Mower Deck Issues

[semper5 43]

I have a 42" rear-discharge deck for my C145.

I don't know the model number, my deck has no data plate. I believe it may be 1980 or slightly later, it has the star-shaped punched pattern which Wheelhorse used to reinforce the deck itself. I have replaced the belt, I grease the spindles every other mow, and I just replaced the blades. After every mow there is a strip of grass left, looks like the center blade and the right-most blade leave a gap. When putting the blades on, is there any approximate gap between the blades? Is this why I have a ridge of grass after every mow? I'm not too bothered by it, but my wife is...

Do you have any suggestions for me to check and ensure a higher quality cut?

Thanks for reading!

[doc724 925]

This is a common with RD decks (at least mine, and I have newer ones).  Typical causes are:  mowing too fast, grass stuck under the deck, deck at the highest cut height position.  The later two seem to impact how much lift you can get with the blades to stand up the grass.  It also tends to occur in cornering.  One other thing to look at is any damage to the center spindle.  I picked up a old 36 inch RD deck and the PO's had cranked down on the mule so hard that after 35 years, the spindle actually tipped forward and to the right.  This had the effect of leaving a bigger gap between the middle blade and the blade on the left and no gap on the right side.  The solution I have implemented to to have my wife cut the grass.

[stevasaurus 23,290]

Along with what Don said...I was reading one of the deck manuals yesterday...it said if you were cutting high or damp grass, the center, anti-scalp wheel could depress the grass enough to not be lifted up by the natural suction of the deck.  The cure was to remove that roller. 

[slammer302 2,156]

I have a couple of these decks i have one on my B-60 that has the sealed type bearing and it mows great and does not leave a stripe and the one that was on the 314H i just bought left a stirps very bad i figured it was the worn blades and all the holes in the deck

[Kurt-NEPA 755]

Check your blade length too.  When I got my 42RD it left a stripe too.  In checking it out, if figured out it had the wrong blades on it.  Some previous owner had put the blades from a 42SD on it.  A new set of the right Toro blades and the stripe is gone.  

[Todd Levick 0]

I am having the same problem. I have a 76 C-120 with a 42" side discharge and it's been driving me nuts with leaving stripes. I tore it apart yesterday checking all the spindles for damage, checked the idler pulley, slide and spring. Replaced both belts as they looked to be pretty worn. The blades are brand new and correct size and not upside down and still leaving stripes. I'm at my wits end on this now. I don't know, maybe I have the deck improperly adjusted for height. Anyone have ideas on how the deck should be properly set when in the down position? I'm out of ideas. I am also beginning to wonder about the blade length. Anyone know the length of the SD and the RD. 

[Kurt-NEPA 755]

I would set the deck about 1/8" nose down as measured at the blades.  The best way is to cut some gauge blocks out of 2X4's and check the blade front and rear.  Adjust the deck until the front is slightly below the rear.  If you set it nose high you are cutting the grass twice, once up front and once in the rear.

Assuming you are asking about blade length.  The rear discharge blades are 14-1/2" long.  I think the side discharge blades were about 14", but don't hold me to that.  There seems to be quite a bit difference between blade manufactures, so that just complicates things.  I just bought some Gator blades that were about 1/4" longer than my Toro blades.

Hope this helps!

[MikesRJ 558]

One more thing about quality of cut. I have seen too many decks where the deck shell is bent in the area of the spindles. I have a 3 foot long piece of 2" heavy wall pipe with a large flange screwed to the threaded end. The flange is drilled with the same hole pattern as the deck spindles. Once a year I remove the deck and sharpen blades and check everything (Annual Tune-Up). One of the additional checks I do is to rotate the blades to point at one another. If the difference in tip height between two blades is greater than 1/16" I remove the spindle, bolt the flange pipe to the deck, and bend the deck to correct the miss-match. Bend the deck shell accordingly to make the cutting edges of adjacent blades even with one another. The closer they are to perfect, the better the cut of the deck. Do this for all three spindles and you'll be surprised at how well they cut and the lack of striping in your lawn.
 

Edited July 27, 2015 by MikesRJ

[Todd Levick 0]

Thanks guys I appreciate the help, will give all this a shot and see what happens