Woods PRD8400 Finish Mower no longer cutting evenly

[JDBeck23]

Hey all, 1st post here, but have cruised the NH section a few times deciding what tractor to buy for our 10 acres (approx. 7 acres of open field with grass, hence the 84" Woods finish mower).

I was moving earlier this season and picked up a pretty good sized limb that some how got jammed above one of the blades and then wedged between the blade and the mower flange. This stopped the tractor dead in its tracks, and stalled the engine. I dropped the PTO, started her back up and raised the mower deck, pried the limb out and went on about my business.

Now I noticed that I have some striping going on. I raised the mower up and started the PTO at a low rpm so I could see the blades turning. Sure enough, the right blade has a considerable wobble, the center blade has a slight wobble. The limb was threaded between these two blades, but mostly stuck on the right blade, which explains my indications.

What are the odds that I need new shafts? I priced them out at $75 bucks apiece at the local dealer. Short of pulling the mower deck apart and looking at them, I am wondering if that will fix the problem. I lube the mower deck regularly, the spindles make no noticeable noise, so I don't think the bearings have gone bad (yet). But I can't imagine a bent shaft will be easy on the bearings. Thoughts?

 

[eddie48]

Do you know for sure that it isn't just bent blades? They will usually bend long before the shaft.

 

[JDBeck23]

That's what I would tend to think as well... When I observed the blades spinning, it was hard to "see" the blades wobbling, but when I look at the rectangular bracket that the blades bolt to, I could see the wobble at the bracket very easily. Comparing the right bracket to the left bracket (which was perfect) made me think it's the shaft (or the bracket that's attached to the shaft maybe) not the blade itself.