Uneven Cutting

[Tpar]

Hey there, I am new to this forum and I wanted get some guidance. So I have a Cub Cadet ZT1 42” and I bought it new a few months ago. I am having an issue with it cutting uneven and it is irritating. I have changed the blades put a mulching kit on it. That’s all I have done to it. So is there anyway to adjust anything with the deck or what do y’all suggest I do to get this addressed and fixed?

 

[StarTech]

As actual level the image is like me being there to see the actual cut so I can't tell too much about it.

Several thing to check before attempting to level the deck.

• That the tires are properly inflated. Rear to 10 psi each Front 15 psi each.
• Second raise the mower up so you can access the underside of the deck.
  • Move both tips so they meet in the center of deck.
  • Are they level with each other
  • note you should bring each tip to the center to double check the level at tip .
  • If not level check for bent blade, spindle shaft, or bent spindle mounting area. Even a bad bearings can cause this. I have rebuilt the spindle on a local ZT1 twice in the last three years for one customer here. 6204-2RS bearings.
• The center from rod is the deck forward drop adjustment. The deck need to be slight lower in the front than the rear of the deck.
• If I remember correctly on each rear hanger is an adjustment for leveling the side to side level.

 

[StarTech]

Ahhh found the instructions for the deck adjustments.

 

[cpurvis]

Since your mower is only a few months old, you might want to talk your cutting issue over with the dealer who sold it to you.

Has it always cut like this or did the problem just begin? If it's always been like this, I'd suspect it was never set up correctly by the dealer. If it just started doing this, I'd look for something bent or broken in the mower attach hardware.

 

[bertsmobile1]

And remember the cutting height is the height of the blades to the grass, not the bottom of the deck.
Most blades do not pun dead parallel to the bottom of the deck, particularly if it is a pressed deck.

 

[slomo]

Start with exact tire pressure as StarTech said.

Soggy turf will allow uneven cuts.

Huge 0-turn mowers, well, they all do this rutting thing. Going too fast for the cut, deck bouncing all over. Cutting the turf too low like your picture indicates. Uneven turf and huge decks = a mess of a yard. Get a simple push mower. On a yard that small, no need for a 42" rut maker.

slomo

 

[slomo]

You can see the deck hopping in the pictures. Scalp scalp scalp.

slomo

 

[Tpar]

Start with exact tire pressure as StarTech said.

Soggy turf will allow uneven cuts.

Huge 0-turn mowers, well, they all do this rutting thing. Going too fast for the cut, deck bouncing all over. Cutting the turf too low like your picture indicates. Uneven turf and huge decks = a mess of a yard. Get a simple push mower. On a yard that small, no need for a 42" rut maker.
Lol...... I did a push mower for over 2 years, I ain’t doing it anymore, we have almost an acre to mow. It is cutting too low on 1 side of the deck, this isn’t the first time I have cut it, it has done it the last 4 times that I have mowed. What I am getting at is that something isn’t right with the mower, I have had several zero turns in my lifetime and never had one cut like this before.

 

[Tpar]

As actual level the image is like me being there to see the actual cut so I can't tell too much about it.

Several thing to check before attempting to level the deck.

• That the tires are properly inflated. Rear to 10 psi each Front 15 psi each.
• Second raise the mower up so you can access the underside of the deck.
  • Move both tips so they meet in the center of deck.
  • Are they level with each other
  • note you should bring each tip to the center to double check the level at tip .
  • If not level check for bent blade, spindle shaft, or bent spindle mounting area. Even a bad bearings can cause this. I have rebuilt the spindle on a local ZT1 twice in the last three years for one customer here. 6204-2RS bearings.
• The center from rod is the deck forward drop adjustment. The deck need to be slight lower in the front than the rear of the deck.
• If I remember correctly on each rear hanger is an adjustment for leveling the side to side level.

Thank you, I will look at this and see what I come up with.

 

[Tpar]

And remember the cutting height is the height of the blades to the grass, not the bottom of the deck.
Most blades do not pun dead parallel to the bottom of the deck, particularly if it is a pressed deck.

Right.