Mower issue advice

[UpStateRedNeck]

Mower is a 44" Swisher mower deck.  Aside from the axle being bent 10 degrees off there's nothing obviously off there's nothing visibly wrong with it.  Right hand blade is leaving a racing stripe all of a sudden.  Is this just a sharpening issue?  It's been a very long time since I've had it sharpened.

Can mower blades be sharped with a Dremel + grind stone?  Table grinder is on my wishlist but don't have a place for it currently.

[First-light]

Mine does the same. I'm changing out the blades in a few weeks and going from there.  Could be a bent blade also. 

[doebuck1234]

  On 6/6/2022 at 12:13 AM, UpStateRedNeck said:

Mower is a 44" Swisher mower deck.  Aside from the axle being bent 10 degrees off there's nothing obviously off there's nothing visibly wrong with it.  Right hand blade is leaving a racing stripe all of a sudden.  Is this just a sharpening issue?  It's been a very long time since I've had it sharpened.

Can mower blades be sharped with a Dremel + grind stone?  Table grinder is on my wishlist but don't have a place for it currently.

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Not familiar with this but id be thinking maybe bent blade/dull.if bent I would think maybe it would be louder/shake??need a bench top grinder myself,last time around I used handheld angle grinder

[BuckTracker]

Blade upside down?

low tire pressure?

[mowin]

The only time I have that issue is a bent blade or low tire.  

[Hunter1]

80 grit flapper wheel best to sharpen blades that you can shave with 

[G-Man]

Bent or chipped blade most likely.   

[GreeneHunter]

My John Deere is leaving the same stretch of grass , probably get new blades next year !

[NYBowhunter]

Dremel won't do the job, I sharpen my blades with a makita hand held grinder. Usually if the blade  are bent it will leave a round mark and dig into the dirt. I suspect the blades need sharpening. Could it be that your not overlaying your passes enough and your missing those few inches?

[sbuff]

Bent blade or spindle my guess . 

 

[UpStateRedNeck]

It's 11 years old.  Might be combination of the wheel axle where it welds to the frame being bent/about to fail and sharpness.  Just called Max Wood Equipment in Coxsackie and they're 5 weeks wait time right now.  Probably try to sharpen it myself and see if there's any improvement.  I had it up on the ramps and there's no major chunks missing out of the blades or any real obvious tilt to the spindle.

I wonder how much longer I can avoid replacing it.  It's needed repairs 2 of 3 years running now.

[grampy]

Is the deck level????

[sbuff]

  On 6/6/2022 at 1:22 PM, UpStateRedNeck said:

It's 11 years old.  Might be combination of the wheel axle where it welds to the frame being bent/about to fail and sharpness.  Just called Max Wood Equipment in Coxsackie and they're 5 weeks wait time right now.  Probably try to sharpen it myself and see if there's any improvement.  I had it up on the ramps and there's no major chunks missing out of the blades or any real obvious tilt to the spindle.

I wonder how much longer I can avoid replacing it.  It's needed repairs 2 of 3 years running now.

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Max Wood is where I bought my ferris great bunch of guys . Can you look under deck at blade and spindle and take  photo 

Edited June 6, 2022 by sbuff

[LET EM GROW]

Guessing its a tow behind?

Its not a sharpening issue. 

A bent axle will cause this, low tire pressure will cause this, bent blade will cause this, bad spindle bearings will cause this, deck adjustment all will cause this.. check each. Any play in your spindle bearings at all, replace them. they will make your cut get worse and worse. First of all id say you have a bent blade check those first. If so even slightly, buy new blades(full set), secondly check tire pressure, usually 10-15 lbs is all that's needed. Your bent axle can certainly make some of this issue. Then check your deck for level on a flat even paved surface.   

[eaglemountainman]

  On 6/6/2022 at 1:48 PM, grampy said:

Is the deck level????

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Was just gonna suggest checking the deck for level, and adjusting. That was my problem a few years ago.

If your blades haven't been sharpened in a very long time, they might be beyond reconditioning by now. Might want to just replace them.

[UpStateRedNeck]

The deck is very much not level because of that axle.  Probably the root cause.  Question is:. Can I fix the damn thing?  I think the weld to steel bar is going/gone.

[mowin]

  On 6/6/2022 at 3:42 PM, UpStateRedNeck said:

The deck is very much not level because of that axle.  Probably the root cause.  Question is:. Can I fix the damn thing?  I think the weld to steel bar is going/gone.

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If these enough steel there, it might be able to be welded. Post some pics.

[Five Seasons]

my guess is less of a sharpness issue and probably bent. A lot of places will balance and sharpen a blade for pretty cheap and if your blades are really old it's not that bad to just buy a new set. I've always liked having 2 sets as I will take one off at the end of the year, clean the deck and winterize and the second set goes on. This way you can take your time to sharpening them and if you need a quick backup from an oh sh!t moment.

I use my worksharp with the tool grit. It's a nice kit for knives that does a halfway decent job on blades like lopers and mower blades.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Belo

[UpStateRedNeck]

Looking a bit rough isn't she?  I'm gonna have to try and find somebody to weld that in the capital district area.

[LET EM GROW]

Remove wheel and then remove axle, If you cant find a part number for axle, measure it and replace it. Tractor supply or Northern Tool may have one. Or order online by measurements taken. But also check to make sure its not the axle frame, where the axle gets attached to may be bent. Or if the through hole for the axle is oblonged. Something is very bent there and certainly not normal wear.

IF its the area where axle gets attached, a local machine shop could fix all that for you if you feel you cant do it yourself. seems like a pretty simple fix.  

[sbuff]

  On 6/7/2022 at 1:17 AM, UpStateRedNeck said:

Looking a bit rough isn't she?  I'm gonna have to try and find somebody to weld that in the capital district area.

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Try Govell on central ave , just west of rt155

[UpStateRedNeck]

  On 6/6/2022 at 5:34 PM, mowin said:

If these enough steel there, it might be able to be welded. Post some pics.

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Axle itself is wobbly and loose.  Anybody know the easiest way to fix this?  Looks like a wield job to me, but I know less than nothing.

[mowin]

  On 6/10/2022 at 10:23 PM, UpStateRedNeck said:

Axle itself is wobbly and loose.  Anybody know the easiest way to fix this?  Looks like a wield job to me, but I know less than nothing.

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Looks like there may have been a bushing in there that wore out.  I'd take it to a lawn mower repair shop and see what they can do. 

[UpStateRedNeck]

  On 6/10/2022 at 11:33 PM, mowin said:

Looks like there may have been a bushing in there that wore out.  I'd take it to a lawn mower repair shop and see what they can do. 

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Agreed, the trick being finding somebody around here that isn't backed up for a month.

[mowin]

  On 6/11/2022 at 2:06 AM, UpStateRedNeck said:

Agreed, the trick being finding somebody around here that isn't backed up for a month.

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That's the problem everywhere. Hurry up and wait syndrome.