Lawn Tractor: Doesn't Cut Evenly or Leaves Lines On Lawn

The belt drives the pulley on the crankshaft and around the blade pulleys and idler pulleys on the blade deck. It then rotates the blade. A worn slipping belt will cause the blade to lose speed and not cut efficiently. To replace a worn or slipping belt, lower the deck to its lowest setting and remove the belt guard by the drive pulley. Then, remove the belt from the pulley. Next, remove the pins that support the deck at the rear as well as the front. Remove the front deck attachment point, and remove the pin that secures the PTO cable, then pull back on the cable and remove the spring. At this point you will be able to slide the deck out from under the mower. Remove the covers over the blade spindles and loosen the bolts on the idler pulleys so it’s easier to slip the belt off between the pulley and the belt guard. Now you will be able to remove the old belt. Install a new belt by wrapping it around the belt pulleys, then back around the idlers and tighten down the idler pulleys. Re-install the spindle pulley guards, slide the deck underneath the mower and reinstall the PTO cable. Finally, re-attach the front deck, then the rear deck, and re-install the belt guard.

A dull or broken blade will result in an uneven cut, and it will need to be replaced. Miss-aligned blades will not cut evenly. To inspect the blade, first park the mower on a flat, even surface, disconnect the battery and make sure all the tires are at the same pressure. Lower the mower deck to cutting height, and position the blades sideways. Measure from the tip of the blade to the ground on each side. These 2 measurements should be the same, and if they are not, they will need to be corrected. To adjust the mower deck height, locate the nut on the lower part of the deck suspension arm. Adjusting the nut will adjust the sides of the deck. Next, turn the blades 180 degrees and re-measure. If the measurements are different, it is an indication that you have a bent blade and it will need to be replaced.

A bad spindle can cause your lawn tractor to cut unevenly. If your spindle is making a loud noise, getting hot, becoming too hard to rotate, or vibrates excessively, it may be time to replace it. To replace a spindle, lower the deck to its lowest setting and remove the belt guard by the drive pulley. Then, remove the belt from pulley and remove the pins that support the deck at the rear. Remove the front deck attachment point and remove the pin that secures the PTO cable, then pull back on the cable and remove the spring. Slide the deck out from under the mower and remove the spindle cover. Use a piece of wood to hold the blade in place, then remove the spindle mounting nut, pull back the idler arm and remove the pulley. Now you can turn the deck over and remove the blade. With the blade removed, you can turn the mower deck back over and remove the spindle mounting nuts. Remove the old spindle and install a new one with new mounting bolts. At this point, you can re-install the blade and the washer over the spindle shaft. Re-connect the belt over the pulley as you re-attach it over the spindle shaft. Tighten the spindle shaft bolt down, and secure the blade with wood to re-tighten and re-install the spindle cover. Slide the mower deck back under the lawn mower and re-install the PTO cable and spring. Finally, re-connect the mounting pins and the drive belt.