff in one pass. If you cut at a higher mowing height and the swath is cleanly cut, that's the problem. And yes, this means either mowing more often before it gets tall, or two passes...first higher, last lower.
i. not all grass is the same. bermuda cuts differently that zoysia and saint augustine cuts differently also. They grow at different rates. Different species/variant also contain less or more moisture. Grass that is very dry, will be hard to cut cleanly. Lightly moist and "green" grass tends to cut the best. (my theory is that the higher moisture content makes the grass more plastics than dry fiber and that the moisture acts in a way that is like a lubricant. really wet grass is very difficult to cut, because it's heavier, and really wet grass tends to clump up inside the deck before discharge...this additional weight makes it very difficult for the mower blades to cut them down to small pieces and discharge evenly. As it clumps up, the mower blades have to deal with that and also cut grass that continues feeding under the deck and you travel...in really dry and really wet (when there are not other options to delay mowing, I slow down, AND I cut at a higher height.) planning the right conditions to mow isn't always possible, but if the choice can be made, it's best to cut when grass is not too tall and just slightly moist.
j. always check the belt routing and make sure the pulleys are not heavily varnished/glazed. And make sure the belt tensioner pulley functions properly. the pulley tensioner sometimes gets stuck in a certain range. it must have a full range sweep under spring pressure and spring back (dampen) quickly. sometimes the PTO clutch slips. It's rare to see them fail but when they do the belt will not be powered under a load adequately and the belt can slip. If you have gone through everything I mentioned above and you still cannot get the grass mowed cleanly, then take the time to test the PTO clutch. The electrical solenoid might test good. It's the clutch "pack" that might be slipping. This isn't an easy thing to test. The shadetree method is to carefully listen to the blades under power under load. If you can hear them slowing down under normal cutting resistance...then you have some clues to look at the PTO clutch and clutch pack.

 

[Cajun power]

for what it's worth:
a. not all blades made are actually the same length. Even OEM blades can be off as much as 1/16 - 1/3 inch. It happens. ALWAYS measure the blades...all of them. out of a hundred, some will not be correctly sized, even if sold as an equivalent or even OEM from the same mower manufacturer. You tend to see this is "batches"...blades sold as a set. if there is a dimensional error, all of them will usually be too short.
b. multi blade mower must have a slight overlap...this ensures there is complete cut swath from one blade to the other, leaving nothing standing.
c. some mower designs are poor and the overhand is just not adequate. Cub cadet is famous for this /s There is not enough overhang in the blade swath design...this design flaw reveals itself when turning the mower. straight lines...okay..but when turning, the overhand design flaw reveals it's ugly design.
d. too much or too little downward pitch in the leading edge (forward side) of the deck can cause irregular cutting issues. I pitch all my mowers for a clean smooth cut no more than a 1/3 inch dip front to back. Leveling the deck is important also. make sure you are on a flat even surface when doing this measurement. Sometimes the front deck grass wheels get worn on one side or both, or are loose, or missing. You must have these wheels to prevent scalping and irregular cuts.
e. mowing too fast contributes to irregular cutting...slow down and see if this improves the cut
f. blades need to be sharp...not knife sharp, but reasonably sharp. sharpen the blades on a regular basis. sometimes blades are warped or broken...heat and beat to straighten warped blades...replace broken blades. Most of the cut is done out at end of the blade...but the inner side (closest to spindle bolt), should also be sharp, because this helps to discharge the grass, and cut it into small pieces.
g. mulching blades and the discharge plug is notorious for clumping. consider mowing with standard blades with medium lift.
h. grass that is too high, needs to be cut at a higher height. only the top commercial mowers with the best design and power can go through the very thick tall stuff in one pass. If you cut at a higher mowing height and the swath is cleanly cut, that's the problem. And yes, this means either mowing more often before it gets tall, or two passes...first higher, last lower.
i. not all grass is the same. bermuda cuts differently that zoysia and saint augustine cuts differently also. They grow at different rates. Different species/variant also contain less or more moisture. Grass that is very dry, will be hard to cut cleanly. Lightly moist and "green" grass tends to cut the best. (my theory is that the higher moisture content makes the grass more plastics than dry fiber and that the moisture acts in a way that is like a lubricant. really wet grass is very difficult to cut, because it's heavier, and really wet grass tends to clump up inside the deck before discharge...this additional weight makes it very difficult for the mower blades to cut them down to small pieces and discharge evenly. As it clumps up, the mower blades have to deal with that and also cut grass that continues feeding under the deck and you travel...in really dry and really wet (when there are not other options to delay mowing, I slow down, AND I cut at a higher height.) planning the right conditions to mow isn't always possible, but if the choice can be made, it's best to cut when grass is not too tall and just slightly moist.
j. always check the belt routing and make sure the pulleys are not heavily varnished/glazed. And make sure the belt tensioner pulley functions properly. the pulley tensioner sometimes gets stuck in a certain range. it must have a full range sweep under spring pressure and spring back (dampen) quickly. sometimes the PTO clutch slips. It's rare to see them fail but when they do the belt will not be powered under a load adequately and the belt can slip. If you have gone through everything I mentioned above and you still cannot get the grass mowed cleanly, then take the time to test the PTO clutch. The electrical solenoid might test good. It's the clutch "pack" that might be slipping. This isn't an easy thing to test. The shadetree method is to carefully listen to the blades under power under load. If you can hear them slowing down under normal cutting resistance...then you have some clues to look at the PTO clutch and clutch pack.

h (i): (sorry for this edit post): make sure the blades are tight and the bolts and spindle threads are not worn...using a heavy duty impact wrench can damage the threads and bolts. Blades might be spinning on the spindle! I use a low powered impact wrench gun set to no more than 70 foot pounds to prevent this. for walk behinds and smaller mowers, this is likely to be much less foot pounds. Refer to manual for torque specs.

 

[Davenj4f]

I hope I do this right. I currently have a Hustler Model Number 939751 and I'll never go back to a riding lawn mower again. I live in SC where we have what we call "Highway Grass". Every time I go and cut it, I leave trails of this stuff standing up as if it's saying "Ha Ha you missed me". I've come to terms with the fact that I have to cut this stuff 2x as it used to take 1x on 6 acres. For an old man that's a lot of heat to take from the sun. My problem is not to cut it 2x but 1x and when it was brand new, no problem. There is no movement in the spindles when I try and move them. But for the deck, ya right, While learning about this machine yeah I'll be the first to admit that I hit the house with it a few times, taken off the discharge chute to the point of replacing it. Now comes to the questions of this whole thing: I did ask the dealership about this, but since he goes by feel and no tools, I think he's bullshitting me. I need/would like to know how to raise/lower the deck by the screws. According to him if I want to raise/lower the deck I have to go crosswise meaning the front screw left side goes with the right back screw to raise or lower the deck. I just don't get it and I'm willing to learn. Is this true? According to the manual, it states that you need to level the deck, I disagree with that because it's not the deck that is cutting the grass it's the blade. Am I wrong?
Thanks for your help

Also in SC, and experience the Bahia grass a lot. First of all, like the others have said, blades must be sharp. But also, the tip must NOT be rounded. It must have as close to a 90 degree edge on the tip, or any rounding will just push the grass over. I found that to make cutting almost any grass go better. I overlap more which helps, also, cutting closer to the ground helps. And going slower.

 

[MParr]

I live in SW Georgia and I don’t have any problems cutting Bahia Grass. It’s best to cut at 3” and maintain sharp blades. I put on sharp blades every 12 hours of mowing time. And,I don’t use crappy Gator style blades.

Louisiana Home Lawn Series: Bahiagrass

Louisiana Home Lawn Series: A guide to maintaining a healthy Louisiana lawn.

www.lsuagcenter.com

 

[Johner]

The front of the deck should be lower then the front by turning the adjustment screws in the front each side the same amount. 3/8 lower then the back on level floor.