50A deck *&^# %%$#$

[cavmedic]

I'm having one heck of a time getting my 50A deck to cut halfway decent.


I get 2 , 1'' strips on either side of the center blade AND it looks like the two outer blades cut about half an inch lower then the center blade.

It makes my yard look like a bag full of crushed A$$holes.

I sharpened original blades, does not help.
I bought new blades. Does not help.

Deck is level on all axis's . ( blade tips to level ground same , front to rear and side to side.

I'm really beginning to regret selling my cheap JD

What else can I check. .

deck is not twisted that I can tell ,


I ordered my blades from the cc part number listed on cc.com under 50A

Is this just the nature of this deck or am I missing something here.


baffles are present and good shape , deck was scraped etc etc.

[Sam Mac]

How are the bearings in the spindles? Any chance they could be allowing the blades to wobble?

[cavmedic]

There is a tiny tiny tiny bit of play , but nothing major.


Shouldnt the two outer blades over lap the center ?

[ol'George]

When mine does that, the grass is very tall and I'm going too fast for it.
I wished the blades were 1/2" longer, and yes mine,like yours 47" old deere deck cuts better ------
with that said,
With the deck flipped over, turn the blades carefully to see if the tips all line up end to end to see if they are all the same height. if not adjust with washers under the blades to even up.
Then see if the blades are inline to each other to check if one or more hubs is cocked on the deck.
Then with the deck back up side, remove cover and look to see if the pulleys are tight on the shaft/hubs and see that the idler and spring is doing it's job and not frozen up, it's also a good time to lube the idler pulley with a syringe filled with grease injected under the seal giving it additional years of use.
Just this past week I had a pulley come loose from it's "staked hub" so one spindle/blade was not turning, rare but it does happen.
Also it is not uncommon for a fellow to make a goof and install one or more blades upside down---- happens more than you think

[cavmedic]

Originally Posted by ol'George

When mine does that, the grass is very tall and I'm going too fast for it.
I wished the blades were 1/2" longer, and yes mine,like yours 47" old deere deck cuts better ------
with that said,
With the deck flipped over, turn the blades carefully to see if the tips all line up end to end to see if they are all the same height. if not adjust with washers under the blades to even up.
Then see if the blades are inline to each other to check if one or more hubs is cocked on the deck.
Then with the deck back up side, remove cover and look to see if the pulleys are tight on the shaft/hubs and see that the idler and spring is doing it's job and not frozen up, it's also a good time to lube the idler pulley with a syringe filled with grease injected under the seal giving it additional years of use.
Just this past week I had a pulley come loose from it's "staked hub" so one spindle/blade was not turning, rare but it does happen.
Also it is not uncommon for a fellow to make a goof and install one or more blades upside down---- happens more than you think

Ill pull the deck again this weekend and check some of those things.

I can tell you that the idler is good as I just replaced the belt last weekend.

The blades are on the right way for sure , checked that again tonight. Also making sure they are turning clockwise.


If the blades were different height at the tips , wouldn't that show up on my measurements though ?

[CADplans]

One thing my Cub dealer owned up to after I used Cubs for over 20 years is that the tip speed on a Cub is slower than a Deere.

I switched decks and changed to one that gave me higher tip speed and the cut improved!!

Don't kill yourself chasing shadows. You may need higher tip speed also!!??

There has been discussions here before on changing the drive pulley to get higher tip speed.

[ol'George]

Originally Posted by cavmedic

Ill pull the deck again this weekend and check some of those things.

I can tell you that the idler is good as I just replaced the belt last weekend.

The blades are on the right way for sure , checked that again tonight. Also making sure they are turning clockwise.


If the blades were different height at the tips , wouldn't that show up on my measurements though ?

Yes and no depending on how you measured them, but I can tell you from experience they are touchy as far as all being flat and parallel.
With the deck belt off, they are easy to turn and get them all aligned together.
if one is tipped, especially if ya hit something big, they will cut chity.
Sometimes you can get two to line up but the other will not, so you have a cocked spindle--read "bent mounting area" I have done a little "massaging" with a #7 sledge to get things just right , others have used a thin washer under a quill mounting tab.
Once you get them right they cut acceptable.
The problem is made worse as the decks get thin from years of usage/rust so they cock/bend easier than when new.

[cavmedic]

Originally Posted by CADplans

One thing my Cub dealer owned up to after I used Cubs for over 20 years is that the tip speed on a Cub is slower than a Deere.

I switched decks and changed to one that gave me higher tip speed and the cut improved!!

Don't kill yourself chasing shadows. You may need higher tip speed also!!??

There has been discussions here before on changing the drive pulley to get higher tip speed.

Trust me when I say I'm not just being anal ..

This looks BAD.

[cavmedic]

Originally Posted by ol'George

Yes and no depending on how you measured them, but I can tell you from experience they are touchy as far as all being flat and parallel.
With the deck belt off, they are easy to turn and get them all aligned together.
if one is tipped, especially if ya hit something big, they will cut chity.
Sometimes you can get two to line up but the other will not, so you have a cocked spindle--read "bent mounting area" I have done a little "massaging" with a #7 sledge to get things just right , others have used a thin washer under a quill mounting tab.
Once you get them right they cut acceptable.
The problem is made worse as the decks get thin from years of usage/rust so they cock/bend easier than when new.

This is turning into the million dollar mower ... This tractor is new to me.

I have no previous seasons to compare it with.

I'll have to load it up on the trailer and run it to my parents house with the better lighting , nicer garage and bigger tools. and tweak on it.

[Cub Cadet 123]

You can also check the adjustment of your deck hangers. They may need some small adjustment to help level it up from the front and even the air pressure in your tires to help level things out. I've used a torpedo level before to help me with this and was very pleased with the results.

Cub Cadet 123