# Well, there's your problem, right there!



## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

My 16 year old Sears Craftsman lawn tractor (model # 917271830 Craftsman 21 hp, 42 in. Deck) suddenly began cutting so low on one side (not the chute side) that it pretty much cuts right down to the dirt! Luckily this started when I was almost done mowing. The little bit of the back yard I missed is not important. 

The blades, and the shafts and pulleys that are above the blades do not have any vertical play in them. I yanked pretty hard from every direction. 

The deck itself seems well attached. Not obvious tilting or differences in tension when lifted from one side or the other. 

I spent time laying next to it examining the mechanism that raises and lowers the deck. Nothing looks wrong or broken there. The most I could see was the parts the raise and lower the deck have pivot pins that look a bit worn, but that would not change the mow height (on the #3 notch) to suddenly start scalping the sod. 

Not finding anything clearly bad, I had about decided to go inside and simply order all new pivot pins and see how that tightened up tolerances. Then, for some reason, I decided to eyeball the blade itself. Now, I had both blades off to sharpen them earlier this season and they were pretty worn, but they took an edge, so they went back in. I had reached up in there and found the blade with my gloved hand when I was looking for inappropriate play, and it was on there tightly, no play, but I hadn't actually looked at. That was an error. 

When I saw the blade, I immediately knew it was the problem. Here is a shot of it after removal. 

Well, there's your problem right there...










So... I ordered up a pair of new blades.

Not sure how the ends got bent that way, except maybe hitting a polyethylene drain spout pan/diffuser/ whatever they're called...


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## willys55 (Oct 13, 2016)

that will do it


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

That's a strange looking blade. When they get worn that badly, they cause more harm from vibration than its worth to keep them.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Some fine trouble shooting there!!


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

I have had a few do that and it doesn't take much to bend them when they hit dirt, etc.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Bet you scare mud worm or two.


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## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

sixbales said:


> That's a strange looking blade. When they get worn that badly, they cause more harm from vibration than its worth to keep them.


That's an interesting point. Thanks for the info!

I had the blades off earlier in the season to sharpen them. I should have bought new ones sooner, but I thought I could get a bit more out of them. 

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined blades bending like that!


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## dozer966 (Dec 30, 2014)

Good thing one end did not break off and hit something or someone.


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## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

dozer966 said:


> Good thing one end did not break off and hit something or someone.


Agreed. I do have the OEM chute shield in place, FWIW. The blade metal is about 1/8" thick; I could not bend it with my hand by grabbing one of the downward pointing ends, so thankfully it was nowhere near sending anything flying.


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## deerhide (Oct 20, 2016)

I have seen a lot of lawnmower blades over the years but never one bent like that! Don't throw it away.....frame it.


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## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

deerhide said:


> I have seen a lot of lawnmower blades over the years but never one bent like that! Don't throw it away.....frame it.


Me either! I can understand being bent in an upward direction by striking something, but being bent down, and on both ends, really shocks me.


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## raylab (Oct 30, 2004)

Bent the blades on my tractor once. Tried to straighten them out by hand and could not. Put them in a vice and tried again. When I realized how much force it was taking I stopped and thought about how much force it took to bend them in the first place. Scary. Real Scary.


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## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

raylab said:


> Bent the blades on my tractor once. Tried to straighten them out by hand and could not. Put them in a vice and tried again. When I realized how much force it was taking I stopped and thought about how much force it took to bend them in the first place. Scary. Real Scary.


These things are so easy to operate that we tend to forget the kinds of force we're controlling. I know I am guilty of this.


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## Firemanbuck (Jul 20, 2017)

Meh, just use them as thatching blades....


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## pYLON1357 (Dec 2, 2016)

I have seen some twisted and mangled blades before, but good lord, nothing quite like this. My wife would be proud at the amount of destruction to this blade.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I have a 36" mower with a single blade that I don't use much any more except for pulling trailers and sweepers. The single blade is so long that it bends very easy. Seems if it hits a rock it'll bend up, but if it grabs the ground it'll go like yours and start tilling the front yard!!!


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## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

Put the new blades on and mowed the place today. What a HUGE difference the new blades make. Not just in clean cutting, but in the amount of air they move. They blow the clippings much farther and also do a much better job blowing the driveways clean.

I got these. At $16.94 for 2 blades, I am quite happy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TUFW1AS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Glad to hear you got it fixed.


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## jhngardner367 (Apr 5, 2011)

Some years ago, Terry ,a friend of mine,was expanding the yard,by cutting the tall grass back.
He kept the old blades on,in case there was anything "hidden',in the grass.
Turns out,there was,and when he hit the  2" pipe sticking up, it snapped the blade in half,at the mount hole.
One piece cut through the deck front,and destroyed the tire and rim,on the left front, while the other half skipped out from under,sailed some 150 ft,and sheared through the side of his truck bed!
It also tore up the mandrel,and mount hole of the deck.
Since that time he always uses new blades,BUT,he goes in first,with a DR trimmer!


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Yes sir Mr. John theres alot of rpms going on there. I saw a bushhog blade shear through the side like that before, and traveled a couple hundred feet. The side of the bushhog was 1/4 steel too but it didnt stop that blade.


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## ar_confederate (Jul 20, 2015)

Slightly off topic but are those DR trimmers good?


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Had blade come of older style bushhog  never did find the blade.


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## johnhoward28 (Jun 9, 2016)

Yeah, that happened to me one time. Then I ordered some Ultra Heavy Duty Blades off ebay for my mower and never had that problem again. I could mow over small trees if I wanted to now. LOL!


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Those gator blades are pretty tuff to any is better than the oe blades.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

ar_confederate said:


> Slightly off topic but are those DR trimmers good?


I have one, of sorts. Works great for rough stuff, but I need to carry a bunch of spare cutting tines (Plastic) because they usually break off when you are the farthest from your storage shed. Also with the two wheels, you can't go everywhere with it, in regards to terrain. 
On the other side of the coin, I have a gas powered weed whacker that uses the plastic cord, has a heavy duty 4 point brush cutter and a saw blade for tough saplings. Has a nice shoulder harness and will cut a good 6 foot swath as I walk along swinging it side to side..... way better than the mower in my opinion.... but I guess it all depends on what you are actually cutting or reclaiming.


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## Emoto (Jul 7, 2016)

jhngardner367 said:


> Some years ago, Terry ,a friend of mine,was expanding the yard,by cutting the tall grass back.
> He kept the old blades on,in case there was anything "hidden',in the grass.
> Turns out,there was,and when he hit the 2" pipe sticking up, it snapped the blade in half,at the mount hole.
> One piece cut through the deck front,and destroyed the tire and rim,on the left front, while the other half skipped out from under,sailed some 150 ft,and sheared through the side of his truck bed!
> ...


Holy [email protected]!!!


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## johnhoward28 (Jun 9, 2016)

pogobill said:


> On the other side of the coin, I have a gas powered weed whacker that uses the plastic cord, has a heavy duty 4 point brush cutter and a saw blade for tough saplings. Has a nice shoulder harness and will cut a good 6 foot swath as I walk along swinging it side to side..... way better than the mower in my opinion.... but I guess it all depends on what you are actually cutting or reclaiming.


Sound like my UWMWD as seen herein this mock ad video I made about it.


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