Rear Finish Mower Rhino finish mower problems

[chinkapin creek]

I've got a Rhino 5 ft. finish mower FM60A. The mower deck and frame are very sturdy it seems, which is why I bought the thing. However I have two problems going for me.

One, the casters bend quite easily. I have had to straighten all of them back out several times using a vice, not heating them and weakening them further. The metal they are made out of is very soft, you can tap it with a wood hammer and easily dent them! The Rhino dealer says they bend because people go entirely to fast and the wheels take a lot of abuse because of it. But I keep the speed quite low (2nd gear). Does anyone else have this problem and do you just keep straightening them out or can better ones be bought?

Two, the mower just knocks down some sprigs of grass and weeds and doesn't cut them. Not a lot, maybe 3 to 6 sprigs of grass or a weed every 20 feet of mowed lawn. Then a day later they stand back up and I have a scraggly looking yard. I have had the blades sharpened and tried going in first gear even. The mower is turning at the appropriate RPM too. I'm not sure if it is the type of weed or grass or if this is common.

 

[Oldtractorfixer]

Not sure about the casters, but if you are cutting high 4-5 in. with a finish mower they don't do as nice a job as when lower.

 

[leonz]

About your mower,


The steel they are using is obviously to thin as it should not bend(it supports the mower weight) and your dealer is not correct about this or being honest-one or the other issue.

If it has a belt drive it may have tremendous amount of chaff under the belt covers affecting the belts ability to create tension on the V belt pulleys if it has a passive flat pulley as a snubber pulley with a spring for tension.

My other question is this: are the front guage wheels at the same height as the rear ones?


I would remove the belt guards and clean around the pulleys and then
try mowing at bit higher height (1/2 inch higher) to see how well it does.





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Pronovost or not at all!!!:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[chinkapin creek]

Well I am mowing 4 inches high, I kinda have too. There's to many rocks sticking up to mow much lower. I can mow 3.5 inches though. I will try to lower it and see if it cuts better. The deck is kept clean and maintained regularly.

I hate to buy another caster/fork from Rhino. I need to replace another one and maybe can straighten another. The adjustments are even on all 4 wheels of the mower.