Good afternoon. I have a 2023 Z412 with a Kubota mulching kit. I replaced the blades about a month ago with a new set from Kubota. I noticed that there appears to be about a 1/4" difference in cutting between the center blade and the left side blade. I thought I had either failed to seat the blade correctly when I installed it or I had a bent blade. I raised the mower and verified it was properly installed and when I spin them I can tell that one side is about a 1/4" lower than the other side of the blade when it comes around to the same spot. I then got one of the old blades and put it on and it is doing the same thing. I haven't kit anything and nothing appears to be bent. I'm also not sure how I didn't notice it before. Has anyone ever ran into this issue and what am I missing? Thanks in advance.
Uneven cutting Z412
- Thread starter asand211
- Start date
Skippydiesel
Well-Known Member
Just guessing;
If new blade warped, have you installed it correctly?
Assuming blade has been installed right way up, you should have a bolt, three washers on one side & a dust cap on the other.
Are all fittings undamaged & sitting/fitted correctly (nothing jammed at an angle)?
If new blade not warped, "Mower Deck Pulley Holder" loose or damaged. "Centre Balde Shaft" bent.
Last guess - Deck itself had been distorted casing spindle assembly to sit at an angle relative to other spindles.
If new blade warped, have you installed it correctly?
Assuming blade has been installed right way up, you should have a bolt, three washers on one side & a dust cap on the other.
Are all fittings undamaged & sitting/fitted correctly (nothing jammed at an angle)?
If new blade not warped, "Mower Deck Pulley Holder" loose or damaged. "Centre Balde Shaft" bent.
Last guess - Deck itself had been distorted casing spindle assembly to sit at an angle relative to other spindles.
Last edited:
Tiger Small Engine
Lawn Addict
Deck can be slightly bent or spindle mounting point is slightly bent. Obviously check blades for straightness. A 1/4” out is not great, but if you can’t get it closer, not the end of the world.
I did and the issue remained. I'm not sure if it makes sense that when the blade spins it is only lower on one said. It is lower where the center blade and the right blade meet. That leads me to believe the issue is with the spindle and not the blade.
I wanted to update everyone on the issue and that I figured it out. I removed the center blade which I knew is the one causing the issue. I put it back in place without the bolt or washers and had the dust cap on as well. I held the blade in place with my and but didn't let it spin as I spun the adjacent blade making all three spindles spin around. I noticed that as the center spindle moved and I kept the blade in place and stationary the ends slightly shift up and down as the spindle spun around(I hope that makes sense). Then I removed the dust cap and repeated the process and the blade ends stayed at exactly the same height as the spindle spun around. This pointed me to the dust cap. I compared it to the adjacent dust cap and I could see that it was very slightly bend where it sits between the spindle and the blade. It is only about 2 mm but it is enough to show a difference in the grass. It looks like something hit the dust cap causing it to warp. Maybe I dropped it when I replaced the blades, not sure, but that is the issue. The spindle shaft and the blades are straight. Thanks for everyone's input and I hope this helps someone else. SkippyDiesel mentioning the dust cap in his reply made me go back to that.