High & Low places when using the MMM.......

[don716]

When mowing my 60" deck cuts high & low spots in the yard.I know my yard isn't all level.When my tractor wheels go into a small dip or anything that is not level it leaves gashes in the yard.,does anybody elses do this?The deck on mine is a suspended one.Do you think if I put the deck wheels on the ground that it would help? The wheels on the deck is stationary so they don't turn. If I turn a curve they would probally tear up the yard would'nt they? I wonder if I went to my local TSC could I buy wheels that would turn and replace my origional ones. Then it would be like a floating deck. What are your opinions????????? I really don't like to see gashes in the yard.
Donny

 

[kirklowj]

I have a 60" MMM mounted on my B3030. Once you have all the wheels sycronized to the proper cutting depth (i.e. 3" see chart on mower deck). The front wheels will turn 360 deg. and the back wheels will follow. When I lower my MMM it will ride the terain and role over small bumps. It sounds like your wheels are not properly syncronized.

Just a thought

 

[art]

I don't have a lot of experience with that model but to the best of my knowledge they came with a ground engaging deck other then the B-7510 Turf Special!

 

[Toolguy]

The MMM on the B7500 is not the same as the ground following MMM on the B3030. It sounds like the issue is with the gauge wheels. Try adjusting them on a flat, hard surface so they just clear the ground by about 1/4". That way there is no weight on them most of the time and they should not dig in when turning on the grass. As your tractor follows the ground the mower will too and should not scalp. The higher you cut the less scalping effect you will get. I mow at 3", which is recommended by many lawn care professionals. It is better for the grass and helps keep the weeds down some. It is also easier on your deck and blades as it is not cutting dirt as much. The blades will stay sharp longer as a bonus. Good luck.

 

[DiezNutz]

I have a 60" MMM mounted on my B3030. Once you have all the wheels sycronized to the proper cutting depth (i.e. 3" see chart on mower deck). The front wheels will turn 360 deg. and the back wheels will follow. When I lower my MMM it will ride the terain and role over small bumps. It sounds like your wheels are not properly syncronized.

There's a significant difference between your ground contact deck and a suspended one, but you're on the right track. Donny, sounds like your anti-scalp wheels aren't set correctly. You want them low enough that they don't let the deck edges dig in, but not so low that they ride on the ground. You do NOT want them to carry the weight of the deck, they're not made for that and will wear out very quickly. I doubt you'll find a drop-in replacement for them that will allow the deck to ride on the ground, and the mounting points aren't really designed to handle it either. Many people feel that a properly-adjusted suspended deck is superior, so give those wheel settings a look. Hopefully you have your manual or label on the deck that shows you where they should be for a given cutting height.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I am having some similar issues, and believe in my case it may be that the 60 inch deck is just too darn wide.

I have about 35,000 square feet of zoysia that likes to be cut short. I have my deck set at 2 inches, and everything I can find on the subject indicates that that is long for zoysia. The undulations in grade on the yard are minimal, and just enough to give it some character. What I am finding is that the 60 inch deck is wider than some of the ground contours, leading to scalping in some areas and uneven cuts in other. One side of my yard lends itself to cutting at different angles each time, but the other is long and narrow and drives me nuts to cut across the short way or on a bias.

I have my gauge wheels set so that they don't touch when the deck is in cutting position, but my next experiment is to see if I can better results if I drop them down to the next position, which should have them just barely off the ground on a hard surface (under a 1/4 inch, I believe).

I have a 48" deck, too. It was destined for eBay, but if I can't get the 60 to do what I want it to, it may get another chance.

 

[DiezNutz]

2 inches seems kinda low (in general, maybe not for zoysia). If you get the grass too short in places, you might be inviting weeds to get a foothold. I cut at about 2-5/8" (long story) to 3".

 

[jeffinsgf]

2 inches seems kinda low (in general, maybe not for zoysia). If you get the grass too short in places, you might be inviting weeds to get a foothold. I cut at about 2-5/8" (long story) to 3".

Agreed. I wouldn't cut bluegrass or fescue at 2 inches, but zoysia is different. It grows better and spreads faster when kept short. It is kind of backwards to cool season grasses (bluegrass, fescue, rye, etc.), if you let it get long, weeds will start invading. If you keep it short, it will crowd out the weeds.

 

[don716]

My Tractor is a B7500 but the deck came off a B7510 Turf Special which is the same size tractor.I think my grass is cut about 2-3" and the wheels are (I think) in the highest setting but I would have to look at it to make sure. I know that my wheels do not hit the ground very often except on uneven ground.I will check them out tomorrow and if so try to adjust them down a little.I hope this will work because my back yard looks like I went crazy with a weedeater.
Donny

 

[don716]

Well, I did adjust my deck wheels down to about 1/4" or so from the ground and tried it out a little and it helped but the wheels are "NOT" the swivel type. They stay straight and when I turn on uneven ground they tear up the ground some. Do you think the TSC would sell swivel wheels?, and if so do you think I need to get all 4 wheels?
Donny