Thank you. Are the blade hubs these circular steel pieces held on by the snap rings?
Mower Blades Hit RCK54P
- Thread starter Dandick
- Start date
whitetiger
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Kubota tech..BX2370, RCK60, B7100HST, RTV900 w plow, Ford 1100 FWA
So I think I found my problem. When looking at the blade hubs I noticed the center hub doesn't appear to be fully seated in the spindle. I removed it and cleaned the surfaces but it still won't sit down. I can't even get the snap ring back in, the hub won't slide far enough to expose the groove. Any suggestions on where to go from here? A little persuasion with a hammer made no difference...
Edit - well that wasn't the issue. I got the center spindle put back together and torqued per the procedure in the service manual. Blade's still hitting. I'm going to take the right side spindle apart next to check bearings and look for anything bent.
Edit - well that wasn't the issue. I got the center spindle put back together and torqued per the procedure in the service manual. Blade's still hitting. I'm going to take the right side spindle apart next to check bearings and look for anything bent.
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Update 21 July 2024
I have mowed 9 times this season for a total of 35 hours. Here is a picture of the OEM Kubota blades. They were shot, so I installed Oregon Gator G6 blades. I had the same blade hitting problem, so I ground the outermost blade a little bit. Hopefully these Gator blades will last he rest of the season and then I’ll try to straighten the deck. It still doesn’t make sense to me that only 1 side of the blade hits. I guess I’ll never understand that.
I have mowed 9 times this season for a total of 35 hours. Here is a picture of the OEM Kubota blades. They were shot, so I installed Oregon Gator G6 blades. I had the same blade hitting problem, so I ground the outermost blade a little bit. Hopefully these Gator blades will last he rest of the season and then I’ll try to straighten the deck. It still doesn’t make sense to me that only 1 side of the blade hits. I guess I’ll never understand that.
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Is the picture good or is it distorted? Those blades look like they came from a dumpster (and were sharpened by an angry beaver). The picture would indicate they can't possibly be balanced. Looks like there's a difference of about 1/4" or so in the width when comparing both ends.
The picture is not distorted. The soil here is really sandy (obviously). In the picture with the three blades, they are in reverse order. The left blade is the outside blade, next is middle blade and the right blade is the innermost blade. I don’t know why the outside blade isn’t as worn/sandblasted as the other two.
Having the blades match each other would be nice, but not nearly as important as having each blade match ITSELF on both sides of its own center is a big deal.
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sandy soil kills blades. I've tried different brands and some last a little bit longer but not enough longer.
That's lack of proper maintenance, which is why this thread has gone three pages without resolution. The OP said he was hard on his deck, and he is. The dealer seems to know this and did a "quick 'fix'" that a lot of lawn service guys are fine with. For some the deck should have been fixed in the slow period, for others equipment is disposable and "damage happens, run it till it dies."
It's not easy to straighten a deck depending on where the damage is, how bad it is, and the experience and tools at hand, and if the deck is used and abused maybe it's time for a new deck anyway.
When metal bends it tends to stretch, that "extra metal" can be a problem and cause a permanent bow that flexes under the pressure of having too much metal in a given area. Heating the expanded area to the critical temperature (red hot) will cause it to expand BUT it shrinks more as it cools. This is an art and of course wrecks the powder coating, and if it cools too quickly it can embrittle thin metal making the deck fragile and prone to stress fracturing. This is why for land owners fixing a deck makes sense, for a guy who hits stumps and rocks and ground mounds and car batteries and more the deck might be bashed to hell and not worth the time to try straightening it.
It's not easy to straighten a deck depending on where the damage is, how bad it is, and the experience and tools at hand, and if the deck is used and abused maybe it's time for a new deck anyway.
When metal bends it tends to stretch, that "extra metal" can be a problem and cause a permanent bow that flexes under the pressure of having too much metal in a given area. Heating the expanded area to the critical temperature (red hot) will cause it to expand BUT it shrinks more as it cools. This is an art and of course wrecks the powder coating, and if it cools too quickly it can embrittle thin metal making the deck fragile and prone to stress fracturing. This is why for land owners fixing a deck makes sense, for a guy who hits stumps and rocks and ground mounds and car batteries and more the deck might be bashed to hell and not worth the time to try straightening it.
A lot of people don't think about the deck when getting on the tractor and think that standing on the deck is OK. If the deck is down on the anti-scalp wheels you might be able to get away with briefly stepping on the deck to get on and off the tractor, but you also must consider your weight.
I have a friend who had a lawn mower sales and service business, and I often saw these obese people bringing in small riding mowers that looked like they were in a combat zone with the damage inflicted on them and expecting that he could fix them up and be like new. He eventually got tired of people bringing in the Home Depot/Lowes junk tractors, so he retired and closed his doors.
I have a friend who had a lawn mower sales and service business, and I often saw these obese people bringing in small riding mowers that looked like they were in a combat zone with the damage inflicted on them and expecting that he could fix them up and be like new. He eventually got tired of people bringing in the Home Depot/Lowes junk tractors, so he retired and closed his doors.
RCW
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BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
@DustyRusty - true. Recently I backed my BX into the garage after the day’s work.
I backed in amongst some obstacles left and right that hindered my normal dismount. For the first time in my recollection I did step on the deck, but hated doing so.
Alternative was a possible fall, so that step was a Port in a Storm for this large and older fellow.
Thankfully no adverse effects, but not a good practice.
I backed in amongst some obstacles left and right that hindered my normal dismount. For the first time in my recollection I did step on the deck, but hated doing so.
Alternative was a possible fall, so that step was a Port in a Storm for this large and older fellow.
Thankfully no adverse effects, but not a good practice.
That is why I bought a rear finish mower. I am afraid of falling and getting into and out of the tractor isn't as easy as it once was. When I had my old BX22 I would drop the deck onto the anti-scalp wheels and step onto the deck and then off of it. Since I got my new hip, I am a lot more careful about falling, and the mower below the tractor would present a greater tripping and falling hazard.
OP Here
I never said I was hard on the deck. I don’t know what you mean “lack of proper maintenance “. I simply wanted to update the thread to show what the OEM blades look like after 30 hours of mowing this season, and I wanted to let the forum know that the new Gator blades are still hitting.
Sorry for the late reply, I forgot about this thread. I ended up replacing the blades, dust cups, spring washers and hex washers on all three blades. The spindles were all removed, cleaned and reinstalled. I also loosened all the bolts on the gearbox mounts and retorqued in order according to the manual.
The deck is back on and cutting fine now. I'm not sure exactly what the problem was but it seems to be fixed. I'm going to try removing the front baffles next to see if that helps the cut quality at all.
My mistake, it was another poster with an icon that looks similar on my system (nearly the same letter and color) who is hard on his deck.