Hit A Stump Now Mower Cuts Uneven.

[Rock_Hudstone]

I hit a stump (hard) with the (left?) blade on my Craftsman 42 inch tractor a while back, now it scalps slightly on that side, even aften installing new blades.

It had cut perfectly beforehand.

How do I tell which is damaged, the mandrel, deck or both?

 

[123Saab]

If its just a cheap stamped deck most likely the deck bent a bit.

Take it off and run a straight edge over it while upside down?

 

[Falken]

In Québec they just go at the stump in the opposite direction afterwards.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone
How do I tell which is damaged, the mandrel, deck or both?


Get the mower to a perfectly flat spot on concrete. Raise the deck to the highest setting, and with engine off and gloves on (to avoid the blade edges) turn the blades by hand. Place a measure under the blades tips and see if the tips pass around at the exact same height. If both blade tips are at a different heights as swing past the measured reference points, its your spindle shaft that is bent.

Now, while on the same flat concrete, run a measure around the perimeter of your deck, checking its height off the ground. If the measure shows an appreciable difference in different areas around the bottom lip of the deck, your deck is bent.

 

[Texan4Life]

Does the deck have height adjustment on each side? usually newer ones do. seems like I'm always having to adjust mine.

in tall grass on flat ground I take a cut, adjust, cut some more, adjust, ect until it looks even.

I think the manuals say to measure from the deck edge to the ground and make it even on both sides. But I find the trial and error method faster and if the deck is tweeked, it will correct for that.

 

[147_Grain]

This question has me stumped.

 

[SwampDweller]

Got the same problem with my 42 in Craftsman. No stump here, just scalped the ground hard(uneven). Took apart both mandrels thinking one of the mounting lugs was cracked, before you do this, have 2 new mandrel housings in hand. Self tapping bolts are used to mount the mandrels to the deck and at least one will break off. Shafts are straight, no run out of new blades. No cracked housings. Next will be trying to relevel by figuring out which mandrel mount is bent on the deck, and trying to straighten it out with BFH.

Mine is not that bad, but leaves a bit of an uneven cut where the blades meet in the middle.

 

[toneydoc]

Try Texan4Life's idea that sounds good to me. I have to adjust mine at least every year.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Falken
In Québec they just go at the stump in the opposite direction afterwards.
+1

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: Falken
In Québec they just go at the stump in the opposite direction afterwards.
Hahaha I like that one!

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

That would be an AYP built mower. Either a cracked spindle casting or the deck is bent. I've had both on my 1997 Poulan 42" mower. I've replaced so many housings that I keep a spare.
Good luck,

Wayne

 

[Errtt]

Neighbor recently bought a new mower (electric start) after letting things grow for awhile because old mower wouldn't start, now gone.
Started mowing the back and walked it straight into a fruit tree stump. I heard he got a few minutes running the new mower before destroying it. Going to go buy another new mower this weekend when his son visits because son has a truck to haul it home.