deck not cutting right

IHCUB · May 10, 2007

when i cut my yard i noticed some strips of grass not getting cut ? i sharpened the blades and its still doing it ? now i here a noise that sound like it s comming from the pto pulley with the blades off. what to do

Fordlords · May 11, 2007

Could be the PTO clutch is defective, and slipping while it is engaged. It will then have even more clearance when disengaged, making a chattering noise. They are expensive, so if you are under warranty have a dealer check it out for you.
-Fordlords-

tawilson · May 11, 2007

Are the strips of grass near the ends of the blades, where they almost touch? One thing I was doing wrong was rounding off the ends of the blades when sharpening. Keep them square like from the factory.

micman32 · May 11, 2007

The same thing was happening to me. I had to replace the PTO. Was a very expensive to have replaced but it does great now.

Michael

Rhoderman · May 11, 2007

I had a similar issue with my 2042 when it was new.

Things that helped:

Level the deck at the height you would normally mow at.
Do it on a flat driveway, with a block of wood as a reference height.
Adjust side-to-side first.
Set the front about 1/8 to 1/4" lower than the rear.
Raise/Lower and check again.

Check the idler pulley arm for binding.
Mine would have the belt tight when in the full down position.
Raising it would make the deck belt loose.
I lubed the swing arm and it works a lot better now.

Change blades.
The mulching blades didn't seem to work, so my dealer gave me hi-lift blades.
The hi-lift blades moved a LOT of air, but seemed to blow the uncut grass out of the way.
I ended up with a set of low-lift blades that work like a champ, and are much quieter.

Sharpen the blades.
I use a vise and a portable grinder, being careful to not turn it blue.
Leave the ends square as mentioned above.
Balance them well for smooth operation.

Hope this helps,
Jim

IHCUB · May 11, 2007

i leveled the deck and im sure the blades are sharpened right my neighbor wich has the same blades sharpened them and he hasnt had any problems. i think im going to order some gators ?

IHCUB · May 13, 2007

i took it to my dealer yesterday. he said it seemed ok to him but he will have the mechanic look at it monday. and he said my blades probably had bad ends ? the tractor is just one year old ?

GreenQuality · May 16, 2007

I have fought this tooth and nail. then it dawned on me .I orderd a right lift arm with the jam and nut for the left side of my deck.so now I can really level my my mowing deck . two adjustment in front and two side to side. also for those who don't know about a little tool the sell at the john deere store. it makes this leving easy it yellow leveling lever which touchs the blade tip and give height in inches.

Dave01 · May 16, 2007

If strips are not getting cut its probably not related to leveling.

"now i here a noise that sound like it s comming from the pto pulley with the blades off."

Not sure what you mean here - did you run the pto with the blades off? If so, with no load on the PTO, it wouldn't be unusual to hear some chattering noise from the idlers or the belt flapping. Hopefully you don't have the PTO problem others have mentioned, your dealer should answer that question quickly.

More likely you have the wrong length blades or blades with bad/rounded ends. Since a set of blades is fairy cheap I'd try a new set, see if the problem is solved. When the dealer looks on his parts list and gets you the correct blades, see if they are the same as the ones on it now, that might answer your question.

weedwhacker · May 21, 2007

I have the CC 2542.Why does it say to adjust the blades to be 1/8 to 1/4 inches lower in the front. Can someone shed some light on that.

IHCUB · May 23, 2007

im starting to dislike this lawn tractor. i fixed the nois from the main shaft area it was the belt guide rubbing a pully wich my dealer did not find ? and now i find out my spindles dont have grease fittings on them but some 1042 models do and it tells me in my manual that i do ? and i have a bearing loose on one of the spindles im sure its becuse of no grease. and i wanted a set of gator blades becuse i dont care for the cut the original blades do and found out they dont make a blade for this model.

Rhoderman · May 24, 2007

Did you look on the inside of your front wheels for grease zerks?

jjcc246 · May 24, 2007

I just put a set of Gators on my Cub. Man what a differance. No lines, no strips of cut grass, no gouging and no burning. Well worth the investment I think. I was ready to put the mower at the curb. I'm in lawnmower heaven now.

IHCUB · May 24, 2007

Rhoderman said:
Did you look on the inside of your front wheels for grease zerks?

yes they are there but not on the deck spindles.

GreenQuality · May 24, 2007

Gators are ok! IF i where you being no grease fitting on your spindles. you see high lift blades and gators are bad for your spindles they work a lot harder! I would go with a low sail or low lift blade less stress on your spindles! Part no# 754-3018 they cut the best out of all the blades!

Rhoderman · May 25, 2007

IHCUB said:
yes they are there but not on the deck spindles.

Doh! Wrong spindles! Sorry... Thinking automotively, I was.

Sealed bearings on the deck spindles? I'm like you, I'd rather service them so I knew they had grease in them. I'm surprised they didn't make them so they could be greased. Maintenance free is usually bad...

Jim

magicalj · May 25, 2007

I thought I read something a long time ago about the stock spindles not having zerks but when you bought the replacments, they had zerks. I could be the "green and yeller fellers" that do that though.

AJ

JSharp · May 26, 2007

I'm like everyone else here. I don't like the sealed bearing spindles.

But, before I bought my Cub I had an L-12 White, also made by MTD with the sealed spindles. I used it 10 years, 400+ hours before one spindle needed to be replaced. The other was still fine when I junked the mower.

So maybe they aren't as bad as we're making them out to be...

rbig · Jul 21, 2007

That's normal with most decks out there, of all brands.

mrutkaus · Jul 23, 2007

Ex girlfriend's circa 2004 CC shaft tractor, bumped into some stumps, some bending of the mower deck which I didn't notice (since my Model 782 had bumped into much worse over the years with no problema) , couldn't see it, nobody including dealer could figure it out, produced uneven cutting (picture is on an old computer).

Very hard to diagnose, multiple dealer trips. End result, new mower deck sheet metal cured it.

Mike