mower not mowing level????

[jj605v]

I have leveled the deck but seems like even on the highest setting im at about 1.5 inches. Also on every pass it is leaving a strip of uncut grass directly in the center. The mower is the one in my sig. its an 04 model. It sat for 2-3 years prior to me obtaining it. I changed fuel, spark plug, solenoid, battery, ignition switch and oil. Had 2 pulleys locked up and lawnmower repair man fixed that problem. He charged me 85 to fix the 2 locked up pulleys and ignition switch. Belt snapped off tonight mid cut and I assume it was dry-rotted. I have no idea. Is it worth sinking more money into or am I better off getting a newer used mower? I have roughly 3 acres to mow. Front yard has about .5 - 1.0 acre that is probably a 18-20 slope. All help appreciated.

 

[reddragon]

lets have the make/model/serial numbers first....off the top of my head.....bad blades/bad pulleys..bad blade brakes..deck level not adjusted...maybe even near flat tires....can you take pictures for us?.....2004 isnt old...i think its workable........Rome ITALY or U.S.A.?

 

[originalswampfox]

There is always the issue of setting the blades in the proper direction with relationship to each other. If the blades are worn on the ends and not sharp there will be a strip in the middle. If the strip is in the middle of the mower and not in the overlap of two passes, it can't be the leveling of the deck. I'm assuming this mower has more than one blade, you know what they say about assumptions.

 

[originalswampfox]

Speaking of flat tires, I can't count the times in the past I tried to level my deck with a tire flat.

 

[reddragon]

i had that happen recently...a kid borrowed my 1998 craftsman and ran it into a ditch...bending the vortex baffle which hit the end of the blade...dulling and bent it!....never said a thing and found a week later what happened when i saw i had a 2" strip of grass left behind me...i hope i wasnt that stupid when i was 16!:laughing:

 

[originalswampfox]

I'm 65 and believe we were all that stupid at 16.

 

[jj605v]

its a 2004 murray select 17.5 42".
model 425001X8A
serial 7537236431d025

Here are some pictures too. The one pic of the grass shows where its brown in the upper portion of the picture.......that is where it scalps it when I turn. The closeup of the deck is shown in the highest "6" position.

 

[reddragon]

right away i can see your deck is way too low....see the adjustment slot in front of the back tire with the big plastic wing nut?.....put that at the bottom of the slot way and see how much it improves!......im surprised your belt isnt confetti yet!:laughing:

 

[reddragon]

great pics by the way!...can you tip it ,carb side up and take photos of the blades?....thanks........by the way, your rig is worth keeping!....dont let people tell you murray's are junk!.....if you love it and take care of its special needs...they will serve you well!

 

[reddragon]

after you raise it with the wing nuts both sides ...try to pull those pulley guards away from the pulley's a little bit....they look all twisted:thumbsup: