Really low cut, almost scalping

[Influencer88 3]

Lets see if I'm reading the info correctly, lever on deck all the way up (vertical) is the highest cut. When I cut grass the other day it was a REALLY short cut.

 

Is there an adjustment I should check? Should the attachment raise/lower arm (on the mower itself) have more settings other than all the way up and all the way down?

 

And finally, the deck has two rust holes on it, about how much should I expect to pay to have them both patched?

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,323]

With literally thousands of tractor/mower deck combinations that Wheel Horse and Toro produced it would help us if you included the tractor model/year and mower deck model number or width of cut and discharge location.

 

The mower deck operator manual if we have it will explain all of the setup adjustments.

 

Toro also published a Quality of Cut manual that may help.

 

Garry

[leeave96 488]

Make sure the front of the deck is not down to low.  The front blade tip should be about 1/8 inchs lower than the rear blade tip.  There is a jack screw at the back center of the deck you can tighten and level the deck front to back.  A little adjustment has a dramatic (IMHO) effect on the cutting height as the deck moves towards level.

 

Patching the deck - can't give you an estimate there, just don't know.

[Navig8r 132]

Don't forget to check tire pressures!

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[Influencer88 3]

Oops, sorry guys & gals.

 

Deck Model #: 78345

Serial #: 49-01375

 

I have the manual for the deck so I'll give it a more thorough reading. I was mainly just wondering if the attachment control arm on the left side of the tractor should have more than all the way up and all the way down. I see there is the knob to control the height but I think I read somewhere that shouldn't be used for the mower attachment?

 

At any rate, the blades are completely shot, the sharpened part of the blade is set in probably a good 3/4" from the rest of the blade, I'd say its probably time for some new ones. Anyone want a set of vintage '94 blades in horrible condition? lol.

 

I couldn't get one of the blades off, 3 days soaked in pb blaster plus broke a 12" adjustable and snapped the head off a breaker bar trying. I ended up taking it to Louie, our local welder and he got it off. While we were there I was chipping the old dried grass from under the deck and discovered two rust holes about 1.5" in diameter as well as the deck height adjustment seems to be a little out of whack, it locks in good on the lowest setting but on the highest it twists sideways a little bit and doesn't lock in right. I left the deck with Louie and for $45 he's going to patch the rust holes, fix the height adjustment and go through the deck making sure everything is good and no more structural issues. I've never had any welding work done by someone else, $45 seem fair?

 

Now, any blade recommendations?

[leeave96 488]

Whatever settings are on the height adjustment on the deck is all that's there.  When I have my 48 inch deck set to the highest setting, it is very difficult to get it to scalp.  If I come down even one notch, I can get some scalping.  My yard is very pitched, uneven and rolling - so it is a scalp waiting to happen.  I'd hate to try to mow it with a Snapper RER with a single blade 33 inch cut!

 

Some like gater type blades, I like the standard blades.

 

BTW - your deck should totally ride on the rear wheels.  The lift lever on the tractor should be all the way down (allowing for maximum deck movement up and down beneath the tractor)  The dial-a-hite should be set to let the deck/lever fall all the way down to it's lowest level.

 

The front scalp wheels should not ride on the ground at all!  They are there to keep the deck from digging into the ground, should you hit an uneven spot.

 

Good luck!

Bill

[Influencer88 3]

My yard is exactly the same, lots of dips and rolls in it. I think my issue is a combination of the height adjustment being bent slightly so it won't lock into the notch and the yard not being level at all. When I get the deck back I'll check the tilt adjustment to see what I've got there.

 

Just ordered new blades, they should be here Friday, will get the deck back Wednesday. I'll need it, grass is needing to be cut now, by Friday I'll be putting the new blades through their paces!

[tunahead72 2,523]

This may help you (and Louie) with your height adjustment lever:

[Influencer88 3]

Yeah when we were looking at it I found that the quadrant was too far over. Carriage bolts were rusted solid so we used a hammer and knocked it over a little, locked in good then. Got the deck home after he patched the rust holes and checked the other bolts/adjustments. The flat stock that the tension pulley is mounted to had worn the washers down to almost nothing so he took it apart and replaced the washers and greased everything up. Deck worked great.

 

Anyway, started to put the deck back under after installing the new blades and saw that the height adjustment wasn't locking in again. Tried to persuade the quadrant back over and noticed some unusual flexing at the mount point. I got the carriage bolts off and the quadrant off to find the mount was hiding another rust hole. Took the deck back and Louie apologized for missing it (not his fault, I was all over the deck and didn't notice it either). He said to leave it overnight and he'd fix it up free of charge. Came back the next day and deck is solid as a rock now, threw him another $20 for being such a good guy and willing to do the work for free.

 

Got that problem fixed and now I'm on to another issue, deck was cutting low because I have absolutely NO level to the deck, the leveling rod isn't even there. Sourcing or fabricating a new one and I think it'll be good to go.

[tunahead72 2,523]

That's all very good to hear, it's nice when these things start coming together.

 

I would hang on to Louie if I were you, he sounds like a real find.  My 310-8 deck has that same bit of rust under the quadrant, it's not too bad but I'm looking for a Louie to replace my Joe who just recently retired.

 

By the way, your avatar guy is on the cover of Rolling Stone right now, he's quite a character isn't he?

 

[Influencer88 3]

Yeah Louie is a good guy, very personable and helpful.

Neil Patrick harris, and he is a character, I'm not a bit ashamed to say I've been a fan since his string of lifetime Christmas movies at the start of his career.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk