876wheelhorse 46 #1 Posted October 1, 2014 kind of late in season to ask this, I thought I read somewhere that people put weight or something on one side of deck to balance the cut out? Reason I ask is the cut my deck is giving is I can see exactly where each blade cuts. My yard looks horrible. Its on my new to me 310-8. I brought it in garage today and measured the first and second blade. The first was 1 3/4 from bottom of blade the sharp part to floor in garage. The second was 2 inches. so If i could reach the third blade i'd imagine it be at least 1/4 inch off from 2nd and half inch taller than first. Anyone ever fix this problem? I took deck off and everything looks straight. maybe it has a little bow to it I dont know. I do know I cant continue to mow with it performing this way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wishin4a416 2,185 #2 Posted October 1, 2014 My 312 deck got sprung real bad. It was an 87 and not the reinforced deck. The right side was 1 inch down or so. If you held the deck up from the front end, you could see the droop. I put a larger wheel on that side and it worked for years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KyBlue 652 #3 Posted October 1, 2014 My 42" deck does this.. You can see the deck flex when it's lifted... You'd be better off to find out why it's twisted (my bet is stress cracks like mine) and repair it... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wishin4a416 2,185 #4 Posted October 1, 2014 My 42" deck does this.. You can see the deck flex when it's lifted... You'd be better off to find out why it's twisted (my bet is stress cracks like mine) and repair it... There were no cracks in my deck. My wife stepping on the deck on the chute side to get on and off tractor is what did it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ethan and Randies horses 65 #5 Posted October 1, 2014 get new blades or straighten old ones Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericj 1,576 #6 Posted October 1, 2014 with the deck off, and standing up with the front of deck in air, do the blades line up tip to tip of blade or is 1 or all 3 different height. after getting burnt by this i usually check this before buying a deck, especially if i can't mow with it. i've tried to straighten deck that were tweaked but with no success, other people i've talked to say that they have. also if the deck is not level front to back it will leave marks from all of the blades and the yard will look like crap when done. hope this helps some and good luck eric j Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shallowwatersailor 3,213 #7 Posted October 1, 2014 A handy tool for measuring blade height is this. Even though I have mentioned it before , I finally won over the procrastinator that I am and got one. This happens to be a JD brand but I believe that there are similar gauges on the market. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
km3h 543 #8 Posted October 2, 2014 There are several adjustments that can be made to level the deck. Download Lawnboy Quality of Cut Manual from Toro. You might find the answer to your problems are not as bad as you think. I have had to make adjustments to several decks I have gotten lately. If your deck is warped, when it sits on the floor you will be able to tell. These decks are not made of tin and I would be very surprised if the deck was actually out of original shape. More likely one or more of the adjusting bolts have come loose and caused the uneven cutting you describe. If you remove the deck and look it over closely, you will recognize the adjustment points right away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
876wheelhorse 46 #9 Posted October 2, 2014 i bought the mower looking at the guys yard him saying i mowed with it. his yard looked nice and straight and it appeared that i mowed darn good. How can it mow perfect and 30 miles down the road absolutly mow like crap. I dunno i will inspect further. I was hoping to get by for a few years with these tractors before i buy a new tractor and prob retires my crew. I am prob going to be mowing 3 acres next year. so my 310-8 c141 and my deere 210 will be busy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericj 1,576 #10 Posted October 2, 2014 did you check the blades the way we've told you to ? eric j Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
876wheelhorse 46 #11 Posted October 3, 2014 did you check the blades the way we've told you to ? eric j i havent messed with it i had deck off and was going to put blade on for winter. That was a learning experience the frame i have is short and need the long frame. Any ways I put deck back on it and pushed it outside. I get frustrated with this stuff especially when i was told one thing and it turnt out another. But when i measured the blade tips when it was on tractor each blade was off 1/4 inch...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericj 1,576 #12 Posted October 3, 2014 if you pull the deck and check we might be able to help you get it to mow the way you want. it is possible it only needs a new set of blades eric j Share this post Link to post Share on other sites