Export thread

I hope I do this right. I currently have a Hustler Model Number 939751 and I'll never go back to a riding lawn mower again. I live in SC where we have what we call "Highway Grass". Every time I go and cut it, I leave trails of this stuff standing up as if it's saying "Ha Ha you missed me". I've come to terms with the fact that I have to cut this stuff 2x as it used to take 1x on 6 acres. For an old man that's a lot of heat to take from the sun. My problem is not to cut it 2x but 1x and when it was brand new, no problem. There is no movement in the spindles when I try and move them. But for the deck, ya right, While learning about this machine yeah I'll be the first to admit that I hit the house with it a few times, taken off the discharge chute to the point of replacing it. Now comes to the questions of this whole thing: I did ask the dealership about this, but since he goes by feel and no tools, I think he's bullshitting me. I need/would like to know how to raise/lower the deck by the screws. According to him if I want to raise/lower the deck I have to go crosswise meaning the front screw left side goes with the right back screw to raise or lower the deck. I just don't get it and I'm willing to learn. Is this true? According to the manual, it states that you need to level the deck, I disagree with that because it's not the deck that is cutting the grass it's the blade. Am I wrong?
Thanks for your help

Park the machine on a level surface and measure each side's ground clearance - if it's 1/4" or thereabouts I would not worry about it - as for leaving strips of unmowed grass That would not have anything to do with a level / unlevel deck - How old are your blades ? they tend to wear on the ends to a point where it does not clear cut - not sure of your model but most have 3 blades -some have one longer than the other 2 but some are the same

Hustler Model Number 939751 is the mower, I have 3 blades and these blades are just out of the package. I've mess with the leveling of the deck and trying to get it right again. But I have learned that it's NOT the deck that cuts the grass it's the blades and I should measure using a tool called Mower Deck Leveling Gauge which I have one (new).

You are both right and wrong, as there is a combination of both the blades and deck contributing to your problem. You are going to have to check and/or replace the following areas.
1. Blades must be sharp and in good condition.
2. Belt must be in good condition. With your use I’ll bet it is worn if three years or older.
3. All deck pulleys and spindles must be in good condition.
4. Deck must be level left to right and the back must be 1/4” higher in the back.
5. Engine must always be running at top RPMs.

Here is the owners manual and a video. Between the two of them you should be able to go through the things I posted.

Cut yourself 4 blocks of wood. 2x4 or 4x4 work good. Cut two of them 3” long and two at 3 1/4” long. Air the tires to recommended pressure and park it on an even concrete pad. Set your deck at the 3” setting. Turn the blades front to rear. The 3” block should just slide under the front facing blade tips. The 3 1/4” block should just slide under the rear facing blade tips. If neither fit, adjust the leveling nuts until the blocks fit as described.

I thank you for all the info. However, my 1st question isn't answered I don't think. I have 4 screws (2 on the front of the deck and 2 on the back of the deck). Which screws do I turn to raise the deck evenly?

Did you watch the video?

FYI: There are not many blade options for the Hustler Raptor SD54. There will be OEM and aftermarket equivalents. Then there are Gator style blades. The Gator style blades aren’t worth a flip for cutting grass with high moisture content and they lose some lift due to cuts in the air foil.

timlab55 said:

I thank you for all the info. However, my 1st question isn't answered I don't think. I have 4 screws (2 on the front of the deck and 2 on the back of the deck). Which screws do I turn to raise the deck evenly?

Click to expand...

All four nuts are for leveling. Each one raises and lowers that particular corner of the deck. Watching the video will help you understand the process.

All I do is use Gator-style blades, have I been doing something wrong these past 2 years?

timlab55 said:

All I do is use Gator-style blades, have I been doing something wrong these past 2 years?

Click to expand...

I’ve used them too. I only use them in the fall for leaves and for the first spring mow. During the growing season, I use standard lift or high lift blades. They do a better job of possessing the clippings and don’t pack the deck like Gator style blades.

Did you try driving a little bit slower?

I can get the "Ha-ha you missed me!" in two ways. Turning sharply and maintaining the same speed, I think the overlap normally occuring when mowing straight ahead does not occur as much, so some is left. The blades are staggered fore and aft so they can be 'closer together' when mowing straight ahead, thus overlap. The second way is to keep the same speed when mowing 'tough' patches where the weeds(it's all weeds) grow better due to cow patties of decades past. Slowing down ground speed makes the cut work better.
A large part of the cutting is done by the edge at the tip of the blade. GIven the blade spins multiple times as it advances, it will naturally have the tip, one end or the other, being present for the 'arc' the blade covers by rotating and by advancing forward. Each rotation will be some fraction of an inch 'forward', and the tip will get most use.
If you advance too far, the blades will not have much chance to cut as the grass/weeds will have been whacked a bit by the tip, and bend. Too fast, and the grass can not spring back(too long==too slow) to get cut by the blade, it is sort of 'wiped over' and remains long.
The third thing is using a 'sand blade' as some call it. They are a stiff blade that will not deform(except big things). I bought blades for my AYP Craftsman branded 42" over 10 years ago. They are THICK like the single blade of a Toro 33". They have held their edge to the point where I have yet to sharpen them. I think I got them from PSEP.BIZ - Pat's Smalll Engine Place ?
Any way, here's a page of blades:
Sand blades are a way down the page. Some of the 'different' blades are made of thinner material, FWIW.
I would order a pair in a minute, and perhaps should before they are no longer offered.
tom

If you're even close to level with good blades it's not a cutting issue. That 'highway grass' is bahia grass. It's got a thick stalk. Your wheels mash it flat and it stays that way as the blades pass over. By the time you do your next pass they've popped back up. A quick second pass, like you say, putting the uncut grass out of the wheel path gives you a uniform lawn. If you have sprinklers and are willing to water it, bermuda will eventually choke out the bahia. Water is the SC solution to a decent lawn.

Always Learning said:

If you're even close to level with good blades it's not a cutting issue. That 'highway grass' is bahia grass. It's got a thick stalk. Your wheels mash it flat and it stays that way as the blades pass over. By the time you do your next pass they've popped back up. A quick second pass, like you say, putting the uncut grass out of the wheel path gives you a uniform lawn. If you have sprinklers and are willing to water it, bermuda will eventually choke out the bahia. Water is the SC solution to a decent lawn.

Click to expand...

I haven't seen it done but I wonder if one of the detaching blades with the tyne that goes down to the ground would make the bahia pop back up to be cut so you wouldn't need to go back over it.

for what it's worth:
a. not all blades made are actually the same length. Even OEM blades can be off as much as 1/16 - 1/3 inch. It happens. ALWAYS measure the blades...all of them. out of a hundred, some will not be correctly sized, even if sold as an equivalent or even OEM from the same mower manufacturer. You tend to see this is "batches"...blades sold as a set. if there is a dimensional error, all of them will usually be too short.
b. multi blade mower must have a slight overlap...this ensures there is complete cut swath from one blade to the other, leaving nothing standing.
c. some mower designs are poor and the overhand is just not adequate. Cub cadet is famous for this /s There is not enough overhang in the blade swath design...this design flaw reveals itself when turning the mower. straight lines...okay..but when turning, the overhand design flaw reveals it's ugly design.
d. too much or too little downward pitch in the leading edge (forward side) of the deck can cause irregular cutting issues. I pitch all my mowers for a clean smooth cut no more than a 1/3 inch dip front to back. Leveling the deck is important also. make sure you are on a flat even surface when doing this measurement. Sometimes the front deck grass wheels get worn on one side or both, or are loose, or missing. You must have these wheels to prevent scalping and irregular cuts.
e. mowing too fast contributes to irregular cutting...slow down and see if this improves the cut
f. blades need to be sharp...not knife sharp, but reasonably sharp. sharpen the blades on a regular basis. sometimes blades are warped or broken...heat and beat to straighten warped blades...replace broken blades. Most of the cut is done out at end of the blade...but the inner side (closest to spindle bolt), should also be sharp, because this helps to discharge the grass, and cut it into small pieces.
g. mulching blades and the discharge plug is notorious for clumping. consider mowing with standard blades with medium lift.
h. grass that is too high, needs to be cut at a higher height. only the top commercial mowers with the best design and power can go through the very thick tall stuff in one pass. If you cut at a higher mowing height and the swath is cleanly cut, that's the problem. And yes, this means either mowing more often before it gets tall, or two passes...first higher, last lower.
i. not all grass is the same. bermuda cuts differently that zoysia and saint augustine cuts differently also. They grow at different rates. Different species/variant also contain less or more moisture. Grass that is very dry, will be hard to cut cleanly. Lightly moist and "green" grass tends to cut the best. (my theory is that the higher moisture content makes the grass more plastics than dry fiber and that the moisture acts in a way that is like a lubricant. really wet grass is very difficult to cut, because it's heavier, and really wet grass tends to clump up inside the deck before discharge...this additional weight makes it very difficult for the mower blades to cut them down to small pieces and discharge evenly. As it clumps up, the mower blades have to deal with that and also cut grass that continues feeding under the deck and you travel...in really dry and really wet (when there are not other options to delay mowing, I slow down, AND I cut at a higher height.) planning the right conditions to mow isn't always possible, but if the choice can be made, it's best to cut when grass is not too tall and just slightly moist.
j. always check the belt routing and make sure the pulleys are not heavily varnished/glazed. And make sure the belt tensioner pulley functions properly. the pulley tensioner sometimes gets stuck in a certain range. it must have a full range sweep under spring pressure and spring back (dampen) quickly. sometimes the PTO clutch slips. It's rare to see them fail but when they do the belt will not be powered under a load adequately and the belt can slip. If you have gone through everything I mentioned above and you still cannot get the grass mowed cleanly, then take the time to test the PTO clutch. The electrical solenoid might test good. It's the clutch "pack" that might be slipping. This isn't an easy thing to test. The shadetree method is to carefully listen to the blades under power under load. If you can hear them slowing down under normal cutting resistance...then you have some clues to look at the PTO clutch and clutch pack.

Cajun power said:

for what it's worth:
a. not all blades made are actually the same length. Even OEM blades can be off as much as 1/16 - 1/3 inch. It happens. ALWAYS measure the blades...all of them. out of a hundred, some will not be correctly sized, even if sold as an equivalent or even OEM from the same mower manufacturer. You tend to see this is "batches"...blades sold as a set. if there is a dimensional error, all of them will usually be too short.
b. multi blade mower must have a slight overlap...this ensures there is complete cut swath from one blade to the other, leaving nothing standing.
c. some mower designs are poor and the overhand is just not adequate. Cub cadet is famous for this /s There is not enough overhang in the blade swath design...this design flaw reveals itself when turning the mower. straight lines...okay..but when turning, the overhand design flaw reveals it's ugly design.
d. too much or too little downward pitch in the leading edge (forward side) of the deck can cause irregular cutting issues. I pitch all my mowers for a clean smooth cut no more than a 1/3 inch dip front to back. Leveling the deck is important also. make sure you are on a flat even surface when doing this measurement. Sometimes the front deck grass wheels get worn on one side or both, or are loose, or missing. You must have these wheels to prevent scalping and irregular cuts.
e. mowing too fast contributes to irregular cutting...slow down and see if this improves the cut
f. blades need to be sharp...not knife sharp, but reasonably sharp. sharpen the blades on a regular basis. sometimes blades are warped or broken...heat and beat to straighten warped blades...replace broken blades. Most of the cut is done out at end of the blade...but the inner side (closest to spindle bolt), should also be sharp, because this helps to discharge the grass, and cut it into small pieces.
g. mulching blades and the discharge plug is notorious for clumping. consider mowing with standard blades with medium lift.
h. grass that is too high, needs to be cut at a higher height. only the top commercial mowers with the best design and power can go through the very thick tall stuff in one pass. If you cut at a higher mowing height and the swath is cleanly cut, that's the problem. And yes, this means either mowing more often before it gets tall, or two passes...first higher, last lower.
i. not all grass is the same. bermuda cuts differently that zoysia and saint augustine cuts differently also. They grow at different rates. Different species/variant also contain less or more moisture. Grass that is very dry, will be hard to cut cleanly. Lightly moist and "green" grass tends to cut the best. (my theory is that the higher moisture content makes the grass more plastics than dry fiber and that the moisture acts in a way that is like a lubricant. really wet grass is very difficult to cut, because it's heavier, and really wet grass tends to clump up inside the deck before discharge...this additional weight makes it very difficult for the mower blades to cut them down to small pieces and discharge evenly. As it clumps up, the mower blades have to deal with that and also cut grass that continues feeding under the deck and you travel...in really dry and really wet (when there are not other options to delay mowing, I slow down, AND I cut at a higher height.) planning the right conditions to mow isn't always possible, but if the choice can be made, it's best to cut when grass is not too tall and just slightly moist.
j. always check the belt routing and make sure the pulleys are not heavily varnished/glazed. And make sure the belt tensioner pulley functions properly. the pulley tensioner sometimes gets stuck in a certain range. it must have a full range sweep under spring pressure and spring back (dampen) quickly. sometimes the PTO clutch slips. It's rare to see them fail but when they do the belt will not be powered under a load adequately and the belt can slip. If you have gone through everything I mentioned above and you still cannot get the grass mowed cleanly, then take the time to test the PTO clutch. The electrical solenoid might test good. It's the clutch "pack" that might be slipping. This isn't an easy thing to test. The shadetree method is to carefully listen to the blades under power under load. If you can hear them slowing down under normal cutting resistance...then you have some clues to look at the PTO clutch and clutch pack.

Click to expand...

h (i): (sorry for this edit post): make sure the blades are tight and the bolts and spindle threads are not worn...using a heavy duty impact wrench can damage the threads and bolts. Blades might be spinning on the spindle! I use a low powered impact wrench gun set to no more than 70 foot pounds to prevent this. for walk behinds and smaller mowers, this is likely to be much less foot pounds. Refer to manual for torque specs.

timlab55 said:

I hope I do this right. I currently have a Hustler Model Number 939751 and I'll never go back to a riding lawn mower again. I live in SC where we have what we call "Highway Grass". Every time I go and cut it, I leave trails of this stuff standing up as if it's saying "Ha Ha you missed me". I've come to terms with the fact that I have to cut this stuff 2x as it used to take 1x on 6 acres. For an old man that's a lot of heat to take from the sun. My problem is not to cut it 2x but 1x and when it was brand new, no problem. There is no movement in the spindles when I try and move them. But for the deck, ya right, While learning about this machine yeah I'll be the first to admit that I hit the house with it a few times, taken off the discharge chute to the point of replacing it. Now comes to the questions of this whole thing: I did ask the dealership about this, but since he goes by feel and no tools, I think he's bullshitting me. I need/would like to know how to raise/lower the deck by the screws. According to him if I want to raise/lower the deck I have to go crosswise meaning the front screw left side goes with the right back screw to raise or lower the deck. I just don't get it and I'm willing to learn. Is this true? According to the manual, it states that you need to level the deck, I disagree with that because it's not the deck that is cutting the grass it's the blade. Am I wrong?
Thanks for your help

Click to expand...

Also in SC, and experience the Bahia grass a lot. First of all, like the others have said, blades must be sharp. But also, the tip must NOT be rounded. It must have as close to a 90 degree edge on the tip, or any rounding will just push the grass over. I found that to make cutting almost any grass go better. I overlap more which helps, also, cutting closer to the ground helps. And going slower.

I live in SW Georgia and I don’t have any problems cutting Bahia Grass. It’s best to cut at 3” and maintain sharp blades. I put on sharp blades every 12 hours of mowing time. And,I don’t use crappy Gator style blades.

The front of the deck should be lower then the front by turning the adjustment screws in the front each side the same amount. 3/8 lower then the back on level floor.

Johner said:

The front of the deck should be lower then the front by turning the adjustment screws in the front each side the same amount. 3/8 lower then the back on level floor.

Click to expand...

Why?

Because if the back is lower ( called heeling the deck ) the back of the blade cuts the grass then those clippings have to travel all the way round the deck to the right side to be discharged .
Some counter rotating and timed blade decks heel but most have what is called a positive attack angle

If you have some grass not being lifted up to be cut, or it looks like yourbeating the grass not cutting it smoothly, it could be that one ormore blades are installed wrong. On the blade at one end you have your cutting edge, on the other end there is a tab that is bent upward. That tab should be pointing up towards your deck. That tab is what creates an upward vaccum under your deck which pulls your grass upward to cut each grass blade evenly, even if some are laying down. If you have your tab facing down towards the grass when mowing the tab will actually be blowing the grass down giving you an uneven cut.

MParr said:

FYI: There are not many blade options for the Hustler Raptor SD54. There will be OEM and aftermarket equivalents. Then there are Gator style blades. The Gator style blades aren’t worth a flip for cutting grass with high moisture content and they lose some lift due to cuts in the air foil.

Click to expand...

Are you nuts? I've got the same exact mower and have about 6-10 different types of blades. Is your google broken?

gasjr4wd said:

Are you nuts? I've got the same exact mower and have about 6-10 different types of blades. Is your google broken?

Click to expand...

Nope, my google isn’t broken. 54” mowers aren’t as common as 52” and 60”.

MParr said:

Nope, my google isn’t broken. 54” mowers aren’t as common as 52” and 60”.

Click to expand...

BS. Then why is it I can find 54" blades fine? 54" is more common then 52", and 60" is about the same as 54". I've got a whole tool box draw full of blades... so, what magic blade are you looking for? And yea, I'm not wowed by gator blades. I've got the G3's and G5's. I find Rotary Copperhead Mulching Blades much better. (yea, I've got the 2.5" and 3") The little fins go out rather than in, pushing the grass out. You are turning grass into much from not sharpening the blades before installing them. NO blade comes sharp. Lower the angle to no more than 30 degrees, I run about 20. Clean the underside of the deck and spray it with a product MADE FOR THIS. It must dry. It can't be sticky. Then don't cut wet grass. Most of the time I run two sets of blades. X-blade adapters. They don't do all they say, but they are _much_ better than running a single blade.

gasjr4wd said:

BS. Then why is it I can find 54" blades fine? 54" is more common then 52", and 60" is about the same as 54". I've got a whole tool box draw full of blades... so, what magic blade are you looking for? And yea, I'm not wowed by gator blades. I've got the G3's and G5's. I find Rotary Copperhead Mulching Blades much better. (yea, I've got the 2.5" and 3") The little fins go out rather than in, pushing the grass out. You are turning grass into much from not sharpening the blades before installing them. NO blade comes sharp. Lower the angle to no more than 30 degrees, I run about 20. Clean the underside of the deck and spray it with a product MADE FOR THIS. It must dry. It can't be sticky. Then don't cut wet grass. Most of the time I run two sets of blades. X-blade adapters. They don't do all they say, but they are _much_ better than running a single blade.

Click to expand...

Whatever

@MParr - Will I did your leveling suggestion and I think I might have a winner here. Sorry been busy with foxes after my cats during the monring time, working on getting the right CCTV cameras purchased and installed, and next week I have a few doctors appts and start working on a well house. You just got to love the country life that's for sure. Anyway, getting back to the blade leveling and cutting. So I level out the blades and its a wonder that I actually was able to do it. Now I did use some gator blades that were two cuts in. So I got my ZTR over to my house for the real test and it was nice for a change not to see that darn highway grass sticking up in a row. The cutting is still off, but not like it use to be. I did noticed that the hangers on the deck (some are bent and soon to be replace), so that is part of my problem. Anyway, this evening I put some Organ blades on it (like the OEM's). And WOW what a differences in the cut. I did noticed that the middle blade (if it is the middle blade is still leaving LOT of uncut grass in the middle, but it sure looks nice with 1 cut and doing 2 cuts, no problem. Any suggestions on how can I tell which blade is not doing what it's suppose to do?
Thanks
Dan

Get you some new deck hangers installed. Check your pulleys and spindles for proper operation. Make sure that your deck isn’t bent where the spindles mount. After all of that, level the deck again.
Run full throttle and slow your mowing speed.

Do your blades look like these?

They look like those, but according to my dealer the one's I have are med and not Hi Lifts.

timlab55 said:

They look like those, but according to my dealer the one's I have are med and not Hi Lifts.

Click to expand...

Regardless of what the dealer says, those blades I linked to are the direct aftermarket replacement blades for the standard Hustler blades.
For cutting Bahia grass:
Sharp blades.
Deck needs to be level from side to side and a slight pitch down in the front.
Engine should be run at full throttle.
Ground speed should be reduced.
Height of cut should be 3”and should be mowed every 7 days.

I can cut Bahia grass and never leave a seed stalk standing, in one pass. I have my deck pitched down 1/8” in the front. Sharp blades go on at every 12 hours of run time.

@MParr - Just a few questions about what you posted early.
#1: I was thinking I was sharping my blades the right way or not. Is there a good temp plate or something out there that can guide me in doing it?
#2: When not to cut the grass?
#3: YOu mentioned 1/8". Which bolts do you turn the two front one's? If the front one's, Approx how many turns would that be on the bolts?
Thanks
Dan

I just free hand sharpen with a 4 1/2” angle grinder fitted with a 40 grit flapper. Follow the original angle.
Cut you some 2x4s or 4x4s. Cut 2 at 3 1/2” long and 2 at 3 5/8” long. Set your height selector pin to 3 1/2”. The outside blades should be facing front to rear. Slide the 3 1/2” block under the front facing blade tip and 3 5/8” block under the rear facing blade tip. These blocks should just slide under the blade tips.
Number of turns? That really doesn’t matter. Turn the bolts CW or CCW until the blocks slide under the blade tips.
Best time to cut? It depends. You certainly don’t want to cut if the grass is soaking wet.

Chipg1956 said:

Why?

Click to expand...

Not sure of the science behind it but, I have this Snapper, every time mowing dandelions or tall weeds I would look back and they were never touched at least a lot of them. Plagued me for a long time finally called the company and they advised me to lower the front of the deck and it worked.