Lousy cut with Legacy 54" deck

[billcarter 0]

I have a Sunstar with a 48" deck, and I love it. Great cut, totally reliable and built like a tank. 2 years ago I added a new Legacy with the 54" deck to my garage, and it has never cut well. It leaves what I call a skunk stripe of uncut or poorly cut grass right down the middle. It was totally clean under the deck and the blades were nice and sharp. My dealer came over since it was still under warranty, and he agreed something was wrong. That was a year and a half ago, and although he's jacked the RPMs up, added the mulching kit plates, and even replaced the entire deck shell the deck still mows like crap. I figured it was just a lousy patent, and that the center blade, with a smaller radius, simply couldn't cut as well with the lower blade speed, but other people assure me that these decks do a beautiful job. So what the heck is wrong with mine???

[Ronald Hribar 91]

I'm probably way off base as I have never seen a Legacy deck. But are all the blades rotating in proper direction? I thought I read some place where some decks have 2 blades going one direction and the other one going the other direction

[D-17_Dave 12]

Are the blades the right size?

[PMax4041 0]

Are The Blades Square At The Tips Meaning A 90 Degree Corner And Not Rounded Over?? That Can Cause Some Problems As Well

[billcarter 0]

The way it cuts it looks like the center blade is running backwards, but it isn't. The blades were brand new, and when it didn't cut well from the start, I sharpened them. The ends are square. I sure assume the blade is the right size, especially on a new deck, and besides, the dealer has now replaced the center blade. The shaggy stripe is about a foot wide, so now I'm overlapping enough for the outer blade to recut that strip on the next pass. The outer blades cut perfectly fine, so it looks great once I overlap, but it means my effective deck width is about 28"! How about this possibility: When the tractor was brand new, the hydraulic cylinder leaked a bunch of fluid onto the deck, directly over the center pulley/arbor. I cleaned up the oil as best I could, and asked the dealer if the belt and all shouldn't be cleaned with detergent or something. He assured me that that any remaining oil would wear off the first time I ran the deck. Now it has about 50 hours on it. Does anyone think there could still be a residue or glaze from the hydraulic fluid that's causing slippage?

[jlasater 250]

You might mow for a while then shut everything down and feel the pulley's on the deck. If the center pulley feels much hotter than the outside two, I'd think the belt would be slipping.

[WITom 0]

Is the deck properly leveled front to back? If the front is running high, it would make the strip of grass from the center blade to cut higher. Just a thought...

[D-17_Dave 12]

The center arbor is driven by the tractor first. It wouldn't be slipping and the outer 2 being driven. Im with Tom on this one. I'd check the deck for being level on some concrete. Also while you have it where you can see it, turn the outer blade by hand and watch all the blades turning the same direction. By chance is the one center blade on upside down?