Lawnmower cutting uneven

Mills314

Don't know if anyone has any experience with riding lawnmowers, but for about the last 4 months, my riding lawnmower has been cutting uneven.

I hit a large rock a while back and was missing a small strip in the middle of the deck, so I pulled the blades and noticed that one of them was broken on the end so I replaced them. Upon replacing them, the cut was much better, but there was still a small strip in the center that was uneven with the rest of the cut.

So I have been told that its possible that I have a bent shaft inside the spindle assy. Sound about right? How hard is it to replace those? Would it be easier to just replace the whole spindle assemblies?

I have a 2008 Husqvarna 46" mower with a 20 HP Kohler courage engine.

Your thoughts?

DexterII

A bent spindle will give you a bad cut, but so will improper tire pressure, a twisted or broken deck, worn deck suspension components, and other similar conditions, depending on your particular mower. So, I would start with the basics. First thing first, do you have the owner's manual for your mower? If not, you can probably get it online, or from your lcoal dealer. The manual may very well provide you with more detail regarding some of the things that I or others will mention. Meanwhile, I would park the mower on a level concrete surface, inflate the tires to the prescribed pressure, and begin with a thorough visual inspection, primarily to determine if the deck hangs level from the drive unit, etc.; look for any worn or craked components that suspend the deck, and use a tape measure where applicable to compare side to side variances. Next, I would want to see if the blades appear to cut level. So, block the mower such that it cannot roll forward or back, and disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal, to prevent the engine from accidently firing. Now, measure the height of each of the cutting edges of the blades from the floor. Also, pick a spot on the deck for each blade, from which to measure how close the blades comes to the deck. It will be hard to get a tape measure or ruler in there, so a socket, scrap of wood, or other fixed length object will work, as you are not concerned with the actual measurement, but how they all compare. Now rotate the blades 90 degrees, and repeat the process, then again at 180 degrees, and finally at 270 degrees. If you have a bent spindle, it should show up as you compare your measurements. You will very likely find that the blades are lower at the back of the deck than at the front, but the sided to side comparisons should be most revealing.

hyunelan2

I had a similar problem last year on my MTD-made tractor. Turns out there are 4 pins that attach the deck brackets to the mower. One of those pins had come out, causing the deck to hang uneven. However, you could not tell this with the deck all the way up, only when you put it down could you notice once side was dropping. After reattaching that pin and adjusting the leveling screws, all was well.

If you do have a bent shaft on yours, measuring the blade height to the floor, as DexterII described, will make it very apparent.

rollinastang

i also have a MTD that had that problem...i leveled my deck right after i put it on in the beginning of the season. first time i cut it was perfect.however i had to use my bagger attachment and when i hooked it on it dropped the one side of the deck ever so slightly making a terrible cut. if u are using a bagger i would re adjust and level the deck with the bagger tube on it.