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Uneven cut

#1

T

terrye

I have a Cub Cadet that has been leveled at the dealer, tires are correct air pressure the dealer adjusted the blades side to side and lowered the front to rear by 1/4 inch. Brought the mower back and it still cuts lower on the left side. Any idea what could cause this?
My lawn does have a slight slope.
Any help would be appreciated.
Terrye


#2

E

enigma-2

Blades out of balance? Spindles worn? Deck hanging hardware bent or worn?
Tractor frame leans to one side (I had this happen to a tractor i owned, tractor leaned to the left about a qtr inch because i always mounted the unit from the left side. Body weight all on one leg put too much stress on frame).


#3

O

OldDiyer

Seen your reply enigma-2 and was wondering how you corrected the tractor from leaning because you mounted the tractor from that side? I have a Craftsman that I have been having such a problem so just how did you straighten it out to sit correctly? Thanks


#4

E

enigma-2

In my case, I was never able to fix it. The frame took the slight warp to the left. Tried repeatedly bouncing up and down on the right, nothing. Steel too thin on frame. Sorry, no help.


#5

7394

7394

terrye said:
dealer adjusted the blades side to side and lowered the front to rear by 1/4 inch. Brought the mower back and it still cuts lower on the left side.
Click to expand...
Sit on mower & have someone check deck for correct pitch & level. Adjust accordingly..


#6

T

terrye

7394 said:
Sit on mower & have someone check deck for correct pitch & level. Adjust accordingly..
Click to expand...
Thanks I will try that.


#7

7394

7394

(y)


#8

smhardesty

smhardesty

I had a similar problem with my Craftsman T140 when I first got it. I must have checked the left to right adjustment a dozen times. Every time I did it, it looked nearly perfect while in the garage on a nice, level concrete floor, but when I went out and mowed, it was still slightly off. I finally ignored the normal and usual method of leveling and deliberately gave an extra 1/2" to the lower side. It worked. I got that tidbit from an old time mower repair guy in this area. He said that a lot of the MTD and other middle of the road mowers just allowed the deck to pull "cockeyed" to one side under load because of slightly inferior construction materials. That's not a jab at any of the machines or their owners. It's just an observation an old timer had made. It worked for me. Just compensate for the amount of unevenness and set the deck slightly slanted.


#9

StarTech

StarTech

Also the dealer might not have checked for a bent deck.


#10

smhardesty

smhardesty

StarTech said:
Also the dealer might not have checked for a bent deck.
Click to expand...
Man! I never even thought about that. Yes, that is entirely possible. It could have had a slight bend at production level or it could have been bent slightly during transportation or even during installation by the selling dealer. Good thought, StarTech!


#11

M

MParr

There could be a number of things out of whack.
First of all we don’t know if your mower is a tractor, zero turn or walk behind.
Please provide the model number and serial number.


#12

T

terrye

smhardesty said:
I had a similar problem with my Craftsman T140 when I first got it. I must have checked the left to right adjustment a dozen times. Every time I did it, it looked nearly perfect while in the garage on a nice, level concrete floor, but when I went out and mowed, it was still slightly off. I finally ignored the normal and usual method of leveling and deliberately gave an extra 1/2" to the lower side. It worked. I got that tidbit from an old time mower repair guy in this area. He said that a lot of the MTD and other middle of the road mowers just allowed the deck to pull "cockeyed" to one side under load because of slightly inferior construction materials. That's not a jab at any of the machines or their owners. It's just an observation an old timer had made. It worked for me. Just compensate for the amount of unevenness and set the deck slightly slanted.
Click to expand...
I finally found the problem, after having the Cub dealer to level the blades I took the deck off myself and to my surprise one blade is lower than the other. So even when the dealer tells you it’s right but you may need to get on the forum and check with the many people here. Thanks for the input.


#13

T

terrye

smhardesty said:
I had a similar problem with my Craftsman T140 when I first got it. I must have checked the left to right adjustment a dozen times. Every time I did it, it looked nearly perfect while in the garage on a nice, level concrete floor, but when I went out and mowed, it was still slightly off. I finally ignored the normal and usual method of leveling and deliberately gave an extra 1/2" to the lower side. It worked. I got that tidbit from an old time mower repair guy in this area. He said that a lot of the MTD and other middle of the road mowers just allowed the deck to pull "cockeyed" to one side under load because of slightly inferior construction materials. That's not a jab at any of the machines or their owners. It's just an observation an old timer had made. It worked for me. Just compensate for the amount of unevenness and set the deck slightly slanted.
Click to expand...
I finally found the problem, after having the Cub dealer to level the blades I took the deck off myself and to my surprise one blade is lower than the other. So even when the dealer tells you it’s right but you may need to get on the forum and check with the many people here. Thanks for the input.


#14

T

terrye

MParr said:
There could be a number of things out of whack.
First of all we don’t know if your mower is a tractor, zero turn or walk behind.
Please provide the model number and serial number.
Click to expand...
Tractor,Cub Cadet, model #20371, serial number 1L134H10236. I know now that part of the problem, at least, is one blade is lower than the other and a possible bent deck.
Terry


#15

T

terrye

terrye said:
Tractor,Cub Cadet, model #20371, serial number 1L134H10236. I know now that part of the problem, at least, is one blade is lower than the other and a possible bent deck.
Terry
Click to expand...
Model number is 203712


#16

smhardesty

smhardesty

What model number is actually on the side of the hood? I'm not sure where you pulled that model number from, but the Cub Cadet site confirmed my thinking that that is not a valid model number for a Cub lawn tractor. Doing an Internet search for that model number returns lots of results for a 22" Toro Recycler self-propelled walk behind.

Also, you say one blade is lower than the other. How did you determine that? You stated you took the deck off, but then how did you go about measuring the height of each blade. What was your reference point?

EDIT: As a matter of fact, some photos of the tractor, the deck, and how you are measuring would be very helpful to those of us trying to guide you.


#17

M

MParr

The first thing I would do is get the mower deck out from under it and place it on a level surface. That way, you can look it over good. You will then know what to do next. If the deck is bent too bad, you may need a new deck.


#18

7394

7394

MParr said:
The first thing I would do is get the mower deck out from under it and place it on a level surface
Click to expand...
Agreed, thorough inspection on flat / level surface..


#19

T

terrye

smhardesty said:
What model number is actually on the side of the hood? I'm not sure where you pulled that model number from, but the Cub Cadet site confirmed my thinking that that is not a valid model number for a Cub lawn tractor. Doing an Internet search for that model number returns lots of results for a 22" Toro Recycler self-propelled walk behind.

Also, you say one blade is lower than the other. How did you determine that? You stated you took the deck off, but then how did you go about measuring the height of each blade. What was your reference point?

EDIT: As a matter of fact, some photos of the tractor, the deck, and how you are measuring would be very helpful to those of us trying to guide you.
Click to expand...
I turned the blades until the ends were nearly perpendicular and the moved them until the opposite ends were perpendicular each time the left blade, sitting on the tractor, was lower. As far as the model number I can attach a copy. Model is 203712


#20

M

MParr

terrye said:
I turned the blades until the ends were nearly perpendicular and the moved them until the opposite ends were perpendicular each time the left blade, sitting on the tractor, was lower. As far as the model number I can attach a copy. Model is 203712
Click to expand...
So, the blade tips are not level with one another?
You need to get the deck out from under it and give it a good inspection.
There could be any number of things wrong.


#21

M

MParr

Have you replaced a front or rear tire? Tires that are stamped the same size might not be the same size. Air pressure is critical too. The air pressure should be the same on both rear tires. Most lawn tractors get 10 psi in the rear and 15 psi up front. Watch this video.


#22

T

terrye

MParr said:
Have you replaced a front or rear tire? Tires that are stamped the same size might not be the same size. Air pressure is critical too. The air pressure should be the same on both rear tires. Most lawn tractors get 10 psi in the rear and 15 psi up front. Watch this video.
Click to expand...
Tires are correct size and correct air pressure. I have found a rather large dent on the left front of the deck.


#23

M

MParr

terrye said:
Tires are correct size and correct air pressure. I have found a rather large dent on the left front of the deck.
Click to expand...
You might find more wrong when you pull the deck out from under the mower.


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