Garden
How to Identify and Fix Common Gardening Problems ?
We provide a variety of viewpoints on how to identify and fix common gardening problems. Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced gardeners :
Whenever the blade is engaged, it rotates on a crankshaft to cut the grass. But if there is interference in this rotation, the engine can overload and shut off or lose power. Check the crankshaft connection to see if it rotates freely. Inspect the connecting hardware for damage or rust.
For most effective results, a lawn mower deck should have a pitch, or height difference of 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch between the front of the deck to the back of the deck. Naturally, this makes the sweet spot about 1/4-inch of pitch, depending on the mower model.
Tire Inflation
Front tires that are too low or rear tires that are overinflated can cause the appearance of a poorly adjusted mower deck. Always check and fill tires with the mower turned off and parked on a flat, level surface.
Trying to mow over twigs can dull the mower blades, or even damage them if the branches are large. Hitting a stump with a push mower will most likely damage the blade and crankshaft, and hitting a stump on a riding mower can damage blades, mower deck, and spindles.
An unbalanced blade spinning that fast will cause a significant amount of vibration, which will put stress on yout blade shaft, spindle, and even the engine. So if you want to get the most life out of your mower… keep the blades balanced! If playback doesn`t begin shortly, try restarting your device.
Mower blades should be aggressively sharp, but not as sharp as a razor`s edge. You should be able to touch the blade with your hand without getting cut. Contrary to popular belief, a lawn mower blade with a razor sharp edge will not cut grass better.
For most effective results, a lawn mower deck should have a pitch of 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch between the height of the deck rear to the height of the deck front. Naturally, this makes the sweet spot about 1/4-inch of pitch, depending on the type of mower.
The first step to a beautiful lawn is a level mower deck. Level your mower deck once or twice a season.
Hitting a rock with a lawn mower usually results in dents and bent parts. Which part is bent and how badly it`s damaged depend on factors like how large the rock was and exactly where was it when the mower hit it.
As stones and rocks come in contact with your lawn mower blades while they spin, they damage the blades and dull them. This, in turn, harms your lawn. To keep your lawn healthy, the blades need to be sharp and without imperfections.
There are a few signs that point to a bent blade — an uneven cut, bumpy handling, strange grinding noises and the mower stalling. Those aren`t 100 percent the blade`s fault each time, but it`s an easy place to start.
If you notice your mower blade has become very thin and weak, replace it immediately. Over time, the metal can weaken as it`s eroded by dirt, sand and other debris from your yard. This can cause the blade to break while you`re mowing, possibly injuring people nearby if pieces of metal fly out of the mower.
A perfectly tight mower belt can rotate without slipping off but not cause the engine to over-exert and overheat. If the belt does not slip off while working and is not producing unfavorable sounds that indicate wearing off of the belt, then that is the perfect tightness for it.
Deformed Blade
In some cases, the unnatural shape of the blade can be enough to prevent you from tightening it properly. A bent shape can also mess with the blade`s overall balance. An unbalanced mower blade can produce vibrations that will loosen the bolt over time.
If you have an anvil handy, you can put the non-bend end under the anvil and then use your channel locks to slowly and gently bend the blade back, so it becomes straight again.
The rule of thumb is that mower blades should be sharpened around every 25 hours of use. Sharpening or replacing your mower blades won`t only stop your grass leaves from being ripped and bruised, but can also decrease your fuel consumption by up to 25%.
Lawn scalping could be caused by going on vacation and missing mowing days, a week of rain that makes mowing impossible while the grass shoots up quickly, or possibly just uneven spots in your lawn. Scalping is mowing the grass so low that you cut the blade off at the growing point or crown.
What If You Tilt Your Mower The Wrong Way? Don`t panic it`s not that big a deal. If you tilted your mower the wrong way, just tilt it onto its four wheels again and clean up any spilled gas. Oil and gas may have made their way to the air filter, and saturated it.
You can expect to get anywhere from six to ten years out of your riding mower, or longer with proper care and maintenance. Like most machines, riding lawn mower life varies depending on a number of factors including terrain, maintenance and upkeep, number of hours used, and more.
Most contractors suggest sloping the deck 1/4th- 1/8th of an inch for every foot of decking. With this slope, the difference isn`t terribly noticeable to those standing on the surface but your chance of ponding is reduced greatly.
Mower decks often have an enamel paint coating that helps prevent grass clippings from sticking. But over time, this paint can wear out. You can refresh the coating with other lubricants, like non-stick cooking spray, or use a lawn mower paint available at your local hardware or home improvement store.
The causes of uneven cuts from your lawn mower are worn or dull blades, incorrect tire pressure, bent blades, or a clogged deck with grass. Also, due to the deck not being leveled, having an uneven spindle, or the belt may be in bad shape or at low speed.
Lawn mower blades can spin at rates of thousands of feet per minute, and are capable of inflicting tremendous injury to hands and feet. These high speeds also mean that ejected debris such as rocks and sticks can reach speeds in excess of 100 mph as they leave the machine.
Rocks, glass, or wire can be picked up by lawn mower blades and hurled at speeds above 170 miles per hour. Objects may be thrown for distances up to 50 feet or more causing death and injuries ranging from blindness to severe bruising. (University of Arkansas)
Discover Relevant Questions and Answers for Your Specific Issue
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
I had hit a somewhat hidden stump on the lawn..bending the blade. Took the deck off and replaced the bent blade. Put the deck back on and now the cut seems uneven. It appears that the deck is now uneven. I attempted to follow the directions for a side-to-side leveling. Started with trying to measure the blade height and am struggling with getting to a spot where I can measure the blade on the left side. By looking at the deck, it appears to be uneven. I am struggling with being able to raise the left side of the deck.
ANSWER : I’ve only had luck removeing the deck, turn it upside down. Measure blade, mark, remove blade, insert large pipe over spindle, bend in direction. Re-install blade, and do it all over and over till straight. Measure in several locations.
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Blades wont ingage on my craftsman lawn tractor #917.274811?
ANSWER : After hitting a tree root, blades will not cut when I press to engage
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What causes JD 260 riding mower to start dying when you engage the mower deck? It runs fine when you disengage the mower deck.
ANSWER : It’s the safety system that causes this. There is a switch under the seat that should activate when you are sitting in the seat. The switch can come loose or fail, the mounting can break, or the wires can come loose – any of these would cause the “engine dies when I engage the mower deck” behavior. Lift the seat, examine the switch. Rmove the switch and keep the plunger in with a piece of tape. Fixed? Then it’s just the mounting or adjustment. Not fixed? It’s the switch itself or the wires or connectors to it.
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How to adjust the mowing deck properly? – Craftsman 17.5 hp 42 in. Deck Lawn Tractor – CA Model
ANSWER : I use a string level just sit it on deck level front to back
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What is the deck height for a 42in riding mower
ANSWER : What ever height you set it at. they are adjustable
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Vibrations when the cutting head is lowered . Sounds like one of the blades is hitting the cover. Especially noticeable below a setting of 5. Three cutting blades. There is no noticeable loss of cutting when I use the mower. Is there a possibility that a shaft or blade is bent? I don’t know anything about mechanical issues so I may not be using the best terms
ANSWER : Sounds like a bent blade to me. Can you determine where or which side the noise is coming from? For safety, I would replace all the blades. I once ran over my son’s baseball while mowing and bent the housing and that caused the blade to hit the side of the deck. I simply bent the housing back with a few hits of a hammer and back to mowing I went.
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Blades won’t turn to cut grass
ANSWER : On the chute where the grass comes out there is a black piece of metal under the edge of the deck held on by the 2 big thumb screws is probably bent. You will need to try to move the blade on the side near the chute by hand (Make sure the mower is not running when you do this) if the blade touches the black piece of metal it will kill the mower if you engage the blades and try moving forward. Anyway you need to take the black metal piece off and bend the corner out of the way (I used a crescent and clamped it to the hitch on my pickup). I am guessing i went over something like a street curb with the deck when it was to low and that bent it. Now when ever I move the mower from someones yard or drive it across the street I always raise the deck up all the way. I hope this helps
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Change drivebelt – Husqvarna 8 12hp Riding Mower 970 Blade Hub 506935901
ANSWER : Remove deck and drive the mower up on some kind of ramp and crawl under and look it over then go to doing it .
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