Chazzy-Chas
Forum Newbie
Only has one blade, I believe am at full throttle.
Read my reply to MParr
Thanks for all the good thoughts.
Uneven Grass Height with JD srx75
- Thread starter Chazzy-Chas
- Start date
Read my reply to MParr
Thanks for all the good thoughts.
Chazzy-Chas
Forum Newbie
One 29.5" blade deck listed at 30"
Full throttle doesn't necessarily mean that the engine is turning at 3,600 RPMs. The engine speed will need to be checked with a tachometer.
I suspect the deck is tilted to one side. Think about it this way. Imagine that the deck is lower on the right and thus leaves the grass cut on the left of the deck higher than on the right. Say the first pass is northbound. The grass on the west side will slant uphill. Then the operator reaches the end of the row and turns around to mow heading south. The grass on the east half of the deck will slant higher. After a couple of back and forths, those east and west slanting cuts will abut each other and appear to be ridges.
Etbrown44
Member
You need to study the cutting path closely to make sure it's high in the middle of each 30" pass. That seems unlikely.
Do you travel around the circumference, basically going around the perimeter, or is it back and forth every other pass? If its back and forth, it may be as others have mentioned, that its really high on one side.
I have found some mowers with low wheels or a lower deck on one side with careful measuring. With back and forth mowing, that will leave a high ridge every 2 passes. With perimeter cutting it can leave a high ridge on every pass.
Do you travel around the circumference, basically going around the perimeter, or is it back and forth every other pass? If its back and forth, it may be as others have mentioned, that its really high on one side.
I have found some mowers with low wheels or a lower deck on one side with careful measuring. With back and forth mowing, that will leave a high ridge every 2 passes. With perimeter cutting it can leave a high ridge on every pass.
Gord Baker
Well-Known Member
Air up the tires to equal pressure Front and Rear. Park on a Level surface and use a 2x3 or 4 and level the deck , a 1/8" lower on front. Check both sides. Mow your lawn on an angle the next time..
Check all blades for equal sharpness.
Ran into this with a 61" deck BadBoy. Always used .250" blades, bought some cheaper .203" blades. The thinner blades allow the outer tips to pull down while pulling air and grass up especially in taller grass . A longer blade would be even more pronounced at outer edges with bending moment at center of blade. The taller the grass or lower the deck was when I noticed it more, bumped the deck up and problem solved. St. Augustine grass is very thick. Will get .250" blades next time.
Dixie Boosh Wookie
Member
I believe that is nearly the same mower as my RX-95.
On an RX75-style rider (RX63/73/75, SX75, and the close cousins), cutting height and deck level are two different things. Height is the lift lever. Level is the linkage, and on these machines the front is mostly fixed by the pins that sit on the front axle.
Park on a hard, level surface, set the parking brake, kill the engine, and pull the key. Check tire pressure first so a soft tire does not fake a low side.
### Cutting height
The height lever on the right side pulls spring-loaded pins and drops into holes in the quadrant. Typical range is about 1 to 4 inches in half-inch steps. Both pins have to seat fully. Deck gauge wheels are anti-scalp only: set them so they clear the ground by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch at the height you actually mow. They should not carry the deck.
### Level specs
A long-time Deere mechanic who worked these decks gives this target:
- Side to side: outer blade tips within about 1/8 inch of each other.
- Front to rear: front blade tip 1/4 to 3/8 inch lower than the rear tip.
That nose-down pitch is intentional. A perfectly level deck cuts with both ends of the blade at once and uses more power, and it often leaves brown tips.
Measure from a flat floor to the blade tip, not to the deck shell. Turn one blade left-right for side-to-side, then front-rear for pitch. On a twin-blade deck, hold the belt and turn the second blade the same way.
### Side-to-side
This is the only real adjuster. On the deck hanger there is a J-bolt (or an eccentric cam with locknuts, depending on exact year). Loosen the jam nuts, move the J-bolt or rotate the cam until the outer blade tips match, then lock the nuts. Recheck after tightening; these linkages move when you clamp them.
### Front-to-rear
The front of the deck hangs on thick pins that ride on top of the front axle, so there is no normal front draft-rod adjustment like a later tractor. A little pitch change comes from the same J-bolt nuts: loosening them and shifting the bolt slightly is what owners use to take a deck that is only a bit off and put the front 1/4–3/8 inch low.
If the nose is an inch or more low, the adjuster will not fix it. Common causes on these machines:
- Worn front-axle pivot and the pins that locate the deck
- Stretched or worn lift links and rear pins
- Bent or twisted deck shell
Those have to be brought back toward new condition (new bushings, pins, or a straight deck). Running the cam or J-bolt to the end of travel and still being way nose-down is wear, not a missed adjustment.
### After you set it
Recheck side-to-side after any front change, then set gauge wheels for the height you use. A short test strip on flat grass will show a stripe or a washboard long before the tape measure does.
Hope this helps. Respectfully, DBW
"The Second Time, It's Not A Lesson."
On an RX75-style rider (RX63/73/75, SX75, and the close cousins), cutting height and deck level are two different things. Height is the lift lever. Level is the linkage, and on these machines the front is mostly fixed by the pins that sit on the front axle.
Park on a hard, level surface, set the parking brake, kill the engine, and pull the key. Check tire pressure first so a soft tire does not fake a low side.
### Cutting height
The height lever on the right side pulls spring-loaded pins and drops into holes in the quadrant. Typical range is about 1 to 4 inches in half-inch steps. Both pins have to seat fully. Deck gauge wheels are anti-scalp only: set them so they clear the ground by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch at the height you actually mow. They should not carry the deck.
### Level specs
A long-time Deere mechanic who worked these decks gives this target:
- Side to side: outer blade tips within about 1/8 inch of each other.
- Front to rear: front blade tip 1/4 to 3/8 inch lower than the rear tip.
That nose-down pitch is intentional. A perfectly level deck cuts with both ends of the blade at once and uses more power, and it often leaves brown tips.
Measure from a flat floor to the blade tip, not to the deck shell. Turn one blade left-right for side-to-side, then front-rear for pitch. On a twin-blade deck, hold the belt and turn the second blade the same way.
### Side-to-side
This is the only real adjuster. On the deck hanger there is a J-bolt (or an eccentric cam with locknuts, depending on exact year). Loosen the jam nuts, move the J-bolt or rotate the cam until the outer blade tips match, then lock the nuts. Recheck after tightening; these linkages move when you clamp them.
### Front-to-rear
The front of the deck hangs on thick pins that ride on top of the front axle, so there is no normal front draft-rod adjustment like a later tractor. A little pitch change comes from the same J-bolt nuts: loosening them and shifting the bolt slightly is what owners use to take a deck that is only a bit off and put the front 1/4–3/8 inch low.
If the nose is an inch or more low, the adjuster will not fix it. Common causes on these machines:
- Worn front-axle pivot and the pins that locate the deck
- Stretched or worn lift links and rear pins
- Bent or twisted deck shell
Those have to be brought back toward new condition (new bushings, pins, or a straight deck). Running the cam or J-bolt to the end of travel and still being way nose-down is wear, not a missed adjustment.
### After you set it
Recheck side-to-side after any front change, then set gauge wheels for the height you use. A short test strip on flat grass will show a stripe or a washboard long before the tape measure does.
Hope this helps. Respectfully, DBW
"The Second Time, It's Not A Lesson."
