uneven cut on john deere la 115

TerryD

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I have not looked at a 115 before so can not say as to how it adjusts but something must be moving I have not adjusted the deck on my 180 in 25 years.
You are using the correct method to adjust it so look for what is changing.

As the dealer not getting it right that don't surprise me this spring I bought a new ez trak from Mutton in Ft Wayne this is a big place they sell one hell of a lot of JD'S and when I got it home the deck was not adjusted right,, I had to do it myself.

Makes me wonder what it would be like if I hired them to do technical work

I agree. I called the local JD dealer and spoke with the parts and service guys to ask where all the grease zerts were. They both said they had no idea without looking at a manual. You would think that a couple guys who work on mostly the same equipment day in and day out would have an idea where to look for zerts. Geez.
 

curtisr

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While this comes so many months later, I just want to echo the concerns and solutions listed in this thread. I have changed blades, changed blades again and then changed them some more--including GatorBlades. I have used a laser level, checked tire pressure and then repeated. Still, I get uneven (sloping cuts), a centre swath still standing and piles of grass. Grrrrr. I have gone fast, gone slow and allowed for uneven terrain. What I do next will probably involve hiring someone. And all this with a Recommended rating from CR.

As a final note, I plan to cover over the side discharge vent in hopes that there might be a difference. Has anyone tried this?

Roger C
 

DealerDeeresHere

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Wow, hate to hear you are still fighting that. Only time I fought that problem when everything checked out with the deck is when I had a rear tire with low air pressure. You might check the pulley/shaft assembly on your deck on the side with the problem - could be loose on the deck which would allow the belts tension on it to make the assembly lean. Or the deck could be bent in the area where the pulley/shaft is bolted down to which has it cocked one way or another instead of straight up and down. Good luck!
 

redfish9

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Did you buy your John Deere from a place like lowes?
 

curtisr

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Wow, hate to hear you are still fighting that. Only time I fought that problem when everything checked out with the deck is when I had a rear tire with low air pressure. You might check the pulley/shaft assembly on your deck on the side with the problem - could be loose on the deck which would allow the belts tension on it to make the assembly lean. Or the deck could be bent in the area where the pulley/shaft is bolted down to which has it cocked one way or another instead of straight up and down. Good luck!

Thank you for the suggestions. Frustrating isn't it? It was just yesterday that I dropped the deck, greased the pulley shafts and checked for bearing/shaft play. All was well. As for a deck that is out of alignment I couldn't honestly say; however, I can say that I haven't had an encounter that would produce such a result--to my knowledge anyways.
 

curtisr

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Did you buy your John Deere from a place like lowes?

Home Depot, in fact. However, you cannot leave with the mower as it is sent to a local dealer and prepped. This took almost two weeks thanks to demand! Who knows if the shop actually does anything but, one can only hope.
 

macguy59

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I'm late to this party :laughing: The deck would have to be really out of whack to produce a noticeably uneven cut. The more likely culprit(s) are the speed you're cutting at and/or a clogged deck. The blade tip speed on these light duty residential mowers is not great so keeping the blades sharp, cleaning out the inside of the deck and making sure the deck belt has proper tension is critical.
 

ppearce43

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I have a 2 year old John Deere LA 115 and has never cut even, Have adjusted the deck numerous times, get it perfect on the concrete and it stills cuts uneven. Just got it back from the dealer and have the same results. Has anyone else had this problem with their John Deere?

My 115 having the exact same problem. Tried everything, air pressure, (even changed tires), deck level (1/4" lower in front), blades leveled and balanced, spindled checked and 1 questionable replaced. I got mine from Home Depot also. I have 172 hours on mine. It's the almost uncut strip in the middle that befuddles me the most. I wind up having to cut the front yard two ways, perpendicular to each other (one complete cut of the lawn from front to back, then another from side to side). Frustrating. I don't know what to do next other than try to sell this and buy a ______________? I'd hate to do that, I like the mower in every way except that.

Any other suggestions?
 

Carscw

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Just for fun mow I line going backwards.

Don't pitch the front down so much.

When you level the deck go from the blade tips not the deck.

Run a straight edge on the deck see if it is bent.

Maybe some day people will see that JD mowers are the bottom of the food chain

(( cowboy up and get over it ))
 

blades

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Just for fun mow I line going backwards.

Don't pitch the front down so much.

When you level the deck go from the blade tips not the deck.

Run a straight edge on the deck see if it is bent.

Maybe some day people will see that JD mowers are the bottom of the food chain

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

Well, The LA series anyway ( ya I drank the coolaid also)
 
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